Calling all Artists!
(Kjipuktuk, N.S.) - Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC) is looking for artists to apply for their 2023 Gritty to Pretty Placemaking Grant Program. The call for submissions is now open at www.downtownhalifax.ca/grittytopretty. There are five categories: (1) Open Grant, (2) Mural Grant, (3) Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) Mural Grant, (4) BIPOC Open Grant, and back this year, the (5) Façade Lighting Grant.
“As always we’re looking for artists with ideas that encourage civic pride, support local economies, and will enhance the overall attraction and vibrancy of Downtown Halifax’s streetscape,” says Jonathan Goldson, DHBC’s Placemaking Manager. “We are bringing back the façade lighting program this year in hopes that building owners in Downtown Halifax want to add lighting improvements to their property exteriors, which in turn improves the street’s pedestrian experience.”
Added last year, the BIPOC Mural Grant and the BIPOC Open Grant categories exist to address barriers that BIPOC communities face due to systemic racism and to encourage BIPOC artists and art collectives to showcase more diverse and inclusive public art installations throughout the Downtown core.
DHBC’s ‘Gritty to Pretty’ application process is open until Thursday, June 15, 2023. All grant applicants are welcome to submit multiple applications, with each project being eligible for up to $10,000. Artists are asked to apply with a public space in mind; however, two pre-approved mural walls are available for two grant recipients.
“With this program in its eighth year, our ‘canvases’ for mural artists have become limited, but we’re excited to say we have met with two property owners and have already secured two mural walls,” says Goldson. “Still, we need artists willing to ‘think outside the box.’ How can windows be used? Can we make a project moveable by installing it on panels? What about putting the panels in vacant storefronts? We’re up for large- and small-scale projects, as long as they enhance the pedestrian experience for Downtown workers, locals, and visitors.”
For all the detailed information on how to apply for DHBC’s 2023 Gritty to Pretty Placemaking Grant Program visit: www.downtownhalifax.ca/grittytopretty
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For more information:
Jayme Lynn Butt (she/her)
Communications Manager
Direct Line: 902.428.5433
jayme@downtownhalifax.ca