Beyond the Tarmac: An Open Call for Submissions

Beyond the Tarmac: An Overview of the Open Call for Submissions

Calling artists and teams that think big! Northcrest Developments invites calls for proposals for a high impact festival, performance, installation, or activation on 600 metres of taxiway. Where airplanes were once made, complete communities are coming. The site is a blank canvas ready to be infused with creativity. In the future and in the interim, this will be a place of big ideas. Do you have one that will take off? 

Northcrest is leading the transformation of the 370-acre Downsview Airport Lands. As a focal point of the site, the runway has historically been a location for major events, including SARSstock: the largest rock concert in Canadian history. Building on this past, we want to make the runway a new destination for culture, creativity, and play in Toronto for the future. With development still decades away, Northcrest has been working with artists, creators, and community groups to create a sense of place through participatory arts and culture, sports and recreation, food and beverage, and community activities. 

We’re looking for one or more ideas that are imaginative, unique, engaging, and visually striking, to bring people together and advance our vision of creating a new cultural destination in Toronto. The project could last for anywhere from one day to over a month. It must be free or low-cost to the public and accessible to a broad audience. 

Northcrest will contribute a total of $100,000 to one or multiple projects. To ensure a diversity of onsite experiences, projects with budgets from $10,000 will be considered. For projects with budgets larger than $100,000, applicants can secure external funding. Whatever your idea is — a visually stimulating installation, a live experience, an event, or festival — we want it to bring people together and bring these lands to life in imaginative ways. 

Northcrest Developments and Changes in Downsview 

 The Downsview Airport Lands are being reimagined as complete communities in collaboration with locals, Indigenous rights holders, and the City of Toronto. Arts and culture will be a big part of the future of this place, both in the final neighbourhoods and while planning is underway. Northcrest Developments is committed to amplifying the rich local arts scene and exploring how equity and diversity will guide opportunities here over decades to come. You can learn more about Northcrest’s plans at: www.northcrestdev.ca 

Eligibility 

The project will take place on the Downsview Airport Lands. It must be experienced or viewed from the Interim Activation Zone, as outlined in the ‘Supplementary Information’ section on page 6. It must be experienced from the outdoor areas only. However, your proposal can include the exterior of hangar buildings, which are visible from the Interim Activation Zone. Projects can utilize as much or as little of the Interim Activation Zone as they require. This total maximum space represents up to 290,000 square feet, which can support up to 50,000 people. 

 • Applicants must have the experience, expertise, and certification (where required) to execute the proposed project. 

• Applicants must be available to deliver the project in 2025. A mutually agreeable timeframe will be identified with the selected project(s). 

• The call is open to applicants of all types, including not-for-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, registered charities, artist collectives, and individuals. 

• Priority will be given to applicants with a connection to the GTA, but applications from further afield will be accepted. Existing events or festivals, or remounts of installations are eligible, however preference will be given to projects that are imagined or reimagined specifically for the Downsview Airport Lands. Budget 

• The total funding allocation of $100,000 will be distributed to a single project or shared amongst several projects with lower budgets. Each applicant can ask for between $10,000 and $100,000. We are looking for a diversity of on-site experiences. Unless there are particular concerns with the budget, selected projects will receive their entire ask. For budgets that exceed $100,000, supplementary external funding must be secured by the applicant. 

• Projects with secured or anticipated additional sources of funding are welcome. Please indicate these additional sources and whether they are confirmed or pending in your application. 

• The budget should be inclusive of all fees, equipment rental, materials, installation costs, transportation, insurance, permits, and so on. It is important that all creators are paid fairly for their work. Please see the minimum recommended fees for artists on the CARFAC website. The fee excludes taxes. 

• Northcrest plans to market and promote the activity to its audience. Applicants may choose to collaborate on marketing and promotions by carrying their own budget or may rely on Northcrest for this function. 

Submission requirements

Applicants must submit one pdf document that includes: 

• A list of project team members with their role and relevant credentials and indicating a project lead. 

• An overview of the proposal (250 words max): What is your proposed project? Where and when would you want it to take place, and for how long? What makes it noteworthy and able to animate, amaze, awe, amplify, and/or engage? And finally, why are the Downsview Airport Lands the place for this? 

• A statement on how your proposed project responds uniquely to the site and its architecture, history, or future (250 words max). 

• Equity, diversity, inclusion, and local support are priorities of the ACD Workplan. In 250 words or less, please share, as per your comfort level, details about your team’s identity, perspective, social location, and/or connections to Downsview that you bring to this project. This statement may also detail plans to incorporate mentorship or peer learning in the project. 

• Up to five multimedia assets that illuminate your proposed project and/or showcase your previous work (photos, videos or audio are acceptable with no more than 5-minutes of total video material). 

• A project budget overview, which may include, but is not limited to: artistic costs, including artists' fees; expenses, including hospitality, logistics, grounds transportation, etc.; production costs, including technical equipment, site operations, signage, build costs, etc.; and health and safety, security, and emergency services. 

Please also indicate if you have additional sources of funding that you will bring to the project and whether the funding is confirmed or pending. Please email your submission to [email protected] by 11:59pm EST on June 20, 2024. WeTransfer links are accepted for larger files. Please email questions to [email protected]. 

Timeline 

Call opens: April 29, 2024 

Optional site visits: May 14, 23, and June 11, 2024 

Applications Due: June 20, 2024 

Selection panel review: June 25 – July 10, 2024 

Selection panel meets: July 11, 2024 

Applicants contacted: July 22 – August 2, 2024 

Interviews for shortlisted applicants: August 15 – September 15, 2024 

Finalist Contacted: October 15, 2024 

Implementation period: January 2025 – December 2025

Accommodations and Contact 

Questions about this competition can be sent to [email protected] 

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need any accommodations or support during this application process. 

Please send any request for accommodation to [email protected] before June 6th, 2024.