2025 Direct Purchase Program

• To support eligible emerging, mid-career and established professional visual artists
• To purchase existing artworks to be added into the City of Ottawa Art Collection
• To support activities that address the priorities identified in the Renewed Action Plan for Arts, Heritage and Culture in Ottawa (2013 - 2018) [PDF - 1.6 MB], including prioritizing applications from individuals with lived experience and identity as a member of Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities, persons with disabilities, women and other equity-seeking groups and artists not currently in the City of Ottawa Art Collection.

Who is Eligible?

1. Professional artists, or
2. Representatives of professional artists, such as a gallery or an estate who is applying on behalf of professional artist(s)

• Professional artists must have completed specialized training in their artistic field or be recognized by their peers as a professional artist
• Participants must either be the author of the artwork or must represent the author of the artwork
• Artists must live, or have lived, within a 150 km radius of Ottawa or the artwork must have a local connection (please indicate this in the Artist Statement or Artistic Résumé)
• Artists must be committed to their artistic practice
• Artists must have created a body of work outside of basic training
• Artists who identify as Anishinabe Algonquin

The City of Ottawa supports cultural activity that is inclusive of Ottawa’s equity-seeking communities, including people from diverse ancestries, abilities, ages, countries of origin, cultures, genders, incomes, languages, races and sexual identities. Applications from members of the Anishinabe Algonquin Host Nation, First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists or their representatives are welcome and encouraged. The City of Ottawa recognizes both official languages as having the same rights, status and privileges.

Who is not Eligible?

• Students who have not yet completed arts training
• Individuals who are not authors of the artwork nor representatives of professional artists
• Artists who do not live, nor have not lived, within a 150 km radius of Ottawa
• City of Ottawa employees or elected representatives in compliance with the City of Ottawa Employee Code of Conduct and all applicable laws and regulations

Restrictions

• Applicants, not including galleries, may only submit one application to this opportunity. For example, if you are submitting an application as part of an artist group or collective, you cannot submit an individual artist application.
• Meeting all eligibility requirements does not guarantee purchase of artwork

Eligible applications are assessed according to:

• Artistic merit
• Regional importance
• Innovation
• Conservation and maintenance requirements
• Suitability of the artwork for installation in an office and/or public setting

• The peer assessment process is based on industry standards that artists and arts professionals who are active within their cultural community are the most qualified individuals to assess, adjudicate and make recommendations on the work of other artists.
• The composition of the committee aims to balance representation of artistic specialization, practice, style, and philosophy, as well as fair representation of official languages, gender, geographic areas, and culture-specific communities.
• Peer assessment committee members are chosen based on their knowledge and experience, fair and objective opinions, ability to articulate ideas, and ability to work in a team environment.
• Peer assessment committee members change with every opportunity.
• Peer assessment committee members are selected by City of Ottawa employees after the competition closes and must declare conflicts of interest prior to their participation.

Read through the Call to Artists completely before beginning your online application and make sure you have all the required information ready.

• A complete application must include support material listed below, up to five images or five minutes of time-based media or a combination thereof
• Support material may be written in English or French
• Files must be saved in a format compatible with Windows 10
• To format a PDF document, utilize “Save as” or “Export” from a Word or similar text-based document

Items 1, 2, and 3 are mandatory and are to be saved as one PDF

• Artist statement (maximum 500 words)
• Artistic résumé (maximum 1500 words)
• Image/Media list – is a required component. It is a direct reference to the artwork image or media files you are including in your application. The image/media list is an opportunity to add information or additional descriptions of individual artworks. Use this list to indicate series, edition, or other significant details in point form.

Digital Image Files & Time-Based Files

Upload five digital image files or five minutes total of time-based media content (or a combination of both for a total of 5 units) that follow the guidelines listed below.

Image Files Must Be:

• JPG format and no larger than 1 MB each
• Named with the corresponding Image list number, title, date, medium, dimensions and price, each separated by an underscore
• Do not leave a space before or after the underscore
• File names must not exceed 150 characters
• Failure to adhere to this format may render your file unusable

Format for Naming Image Files

01_Artwork Title_year_medium_dimensions_$price.jpg

Examples:

• 01_The Mountain_2024_graphite, acrylic and metal_96 x 106 inches_$1500.jpg
• 02_Untitled 3 detail_2023_chromogenic print on paper_206 x 122 cm_$0.jpg
• 03_Installation at Karsh-Masson Gallery variable dimensions_2023_mixed media_ 0x0cm_$0.jpg

If not submitting video/media files, five images per application are recommended. When artworks are not available for sale, applicants may include reference images of artworks that have previously sold or are not for sale, detail images of artworks, images with alternate points of view (i.e., for sculptures), or images of artwork from a similar series that have previously sold. Reference images of artworks not for sale/alternate views should be listed with a price of $0.

Time-Based Media Files Must Be:

• Shared using a web link to each video or audio file. If the web link does not work, the content will not be viewed.
• Cued to the excerpt you want presented to the committee or provide detailed cue instructions in the appropriate field of the online application form.

Support material that requires specialized software, plug-ins, extensions, or other executables that need to be downloaded or installed will not be reviewed. Applicants are responsible for testing support materials to ensure readability.

Send all support materials electronically using the Application form.

Ensure your content is ready for inputting as the form does not save your information if you leave or refresh the page.

Application Assistance

We are available to help you prepare your application in the following ways:

• Discuss eligibility of your application, requirements of the opportunity and answer any questions about the application and evaluation process
• Virtual information meeting (details at top of page)
  • The meeting will be aimed at first-time applicants however all are welcome to attend
  • Download the Zoom app or participate in the meeting using a web browser

Applications must be received by 11:59 pm (Eastern Daylight Time) on Wednesday April 2, 2025. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

The Public Art Program will send you a confirmation email when your application has been received and processed. If you do not receive an email from the Public Art Program within two weeks after your submission, please contact us for confirmation.

All participants will be notified by email of the results of the first stage of the 2025 Direct Purchase by August 2025.

Results are final. Due to the volume of applications received, artistic feedback will not be provided.

If your application is not successful, you are encouraged to try again!

The peer assessment committee is comprised of new members for each competition. If your artwork was not recommended for purchase understand that your submission may have been supported but the Direct Purchase’s limited budget cannot fund all applicants, regardless of their merit.

The artist shall retain the copyright of the artworks. Moral rights also remain with the artist.

The City of Ottawa will seek copyright permission to reproduce images of the artwork for non-commercial purposes.

Personal information in your application is collected under the authority of the City Council approved Public Art Policy. Personal information will only be used for evaluating your application and administering the City of Ottawa Public Art Program. City of Ottawa employees and peer assessment committee members are required to treat both the content of applications and the deliberations of the committee as confidential. Committee members turn in their copies of materials for shredding and delete their computer files at the end of the peer assessment committee meeting.

Your personal information is secured and protected in accordance with privacy legislation, including the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).