Community Kindness Collection – MakeRoom Inc. Curatorial Agency

MakeRoom x YDS

About this Call

Theme: Community Kindness Collection
Guest Curator: Jasmine Gui

Art can be an act of kindness – A gift to the self, a gift to others, or a gift to the public. Art can also be an offering to the community, illuminating spaces with new ideas and strengthening the social fabric of our city.

Yonge-Dundas Square is among the most visible and visited outdoor public spaces in Toronto. How can art foster feelings of kindness and connectedness in this space?

We invite artists to submit works that explore what kindness and community look like to them.

This open call is made possible through the generosity of our venue partner, Yonge-Dundas Square.

Guidelines & Details

From April 1st to April 30th, this collection will play at Yonge-Dundas Square.

Up to four (4) pieces per artist will be displayed for 15 seconds every 5 minutes on the screens located at Yonge-Dundas Square.
There are five (5) screens in total, two (2) horizontal and three (3) vertical and one (1) will be dedicated to the artist’s name, headshot and a short bio.

Selected pieces that don’t fit the aspect ratio guidelines will be cropped to fit the screens.

Deadline: March 13th, 2024.

Submission Guidelines

5 artists will be chosen for this open call by guest curator Jasmine Gui via scoring process.
Each artist will receive an honorarium of $350.

Format

Artists may submit up to 4 pieces of artwork.
Artist must also include a headshot
All submissions should be in JPEG, PNG or MP4 format.
Any video art must be exactly 15 seconds as per YDS guidelines.

Criteria

Artwork will be approved using the following criteria: Aesthetic Quality, Concept & Theme Cohesion.
Artwork should enhance the overall public environment and pedestrian streetscape experience.

YDS Text Guidelines

Content cannot use emotionally exploitative or pleading language.
Content cannot contain repeated and unnecessary punctuation, such as “Is someone looking for you?!?”
Masked vulgarity is not acceptable (e.g., “Huge A** Savings Today”).
Use of uncommon fonts or multiple font colors for the sole purpose of drawing attention/distracting the user is not acceptable.
Content must include logical and correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.

YDS Video Guidelines

Video content images and audio must be clear, high quality and play smoothly.
Video content must be suitable for the general audience of the Square and/or the audience of the permitted event.
Poor resolution, grainy looking images are not acceptable.
Stretched or skewed imagery is not acceptable.
Content cannot include a border.
High-annoyance design elements such as arrows and circles that needlessly call attention to the advertisement are not acceptable.
Use of any Yonge-Dundas Square-related logos without express permission is not permitted. Requests to use Yonge-Dundas Square logos should be submitted to management for review.

YDS Content Guidelines

Some content may be sensitive to the general public and should use care in creative development and placement.
Content must be age-appropriate and protect youth privacy and safety.
Content and landing pages that leverage fear, sensitive political or cultural topics, tragic events, or salacious content to promote commercial products or offers, are not permitted.
Viscerally impactful images such as close up images of medical conditions or unattractive conditions the product is meant to treat, blood, body parts, or bodily fluids are not permitted.
Content must adhere to Guidelines for Use, including YDS Proselytizing Policy.

Apply

About The Curator

Jasmine Gui is a Singaporean-born interdisciplinary artist, arts programmer, and researcher based in Tkaronto. She works in paper, ceramics, tea and experimental book formats through an interdisciplinary arts and publishing space, Teh Studio. She is 1/4 of “a momo room” zine, and 1/2 of the creative duo, jabs.

About Yonge-Dundas Square

The mission of the Yonge-Dundas Square Board of Management is to responsibly manage Yonge-Dundas Square and enhance the vitality of downtown; to launch, promote, and operate Yonge-Dundas Square as an exciting commercial space born from the passion of its community and the energy of commercial participation, so as to develop a positive perception by way of its activities, security, and cleanliness.

About MakeRoom Inc

MakeRoom Inc. is a curatorial agency & arts organization whose mission is to provide space to BIPOC and Emerging Artists to display their work, as well as provide funding opportunities.