Call to Artists: MNP Community & Sport Centre Public Art

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Arts opportunityCommunity News Visual arts & new media Calgary Call for Submissions

DEADLINE: October 25, 2025 - 2:14 pm

Call to Artists: MNP Community & Sport Centre Public Art

Submission Deadline: October 24, 2025 at 4:00 PM (MDT)

MNP Community & Sport Centre is a world-class sport and fitness facility that inspires individuals and teams to be passionate about sport, people, and community. The Lindsay Park Sports Society (LPSS), overseeing the MNP Community & Sport Centre in Calgary, Alberta, invites professional local, national, and international artists or artist-led teams with public art experience to apply for Stage 1 of this two-stage public art competition as part of the Leisure Expansion Aquatics Project (LEAP). 

Adjacent to Lindsay Park and the Elbow River, the location of the MNP Community & Sport Centre provides a unique opportunity for artists to consider the role of the pool and the park in the social life of cities, as well as how the leisure and recreational activities at the Centre connect to this place known as Moh’kinstsis / Calgary. 

Public art at MNP Community & Sport Centre will:

  • Demonstrate excellence in contemporary art
  • Contribute to the identity of the project, facility, and place
  • Offer welcoming and memorable experiences for visitors to MNP Community & Sport Centre

This public art call invites artists to explore the redeveloped MNP Community & Sport Centre in Calgary to creatively engage with ideas specific to the place and space, including how the public art:

  • Connects to the project and the histories and stories of Lindsay Park and the surrounding area
  • Plays on the sport and recreation activities that occur in the building every day
  • Considers the importance of water to the project and its location on the Elbow River
  • Understands Indigenous connections to the land and the river
  • Is welcoming and fosters community interest and connectivity with neighbouring communities
  • Contributes to the creation of memorable and inclusive spaces
  • Considers the relationship between the interior life of the building and its connection to Lindsay Park and the pathways
  • Integrates with the facility and contributes to a quality experience for people who use the performance sport and public recreation facilities

Artists are invited to submit their qualifications to create work for one and/or two identified sites. Alternate sites may also be considered if artists identify other key opportunities. One artist will be commissioned and work within the total public art project budget of $405,000 CAD (exclusive of all applicable taxes). This budget includes all costs directly associated with creating the artwork at all sites.

Indigenous, Métis, Inuit, and urban Indigenous artists with connections to the Treaty 7 region are encouraged to apply. Where applicable, preference will be given to Canadian applicants. 

Read the full Request for Pre-Qualification (RFPQ) at  MNP LEAP Public Art - Call to Artists.

Image Credit: Architectural Rendering of South Entrance, GEC Architecture