Opportunities Archive
Opportunities offered by Business & Arts NL, and by our members, through our Brokering and Collaboration Services.
Sandra Dobbin Memorial Garden: Two-Stage Call for Public Artworks
Public Artwork Opportunity
Stage 1 Submission Deadline: Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025
Budget: $65,000 plus HST if applicable
Please note: in order to streamline communication and ensure fair access to equal information about this opportunity, the Frequently Asked Questions section at the bottom of this document will be updated weekly with additional information as questions from the community come in throughout the process.
Public Art Opportunity Overview:
The Project Team is inviting applications from professional artists, artist-led multidisciplinary teams, and creative makers working in diverse artistic mediums to create two permanent sculptural works for the Sandra Dobbin Memorial Garden: an Entrance Gate and a Portal. The garden opening is planned for summer 2026.
About Sandra Dobbin
Sandra Dobbin (1965–2024) was a beloved mother, partner, and friend. Sandra was a proud Colombian and a proud Canadian, known throughout the community for her magnetic presence and her warm and generous nature. Sandra was most at home hiking trails in Newfoundland and around the world, or in her beautiful garden. Her family is creating the Sandra Dobbin Memorial Garden to celebrate Sandra's life and to create a sanctuary in nature where all visitors can find solace—a space for contemplation, meditation, and connecting with loved ones, both present and departed.
About the Garden
The Sandra Dobbin Memorial Garden will be a heavily shaded sunken garden tucked among the trees, with lush ground cover and gravel walkways. This healing and resonant space will evoke feelings of connection and spirituality, serving as a contemplative sanctuary where visitors can meditate and reflect. The garden will feature a variety of structural elements, including floating circular wooden meditation platforms, an elevated boardwalk, retaining benches, and a covered pergola structure that stylistically reflects the Dobbin house in Beachy Cove, offering visitors a sheltered place to sit depending on the weather. The garden is designed as a secluded refuge immersed in nature, offering respite and fostering community connection through cultural programming, grief work, and quiet contemplation.
A rendering of the planned garden, by Mills & Wright Landscape Architecture.
This whimsical, rustic environment embraces a mystical quality—a mysterious space of comfort and wonder that emerges organically from the landscape, where plants will grow over and around the artworks, integrating them fully into the natural setting.
The Artworks
The two site-specific artworks will become integral parts of the Garden’s landscape. They will be durably constructed to accommodate the growth of surrounding plant life and to evolve harmoniously with the landscape over time as living elements within this dynamic ecosystem. The Sandra Dobbin Memorial Garden will be a multi-sensory space, and the commissioned artworks should consider the physical setting and the visitor’s experience in their concept to create works that provoke a range of emotional and contemplative responses.
This is a two-stage selection process. In the first stage, applicants will indicate their interest in submitting a proposal for either one or both artworks. The two commissioned artworks could be in dialogue with one another—either visually, materially, or conceptually—contributing to the garden's role as both a memorial space and a vital community resource for renewal and remembrance. Applications are invited from artists working across all mediums who can respond thoughtfully to the natural setting, the memorial's purpose, and the vision of creating a space that honours Sandra's memory while serving the broader St. John's community.
The Project Team is seeking artists and/or teams interested in creating one or both of the following:
The Garden Gate will serve as the primary entrance, setting the tone for the garden experience. Installed within a craggy stone archway that blends seamlessly with the surrounding landscape architecture, this piece will establish the threshold between the outside world and the sanctuary within. We’re seeking an artist to create a door for the gateway made of durable materials that incorporates a starfish motif, as a nod to the starfish pendant that was a favourite talisman of Sandra’s. The archway itself will be designed by Mills and Wright, responding to the artist’s gate design.
The Portal will be the centrepiece of the garden—a portal or passageway that visitors can walk through together. Over time, this work will be enveloped by the surrounding flora, becoming part of the natural landscape. This element is inspired by traditional Chinese Moongates, which signify the cyclical nature of life, connection to nature, and renewal. The archway will provide a focal point within the garden, creating another transition and threshold that frames the visitor's experience of the space.
Budget
The maximum budget for artist fees, materials, and installation for both artworks is $65,000, ($15,000 for the Garden Gate and $50,000 for the Portal) plus HST if applicable.
*For further information about building budgets for public art projects, please refer to CARFAC’s Public Art Fees recommendations.
Eligibility and Criteria
This opportunity is open to professional artists, artist-led multidisciplinary teams, and creative makers working in diverse artistic mediums at all career stages.
Indigenous artists, artists from racialized communities, and artists from other equity-seeking groups are welcome and encouraged to apply. If you wish to self-identify, please do so in your expression of interest.
Other Considerations:
Works must be suitable for extended outdoor exposure.
Artists may submit for either or both sites.
Collaborative submissions are welcome.
Selection Process
This is a two-stage selection process.
The artworks for this project will be selected through a competitive two-stage open call process, guided by Business & Arts NL. A selection committee including artists/art professionals, community members and project representatives will review all eligible Stage 1 applications based on the following criteria:
Creativity and strength of support images
Relevance of experience
Expression of interest and connection between their practice and the project
The selection committee will recommend between 3-5 artists to be shortlisted for Stage 2.
Shortlisted artists will receive a $500 fee to develop a comprehensive artwork proposal for one or both artworks, which will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate innovative conceptual thinking, technical feasibility for creating durable work, and alignment with the overall environment and project goals.
Estimated Timeline:
Stage 1 EOI Launched Sept 16
Online Information session Sept 25
Stage 1: Expressions of Interest due: Oct 14
Shortlist selection: Oct 27
Stage 2: Final Proposals due: Dec 5
Final selection: Dec 15
Installation: Late spring/early summer 2026
Submission Requirements
Stage 1 Expression of Interest – Submission Requirements
All applications must be submitted through this online form. The following application materials must be combined into a single PDF and uploaded to the online application form. PDFs must not exceed 10MB in total size.
Project and Applicant Information form: Please complete the online application form found here.
Expression of Interest (1 page or 500–750 words max), a statement outlining your interest in this project, your experience in and approach to creating murals and artwork for the public realm. Please do not include proposals at this stage.
Portfolio/Images of recent relevant work (max 10 images) that include artwork title, date, media and dimensions. If you wish to include a video, please provide links to Vimeo or YouTube, along with a timestamp.
CV – Artist resume (three pages maximum). For teams, submit a CV for each artist team member (maximum of 3 pages per member), or a combined CV if the team has an extensive history of working together.
Professional References (optional) You may wish to provide a letter of reference from a professional acquaintance who can speak to your artistic practice and suitability for this project.
Anonymous Survey Information (required) This form is to be completed by the Artist/Artist Team as part of your submission. Once completed, please screenshot the confirmation page and upload it to your submission form. The personal information collected on this form is anonymous and confidential. Your survey answers are not linked to your application in any way.
This is a two-stage competition. At this time, we are not requesting artwork proposals. Applicants will be reviewed based on the merit of their past work, professional qualifications, and experience.
Submissions are due by Oct 14, 2025, at 11:59 pm NST, and shortlisted artists will be notified by the week of Oct 27.
Stage 2 Project Proposal – Submission Requirements
The shortlisted artists/artist teams will be invited to develop an artwork proposal that includes a design concept, a detailed budget, and a basic work plan/timeline based on a project brief that will be provided to help shortlisted artists prepare their submissions. Each shortlisted artist/team will receive a $500 honorarium for this stage once their proposal has been submitted. The selection committee will review the proposals and recommend an artist/artist team to be awarded the project.
Questions? Please Contact:
Call for Artworks - Mysa Smart Thermostats
Public Artwork Opportunity
Mysa Smart Thermostats is looking to collaborate with a local Newfoundland and Labrador artist whose work embodies our province’s flora, fauna, and iconic landmarks.
Your artwork - whether drawings, paintings, or collages etc. - will be added to 3D renderings of realistic home interiors that we’ll use to promote energy saving programs with. See the example below:
Our goal is to add a touch of realism, charm, and coziness to our campaigns, and since Mysa is proudly based in St. John’s, we’re looking for artwork that feels unmistakably Newfoundland - Cod fish? Delicious. Lighthouses? Brilliant. Row houses? ‘knows!
Three pieces of your art will be featured in a 2-month long campaign across digital and print channels targeting a Newfoundland and Labrador audience.
Supporting local talent is important to us, so in addition to the product launch campaign, we’d like to feature you and your work on our social channels, sharing why creating NL art is important to you.
Artist Eligibility:
Open to any and all artists living in Newfoundland and Labrador
You must have or be able to produce high quality digital reproductions of your artwork (three pieces)
All artwork should be family friendly and be focused around NL imagery
Selection Process:
Submit a brief bio about yourself (150 words max) and include:
Your portfolio or selected artwork
Indication if you already have or are able to produce digital reproductions of your artwork
Your website (optional)
Your socials (optional)
Submissions can be sent to nlartcall@getmysa.com by September 12th, 2025
After review of all portfolios / submitted works, we’ll select a single artist to collaborate with who has existing digital reproductions of their work or is able to create these reproductions within the timeframe specified.
Estimated Timeline:
Submission Deadline: September 12th
Artist Selection: September 16th
Digital File Delivery: September 23th
Public Campaign Use: October 1st - November 30th
Call for Submissions – 2025 Local Holiday Gift Guide
Public Artwork Opportunity
Are you an artist or a creative entrepreneur with gifts for sale? Help us spread the joy of gifting local this holiday season.
Our Local Holiday Gift Guide is one of our most popular offerings. But it wouldn't be anything without your talent, skill and creativity. That's why we're inviting you to help us make the 2025 edition the biggest and best yet!
The Guide is hosted on our website and links customers directly to your shop, website, or social media - giving you another way to showcase your work and connect with new audiences and potential customers. For more details, see our FAQs below.
Check out last year's guide to get an idea of content, interactivity and layout: https://businessandartsnl.com/local-holiday-gift-guide
Did You Know?
Our Holiday Gift Guide is used year-round (like by members of the business community, seeking products from local artists for gift ideas, swag bag items, etc.). If you sell items that are of a lower price point, that can be reproduced in larger quantities, it’s a great idea to mention those too!
Deadline: Friday, October 10, 2025
Submission Guidelines
Please submit one featured item you’d like to have featured in the guide. There will also be room to share information about your shop, and additional items available.
Please provide the following for each item using our online form:
Name of Business/Shop
Link to shop - This helps customers navigate directly to you to complete a purchase
Meet the Maker - Describe who you are and your artistic practice, organizational mission etc. (120 words max)
About the Gift - Describe the product in the image provided - (120 words max)
Price
Product Image - please upload a single high-quality image of your featured product or offering, formatted into a square
Explore More Gifts - if you would like to describe the range of other products available or provide up to two links to additional items (50 words max)
Below is a sample page from this year’s guide format to give you an idea of how your work will appear.
Artist Information
We’ll also collect some information that won’t be posted with the Guide, to help communicate with you and tag you on relevant posts on social media.
Your name and email address
Social media handles (we use Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter)
If you’d like to take part, please complete and submit our online application form by Friday, October 10, 2025.
FAQS:
-
The deadline to submit is Friday, October 10, 2025.
-
Whether you normally sell your products at craft fairs/farmers’ markets, local shops or via your website, or you’re an emerging artist who doesn’t yet have an online shop – there’s room for everyone! Each artist will receive 1 digital “card” in the guide.
-
Yes! Artists who don’t have an online store or website will need to provide information on where to buy their work. This could be an email address for placing orders, a link to a Facebook or Instagram page, a link to an Etsy store page, or a link to another local retailer who carries your work.
-
Yes, this year’s Guide will feature one gift image per artists - you may include information about other products in your “Explore More Gifts” section of your submission form.
-
Square images. Max. file size: 4 MB. Accepted file types: jpg, jpeg, png, gif. If your image file is too big it will not upload.
Images submitted with different proportions will be cropped to this square format.
-
Submissions could include but are not limited to:
Lower priced items for staff gifts or swag bags
New album releases
Christmas albums or holiday music
Digital prints of original artwork or illustrations
Holiday cards and gifts
Ceramics and pottery
Clothing
Textile and fibre arts
Arts organizations – gift certificates and membership sales
Tickets to performances
Candles and crafts
Local books, publications and subscriptions
Check out last year’s guide for some great examples
-
The "Local" Holiday Gift Guide is open to all artists and crafts persons who either reside in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and or have a strong connection to the province but do not currently reside here.
-
The Local Holiday Gift Guide is free! There is no submission fee and all transactions are strictly between you and the customer.
Questions?
Please contact info@businessandartsnl.com. We will get back to you within 2 business days.
Call for Submissions – 2024 Local Holiday Gift Guide
Public Artwork Opportunity
Artists and creative entrepreneurs…we're looking for you!
Our Local Holiday Gift Guide is one of our most popular offerings. But it wouldn't be anything without your talent, skill and creativity. That's why we're inviting you to help us make the 2024 edition the biggest and best yet!
This interactive PDF lets shoppers click on a product image, taking them directly to your product page or website - giving you another way to showcase your work and connect with new audiences and potential customers! For more details, see our FAQs below.
Check out last year's guide to get an idea of content, interactivity and layout: https://businessandartsnl.com/local-holiday-gift-guide
Did You Know?
Our Holiday Gift Guide is used year-round (like by members of the business community, seeking products from local artists for gift ideas, swag bag items, etc.). If you sell items that are of a lower price point, that can be reproduced in larger quantities, it’s a great idea to submit those too!
Deadline: Friday, October 11, 2024
Submission Guidelines
Artists may submit three different items they’d like to have featured in the guide (we recommend choosing ones that are most likely to draw people to your online store or website).
Please provide the following for each item using our online form:
Product title/name
An image of the product/service
Required dimensions: 6” (w) by 6.5” (h) at minimum 72ppi or 517px (w) by 560px (h)
Images submitted with different proportions will be cropped to this format, which is roughly square.
One item per image.
We’ve provided templates sized to the correct dimensions below to help ensure your product images will fit.
Max image size is 4MB. Accepted formats include JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF.
Price (or price range) for each product
A link to the specific product page on your site
Templates to help you resize you image files.
Below is a sample page from the 2023 gift guide to give you an idea of how your work will appear. Use the templates linked above to ensure each of your items fits proportionally within the image frames. Please refer to last year’s guide to get an idea of content, interactivity and layout: https://businessandartsnl.com/local-holiday-gift-guide/
Artist Information
Your name or business name
A short description of your business or the product/service you’d like featured (140 words max)
Information/website on where to purchase your products/artwork (choose 1)
Website of the online store
Etsy page or
Website of a retailer that carries your products
Social media handles (we use Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter)
If you’d like to take part, please complete and submit our online application form by Friday, October 11, 2024.
FAQS:
-
The deadline to submit is Friday, October 11, 2024.
-
Whether you normally sell your products at craft fairs/farmers’ markets, local shops or via your website, or you’re an emerging artist who doesn’t yet have an online shop – there’s room for everyone! Each artist will receive 1 page in the guide. Please refer to last year’s guide to get an idea of content, interactivity and layout: https://businessandartsnl.com/holiday-gift-guide/
-
Yes! Artists who don’t have an online store or website will need to provide information on where to buy their work. This could be an email address for placing orders, a link to a Facebook or Instagram page, a link to an Etsy store page, or a link to another local retailer who carries your work.
-
Yes, 3 samples of work that showcase the type of products or work you sell.
-
Max. file size: 4 MB. Required dimensions 6” (w) by 6.5” (h) at minimum 72ppi or 517px (w) by 560px (h)
Accepted file types: jpg, jpeg, png, gif. If your image file is too big it will not upload.
Please label each file with the following format 01_BusinessName
Images submitted with different proportions will be cropped to this format, which is roughly square. Please use the templates provided if you are unsure.
-
Submissions could include but are not limited to:
Lower priced items for staff gifts or swag bags
New album releases
Christmas albums or holiday music
Digital prints of original artwork or illustrations
Holiday cards and gifts
Ceramics and pottery
Textile and fibre arts
Arts organizations – gift certificates and membership sales
Tickets to performances
Candles and crafts
Local books, publications and subscriptions
Check out last year’s guide for some great examples
-
The "Local" Holiday Gift Guide is open to all artists and crafts persons who either reside in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and or have a strong connection to the province but do not currently reside here.
-
The Local Holiday Gift Guide is free! There is no submission fee.
Questions?
Please contact info@businessandartsnl.com. We will get back to you within 2 business days.
Call for Submissions – 2023 Holiday Gift Guide
Public Artwork Opportunity
Artists and creative entrepreneurs…it’s that time of year again!
Business & Arts NL is working on the 2023 edition of our popular Local Holiday Gift Guide, and we want you to be part of it!
The Holiday Gift Guide is an interactive PDF that lets shoppers click on a product image, taking them directly to your product page or website – providing another avenue to showcase your work and reach new audiences. Check out our FAQ below for more information.
Please refer to last year’s guide to get an idea of content, interactivity and layout: https://businessandartsnl.com/holiday-gift-guide/
Did You Know?
The Holiday Gift Guide isn’t used just during the holiday season, but year-round. Occasionally, members of the business community reach out to us seeking products by local creators for gift ideas, swag bag items, etc. If you sell items that are of a lower price point, that can be reproduced in larger quantities, it’s a great idea to submit those too!
Submission Guidelines
Artists are invited to submit three different items they’d like to have featured in the guide. We recommend choosing three items that are most likely to draw people to your online store or website.
For each item you will need to provide the following:
Product title/name for each item
An image of the product/service
Required dimensions 6” (w) by 6.5” (h) at minimum 72ppi or 517px (w) by 560px (h)
Images submitted with different proportions will be cropped to this format, which is roughly square
Price (or price range) for each product
A link to the specific product page on your site
Artist Information
Your name or business name
A short description of your business, or of the product/service you’d like featured (140 words max)
Information/website on where to purchase your products/artwork (choose 1)
Website of the online store
Etsy page or
Website of a retailer that carries your products
Social media handles (we use Instagram, Facebook and Twitter)
If you’d like to take part, please complete and submit our online application form by Friday, October 13, 2023.
FAQS:
-
The deadline to submit is Friday, October 13, 2023.
-
Whether you normally sell your products at craft fairs/farmers’ markets, local shops or via your website, or you’re an emerging artist who doesn’t yet have an online shop – there’s room for everyone! Each artist will receive 1 page in the guide. Please refer to last year’s guide to get an idea of content, interactivity and layout: https://businessandartsnl.com/holiday-gift-guide/
-
Yes! Artists who don’t have an online store or website will need to provide information on where to buy their work. This could be an email address for placing orders, a link to a Facebook or Instagram page, a link to an Etsy store page, or a link to another local retailer who carries your work.
-
Yes, 3 samples of work that showcase the type of products or work you sell.
-
JPGs under 10MB. Please label each file with the following format 01_Business_Name
Required dimensions 6” (w) by 6.5” (h) at minimum 72ppi or 517px (w) by 560px (h)
Images submitted with different proportions will be cropped to this format, which is roughly square
-
Submissions could include but are not limited to:
Lower priced items for staff gifts or swag bags
New album releases
Christmas albums or holiday music
Digital prints of original artwork or illustrations
Holiday cards and gifts
Ceramics and pottery
Textile and fibre arts
Arts organizations – gift certificates and membership sales
Tickets to performances
Candles and crafts
Local books, publications and subscriptions
Check out last year’s guide for some great examples
Questions?
Please contact info@businessandartsnl.com. We will get back to you within 2 business days.