Through the Shopfront Canvas project, artworks will be installed in two empty shopfronts in our town centre to contribute to the vibrant personality of our town.
Artists are invited to submit designs for the windows, located at 147 and 149 Victoria Avenue. This is a paid opportunity to showcase local talent in a highly visible location for locals and visitors to enjoy.
Our call-out for proposals will be open for four weeks – from Monday, 26 January to Friday, 20 February – to allow ample time for our community, artists and designers to submit proposals relating to the theme. Please view the proposal template below.
Once submissions close, we’ll select one design for each shopfront. These will be printed on vinyl and installed inside the windows in March, alongside a general clean of the site. The artworks will remain in place indefinitely, or until the property owner chooses to remove them.
If you’d like to submit a design for this project, please make sure to read this brief, note the required design specifications below and complete the proposal template.
Download proposal template(PDF, 4MB)
Location
147 (left below) and 149 (right below) Victoria Avenue, Whanganui CBD
Key points
- The deadline for proposal submission is Friday, 20 February.
- We will select one design per shopfront. Artists may submit a design for one or both shopfronts.
- Artists can propose either an existing or a new design of their own.
- AI-generated images will not be accepted.
- Designs must relate to one or both themes described below.
- Hand-drawn drafts for proposals are accepted, but if selected, you must produce a digital design of this draft to the specifications described below. This is because the final design selected will need to be rendered digitally for it to be printed on vinyl.
Themes
Our natural environment or te taiao
Whanganui’s natural environment has been a source of inspiration for many artists. What vibrant depictions of flora or fauna would you like to showcase? What bold visual patterns or forms from nature would work best for this space?
Playful passersby
This theme encourages artworks with interactive design elements which encourage the viewer’s curiosity and imagination. Maybe it’s a photo opportunity, or a fun maze for the viewer to solve – you decide what playful challenge to offer.
Design specifications
The final design must be submitted as a PDF or TIFF file.
If submitting as a PDF:
- try not to use a mix of CMYK and RGB colours
- make sure to convert any text to shapes
- all images and effects (shadows, transparencies and glows) must be rasterised to at least 150dpi.
If submitting as a TIFF,
- CMYK or RGB can be used
- ensure the image is at least 150dpi
The window dimensions for each shopfront follow the template attached.
The final design must include a 20mm bleed all around
Selection
An artist’s fee of $1000 will be paid for each selected design.
Full payment will be made once a design that satisfies the brief and design specifications has been delivered. An invoice and bank detail verification will be required for payment.
The successful artist will remain the owner of their intellectual property, but the council may reproduce the submitted final design to promote various public art or placemaking projects.