call for proposals: legacies of yonge + st. clair

The Yonge + St. Clair BIA invites artists to submit proposals for Legacies of Yonge + St. Clair, a major new public art commission launching in Spring 2026.

Legacies of Yonge + St. Clair builds on Heritage Toronto oral histories with six longtime business owners, representing more than 120 years of neighbourhood history. Through portraiture and storytelling, the selected artist will transform these narratives into a bold, accessible cultural landmark for residents, workers, and visitors.

The commissioned artist will lead a photoshoot, develop a unified visual treatment, and install a large-scale work. Artists are encouraged to propose concepts that:

• Work with a combination of exterior and interior space

• Consider how interior and exterior environments connect visually and thematically

• Respond to the site’s architectural context while maintaining a unified vision

Legacies is intended to evolve over multiple years. This first commission launches a portraiture exhibition that may be reinterpreted in future murals, exhibitions, galleries, and print or digital formats. Proposals should present a visual approach that stands alone now and can potentially adapt to future iterations. The BIA may reference, re-scale, or adapt elements of the commissioned work for future program iterations, such as additional murals or installations, exhibit formats, printed/digital communications, and related cultural programming. Any such reuse will include appropriate artist credit and will respect the integrity of the original work.

Project Timeline

• Photography: February 2026

• Artwork Finalization: March–April 2026

• Installation & Launch: May 2026