The mission of the City of Burlington’s Public Art Program is to enhance the quality of life in Burlington through the rich context of the arts. The program strives to bring artwork by recognized artists to the city centre and the neighbourhoods throughout Burlington. The Public Art Program provides cultural opportunity, guides the evolution of a vibrant artistic character for the City's emerging public places, and ensures a visual legacy for all to enjoy.

If you are a visual artist and would like information about art opportunities with Burlington's Public Art Program, please email us at publicart@burlington.ca with your name, address, phone number, fax number, and medium with which you work.

Public Art Master Plan and Public Art Policy

Established in 2009, Burlington’s Public Art Program is a Council-approved system of processes that guide how artwork is commissioned, acquired and managed. The Program is guided by two key documents: Public Art Master Plan and Public Art Policy.

Burlington’s City Council, at its meeting on July 6, 2009, approved a Public Art Master Plan for the next ten years (2009 – 2018).The Plan outlines a framework for the City’s Public Art Program by identifying opportunities and priorities for public art projects, program scope, site selection guidelines, funding strategy, as well as the governance structure and resulting management of the Program. For an overview of potential sites by ward, click on the ward map links to the right.

As part of the Plan, Council approved a revised City of Burlington Public Art Policy. The primary purpose of the Municipal Public Art Policy, which guides the Public Art Program, is to provide a mechanism through which the City acquires public art for municipally-owned public space through its purchase, commission or donation.

Guiding Principles

The following principles guide the creation and acquisition of public art:

• context of social purpose; enhancing social connections; contributing to health of community
• accessibility, through:
• placement in public space
• content
• community knowledge and experience as context for creation
• commitment to artistic merit through qualified adjudication and selection
• community engagement through a process that elicits public input early, and stimulates an artistic process that reflects and interprets people’s experience and aspirations
• artistic content that addresses Burlington’s context of landscape, history, and cultures
• integration into City fabric through functional pieces and integration into infrastructure, as well as independent site-specific artworks

Funding

The Public Art Reserve Fund has been established to permit funding to be accumulated for the purchase, commission or donation of public art and its maintenance over more than one year.

Maintenance is administered by the Parks & Recreation Department, in conjunction with other departments, to ensure specific requirements for individual pieces of public art are met. Funding donations from both the public and private sector are accepted into the Public Art Reserve Fund. Donations must be free and clear of conditions and restrictions imposed by the donors regarding the City's use of these funds for the City of Burlington’s Public Art Program.

Management of the Public Art Program

The management of the Public Art Program is based upon a consultative process involving many different partners. To support this process, available resources include Public Art Program staff, City departments, juries, as well as additional technical and support services as required.