Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) offers a number of opportunities ranging from cultural partnership opportunities, to professional and volunteer opportunities.

Requests/Calls for Proposals

HRM often requests proposals for culture-related intitiatives. These include feasability and needs assessment studies, reviews, inventories, discussion papers, public art commissions, specialized consulting services, employment opportunities and more.

Current Calls

• There are no current calls at this time. Upcoming calls will be announced in early spring 2012.
  

Past Calls

• Request for Proposals: Public Art, Sir Sandford Fleming Park - The Halifax Regional Municipality is seeking proposals from HRM artists that animate public space within Sir Sandford Fleming Park. Situated on the Northwest Arm, the Park offers unique views of the Municipality and is rich in history. The summer of 2012 will mark the one hundredth anniversary of the Memorial (Dingle) Tower’s completion. To celebrate this occasion, HRM Cultural Affairs will select an artist to create a site specific work in the Sir Sandford Fleming Park that reflects on the history of the Park and the surrounding area. Submissions for Request for Proposals: Public Art, Sir Sandford Fleming Park will be accepted until 4 p.m. Friday, October 28, 2011.
  
  Public Art, Sir Sandford Fleming Park - Call for Artists (PDF)

• Call for Submissions: Hopscotch Gallery Exhibit - Hopscotch 2011 is inviting artists to submit artwork to be considered for exhibition during this years Hopscotch festival taking place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, from September 8 - 11, 2011. Pieces may include paintings, drawings, silkscreens, stencils, photography, mixed media, skateboard decks, shoe embellishment, clothing design, digital media for projection, stickers, wheat paste images, ceramics or any artwork related to urban art. Work will be juried and evaluated on originality, technical skill and overall balance and composition. Chosen artwork will be showcased on Thursday September 8 at the Hopscotch Gallery Exhibit happening in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia courtyard. Selected works will also travel to other Hopscotch events including bboy battles and the Saturday main event on the Halifax Commons. To submit please see PDF. For questions or to submit contact: Kate MacLennan, Community Arts Facilitator. 902-490-4408 maclenk@halifax.ca Deadline August 11, 2011

Hopscotch 2011 Gallery Exhibit - Call for Submissions (PDF)

• Call for Artists: Hopscotch Live Painting Showcase - Hopscotch 2011 invites artists to apply for this years Live Painting Showcase happening during the main event on Saturday September 10, 2011. A variety of materials and techniques are encouraged. Artwork will be evaluated on originality, creativity, technical skill, and composition. To apply please see PDF. For questions or to submit contact: Kate MacLennan, Community Arts Facilitator 902-490-4408 maclenk@halifax.ca Deadline August 11, 2011

Hopscotch 2011 Live Painting Showcase - Call for Artists (PDF)

• Request for Proposals: Pilot Program: HRM Residency Initiative- Point Pleasant Park— The Halifax Regional Municipality invites artists to submit proposals to take part in Pilot Program: HRM Residency Initiative-Point Pleasant Park in the Gatekeeper’s Lodge. Information session 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 27, 2011, at the Hub, 1673 Barrington Street, 2nd Floor, Halifax. Submission deadline 4 p.m. Friday, August 19, 2011.
  HRM Residency Initiative_Point Pleasant Park (PDF)  
  
  
• Request for Proposals: Open Projects 2011-2012— The Halifax Regional Municipality invites artists, designers, musicians, performers, curators and members of the public with a creative interest and an investment in HRM civic spaces to submit public realm arts proposals through their Open Projects program. Information session 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 27, 2011, at the Hub, 1673 Barrington Street, 2nd Floor, Halifax. Submission deadline 4 p.m. Friday, August 19, 2011.
  Open Projects 2011-2012_Call2 (PDF)  
  
  
• Call for Proposals - Citadel National Historic Site - The Halifax Regional Municipality, in partnership with Nocturne: Art At Night 2011 and with the support of Parks Canada, invites artists and curators to submit proposals for a one-night installation or curatorial project Saturday, October 15, 2011, for the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site. Submissions for Nocturne 2011 Anchor Project: HALIFAX Citadel National Historic Site (Round II) will be accepted until 4 p.m. Monday, July 18, 2011.
  Nocturne Curatorial Projects Citadel Final_Round II (PDF)     

• Request for Proposals: Open Projects 2011-2012— The Halifax Regional Municipality invites artists, designers, musicians, performers, curators and members of the public with a creative interest and an investment in HRM civic spaces to submit public realm arts proposals through their Open Projects program. Submission deadline 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 1, 2011.
  OpenProjects2011-2012 (PDF)

• Request for Proposals: Pilot Program: HRM Residency Initiative— The Halifax Regional Municipality invites non-profit arts organizations to submit proposals to take part in Pilot Program: HRM Residency Initiative. Submission deadline 4 p.m. Friday, May 20, 2011.
  HRMResidencyInitiative (PDF)
  
  
• 2011 Contemporary Visual Art Purchase Program— Mayor Peter Kelly and the Halifax Regional Municipality are pleased to present the 2011 Contemporary Visual Art Purchase Program. The Halifax Regional Municipality Cultural Affairs invites contemporary visual artists working in two dimensional media to submit to a juried selection process. Submission deadline 4 p.m. Friday, May 27, 2011.
  ContemporaryVisualArtPurchaseProgram2011 (PDF)

• Cultural Facility Management Training - HRM has partnered with Toronto Artscape Inc to offer training in the operation and management of cultural facilities. For information on this mentorship and coaching program, please click here.
  

Grants, Contributions & Incentives

Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) supports the cultural community and creative industry in many ways. HRM provides 0.5% of its total budget, or $9 per capita, towards cultural programs and services delivered by the Cultural Affairs office, along with grants, incentives and contributions provided by other HRM departments.

Grants

Grant programs are available to cultural groups. Eligibility criteria, amounts available and deadlines for submission vary from program to program. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the program officer before applying.

Grants available include:

• Annual Heritage Facility Grants
  
• Community Grants
• Civic Event Grants

Subsidies

Support through subsidies is another way HRM invests in municipal arts and cultural groups. This type of support can include the rental and sale of HRM-owned property at less than fair market value, donations of land, in-kind services, or tax breaks. Subsidies are assessed on an individual basis, and their benefits must fall in line with HRM’s long-term strategic priorities such as Regional Plan, Economic Development Strategy and the HRM Cultural Plan. Applicants should consult with the Cultural Affairs office before making a request.

 

Incentives

Incentives are available for land developers and owners of heritage properties to encourage cultural development and assist with restoration and renewal.

Bonusing for Public Benefit in Downtown Halifax

The recently adopted HRM By Design plan for Downtown Halifax provides opportunities for developers to increase the size of their buildings in exchange for a negotiated public benefit to HRM. For example, a developer in a 70 ft. height precinct could potentially achieve 30% more height by providing the municipality with one or more public benefits such as: public open space, subsidized commercial space for arts and culture uses, or public art.

Heritage Incentives Program

Tax incentives are offered to designated heritage property owners who want to restore or re-habilitate their heritage property.

HRM also provides matching grants for significant exterior restorations to privately owned, municipally registered heritage properties.

For more information about this program, click here

 

Barrington Street Heritage Conservation District

In 2009, HRM Council recognized Barrington Street as an important heritage and culture centre and adopted a plan to “encourage conservation, restoration and commercial revitalization of Barrington Street’s historic buildings, streetscapes, and public spaces”.

This revitalization is based on four pillars:

1. Development policies and demolition controls to ensure conservation of the street’s historic architectural character;
2. Financial and regulatory incentives to encourage property owners to invest in restoration, rehabilitation and enhancement of their buildings;
3. Public realm improvements to enhance the aesthetic and functional quality of the street and sidewalks within the public right-of-way;
4. Marketing initiatives to promote the district and attract new business.

For more information about this program, click here

Information Sharing

HRM maintains an email-based distribution list where groups can post their upcoming activities and events, the latest cultural news and all that is culture-related to HRM. Emails are distributed to about 500 individuals on daily basis.

Register me to HRM-Cultural List Serve.

Groups are also invited to send their event information materials to the Cultural Affairs Office (40 copies), to have them re-distributed to HRM-owned facilities and community centres.

Volunteer Training

HRM provides training to volunteers and employees of non-profit organizations, including board and bylaws to emergency planning and project management.