'Beyond the Body' by Pixel Heller at 95 St Clair Ave W, part of the 2025 DesignTO Festival. Photo by Bruno Belli

Submission Deadline:
Sunday, September 13, 2026 by 5pm ET

Intersections at Yonge + St. Clair

Artists, architects, designers, fabricators, and multidisciplinary creatives are invited to submit proposals for a series of site-specific installations at Yonge + St. Clair as part of DesignTO Festival 2027.

For more than seven years, the Yonge + St. Clair BIA has partnered with DesignTO to transform publicly accessible spaces throughout the neighbourhood into a dynamic exhibition of art, design, and placemaking. For the 2027 Festival, seven installation opportunities are available across lobbies, galleries, and window spaces throughout the district.

Selected installations will be presented during DesignTO Festival, taking place January 22–31, 2027, offering artists the opportunity to engage thousands of residents, office workers, and visitors while contributing to one of Toronto’s most vibrant urban neighbourhoods.

The 2027 exhibition theme for the installations at Yonge + St. Clair is Intersections.

Yonge + St. Clair has long been a meeting point where communities, ideas, histories, and city life converge. Situated between downtown and uptown Toronto, the neighbourhood continues to evolve through growth, investment, and changing patterns of urban life. Artists are invited to respond to these intersections through their own creative lens.

Proposals may explore themes of convergence, transformation, movement, identity, exchange, and the evolving relationship between people and place. The theme is intentionally broad, encouraging innovative and ambitious responses that activate each site in unique ways.

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Installation Opportunities

One installation will be commissioned for each of the following locations:

  • 2 St. Clair Ave W (Lobby)
  • 2 St. Clair Ave E (Lower Level Window)
  • 30 St. Clair Ave W (Lobby)
  • 40 St. Clair Ave W (Lobby)
  • 55 St. Clair Ave W (Lobby)
  • 95 St. Clair Ave W (Gallery)
  • 1521 Yonge St (Window)

Artists may submit proposals for multiple locations; however, each proposal must be tailored to its intended site and submitted separately. Only one proposal per artist or team may be selected.

‘Divining A Long Story V’ by Lauren Pirie at 40 St Clair Ave W, part of the 2023 DesignTO Festival. Photo by Christine Lim.

Budget

Selected projects will receive funding between $5,000 and $7,500 CAD, inclusive of artist fees, materials, fabrication, transportation, installation, and de-installation costs.

Applicants are encouraged to request only the funding necessary to successfully realize their proposal. Preference will be given to projects that demonstrate strong value while maximizing the visual impact and activation of the selected site.

Who Should Apply?

This opportunity is open to:

  • Emerging and established artists
  • Designers
  • Architects
  • Fabricators
  • Multidisciplinary creative practitioners

Applicants working in any medium are welcome to apply. Preference will be given to artists based in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area.

What Makes a Strong Proposal?

Successful proposals should:

  • Respond thoughtfully to the exhibition theme
  • Be designed specifically for the selected site
  • Maximize the scale and spatial potential of the location
  • Create an engaging public experience through immersion, interaction, or visual impact
  • Be achievable within the proposed budget and timeline
  • Comply with DesignTO Festival Artistic Guidelines

Artists are responsible for the fabrication, transportation, installation, and de-installation of their work.

‘Golden Beauty Supply’ by Ehiko Odeh at 95 St Clair Ave W, part of the 2024 DesignTO Festival. Photo by Christine Lim

Key Dates

  • Submission Deadline: September 13, 2026, at 5:00pm ET
  • Late September 2026: Selected artists notified
  • October 2026: Final project information due
  • November 2026: DesignTO Festival announcement
  • January 14–21, 2027: Installation period
  • January 22–31, 2027: DesignTO Festival exhibition period
  • February 1–2, 2027: De-installation (unless exhibition is extended)

How to Apply

Applicants must submit a PDF containing:

  • Artist information and biography
  • Project description and executive summary
  • Visual materials (renderings, sketches, diagrams, precedent images, photographs, etc.)
  • Detailed line-item budget
  • Current résumé and relevant experience

Proposals should be submitted electronically via email or Dropbox link to [email protected] with the subject line:

DesignTO Festival 2027 – Installation Name – Artist Name

Submission Deadline: September 13, 2026 at 5:00pm ET.

Learn More | Submit a Proposal


For complete details, site photos, and application requirements, visit the Yonge + St. Clair BIA call for proposals page.

‘#ohdeer by Gensler’ at 2 St. Clair Ave W, part of the 2018 DesignTO Festival. Photo by Grace Wong.