Teknion Corporation announced its sponsorship of the Design by Nature exhibition at the Evergreen Brick Works, a 120-year-old former Toronto brick works site transformed into a community environmental centre focused on creating a greener future.
“Design by Nature was organized by a group of design professionals interested in promoting innovative public art at one of Canada’s most unique venues,” said Sue Madsen, Teknion Director, Canadian Architecture & Design. “Matthew Cohen conceived the project and is shaping its vision. Teknion is the program sponsor and has been involved with Evergreen Brick Works for many years, as its strategy to promote a sustainable future mirrors our own corporate vision. We have enjoyed a mutually rewarding partnership and look forward to working closely with Evergreen to help fulfill its mission.”
Design by Nature is a juried exhibition of proposals for functional furniture and sculptural work designed for interior and exterior display on the Evergreen Brick Works campus. All submissions should be appropriate to both interior and exterior spaces, and should be designed to withstand the rigours of an unsupervised public environment (that is, lots of people of all ages will want to put their hands on them).
Artists are asked to limit their submissions to a maximum of four pieces, and to make sure that each piece can be displayed independently. Evergreen and Teknion will handle the promotion of the exhibition and the artists – with the help of the local media.
The exhibition, which will be shown for three months, will be installed as of Monday, June 25, 2012. This date coincides with the opening of Evergreen’s groundbreaking MOVE: The Transportation Expo, an exhibit that takes visitors through the past, present and future of urban transportation – and is expected to draw more than 100,000 visitors to the site. An opening reception to welcome the design community to Evergreen Brick Works will also be held in June; tickets will be available to all submitting artists and their families, friends and guests.
Submit a brief description (maximum 250 words) of the idea behind your pieces (again, no more than four), along with accompanying sketches, a list of proposed materials and dimensions, and either an attached portfolio or a link to an online portfolio. Submissions must be sent to [email protected] by midnight on Wednesday, May 2, 2012. Finalists will be informed within one week of the submission deadline.
Each finalist will receive an honorarium of $2,500 to offset production costs. The artist may offer the pieces for sale for the duration of the show, to be available after the exhibition. Of the proceeds, 70% will go to the artist and 30% will go to Evergreen, a not-for-profit charity that works to make cities more livable. After the exhibition, artists will also have the opportunity to sell the pieces and other items from their portfolio through Evergreen’s store, the Evergreen Garden Market, for an agreed-upon period of time.
Finalists will be selected by a panel of local design leaders, who will present the work at the Design by Nature opening reception. For judging criteria and submission forms, visit www.teknionhub.com/designbynature/index.htm. For more information, please visit www.teknioncre8.com/index.php/2012/04/12/design-by-nature-contest-get-back-to-your-design-roots-for-a-chance-to-win-2500/.