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Guidelines for donations of official gifts, public art or commemorations

Official gifts of public art or commemorations are often made as part of the recognition of a significant historic event, a major charitable contribution or public campaign.

The Culture Division's guidelines for reviewing public art are used when considering a donation. Specific aesthetic and technical criteria must be met, and there can be no conditions attached to the donation. These rules help in maintaining the prestige of the City's public art collection.

Procedure

The City requires a written submission with a detailed description of the gift, the relevance of the subject matter to the City of Toronto and contact names for follow up. A staff committee with representatives from Culture, Strategic Communications, Protocol, Parks and Recreation, Urban Design and Facilities and Real Estate reviews the request in consultation with the Art Committee for Public Places.

The staff committee submits a recommendation to the Economic Development and Parks Committee. The final decision about accepting the donation rests with City Council. If the decision is favourable, the staff committee works out the installation details with the donor or his/her designate.

Enquiries should be sent in writing to protocol@toronto.ca or:

Barbara Sullivan, Chief of Protocol
Protocol Services
City Clerk's Office
100 Queen St. W.
City Hall, Second floor, West
Toronto, ON  M5H 2N2

Criteria

  • suitability of the donation as determined by the guidelines and mandate of the Art Committee for Public Places
  • quality of the work, based on a professional assessment, detailed written proposal, drawing and/or maquette, or photographs
  • suitability of the theme of the artwork to a public venue
  • appropriateness of the artwork to the site, in the case where a site has been identified
  • appropriateness of the process for selecting the artist/artwork
  • qualifications of the artist based on documentation of past work and the artist's professional qualifications
  • financial implication based on cost of project implementation, installation of the work, and ongoing maintenance of the work
  • provision by the donor for ongoing maintenance of the work and cost of relocation and removal
  • absence of restrictive conditions imposed by the donor
  • susceptibility of the work to wear and vandalism and potential danger to the public
  • suitability of the work to the technical requirements of installation in public spaces
  • suitability of the work to the environmental conditions of public display
  • ease of maintenance and repair

Background

Toronto City Council at its meeting on October 3, 4 and 5, 2001, adopted a policy outlining the process to be followed when an individual or organization offers to donate to the City an official gift of public art, a commemoration, or the installation of a public tribute or major public recognition.

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