Current Open Calls

The Aurora Cultural Centre welcomes applications from artists at all ranges in their career, including emerging, mid-career, and senior artists. We thank all those who have expressed interest and applied to our open calls; however, please note that only successful applicants may be contacted with the results of their submission.  

Call for Submissions: FUTURE GROUNDS

Public Art Mentorship Opportunity with Oddside Arts

Calling all artists! We need your creativity to contribute to a visual dialogue that highlights how we can shape a more inclusive, empathetic, and just world.   

We extend a warm invitation to artists (aged 16-24) of diverse backgrounds to participate in our public art call, with a dedicated emphasis on prioritizing applicants in equity-seeking groups.   

To celebrate the opening of Aurora Town Square in 2024, eight (8) youth artists will be selected to ornament the new facilities with a series of temporary public art installations. The artists will work with Toronto-based public art collective, Oddside Arts, to design a large-scale banner with an augmented reality (AR) component that will be exhibited in the Square during its opening months. For their individual contributions to the project, selected artists will receive an honorarium of $175.00 from the Town of Aurora.    

At the core of our initiative lies the conviction that art possesses an extraordinary potential for positive societal transformation. We seek artists who recognize art’s unique power to challenge stereotypes. In the final artwork, we would like to see a piece that aspires to educate or raise awareness about the unique and vibrant cultural aspects of the community of Aurora. This design must foster inclusivity, and also aim to give voice to historically marginalized communities.     

All levels of artistic experience welcomed, and experience working with AR is NOT mandatory.  Interested artists must complete an online submission form which will ask for:   

• Your contact information  
• Your artist statement / expression of interest   
• A minimum of two (2) image uploads of recent artwork as part of your portfolio submission (art submitted does not have to reflect the theme, but it should reflect the artist’s skill.  
• One reference (ie: your schoolteacher, organization leader, mentor, etc.)   

As part of our IDEA framework, we especially encourage submissions from individuals with lived experience in communities who self-identify as Indigenous, Black and other racialized minorities, Persons with Disabilities, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to apply to this opportunity.  

• Equity-seeking Artist: Artist in a demographic that has historically faced systemic disadvantages, discrimination, or unequal treatment based on their characteristics or identities.   

• Artists with disabilities: Artists with physical, sensory, intellectual, or mental impairment that may limit their ability to perform certain activities or participate fully in daily life, work, or social interactions. Disabilities can be congenital (present at birth) or acquired due to injury, illness, or other factors. Disabilities vary widely in their nature and severity, and they can impact a person’s mobility, communication, cognition, and overall quality of life. The concept of disability also includes the interaction between individuals with impairments and the barriers or obstacles in their environment that may hinder their full and equal participation in society. Society has a responsibility to promote inclusivity and accommodate the needs of individuals with disabilities to ensure their rights and opportunities are respected and protected.  

New to submitting to a Call for Artists (COA)? Click here to learn what new and emerging artists need to get started.   

Submission form deadline: 11:59 PM December 17, 2023  

Successful applicants will be notified prior to February 1, 2024. Please note that due to the high volume of submissions, only selected applicants may be contacted. 

Call for Submissions: Mayor’s Celebration of Youth Arts 2024

Exhibition Opportunity

The Mayor’s Celebration of Youth Arts (MCOYA) is an annual exhibition that began in 2011, it continues to celebrate the wildly creative and dedicated minds of youth within the Aurora community. This art show opens doors for students to share their greatest artistic achievements, and to invite the public to a glimpse of the unfolding bright future ahead.  

Accepted artworks will be exhibited in our temporary exhibition space at Aurora Town Hall from Feb, 10 – Mar. 23, 2024. Artists are responsible for transportation/drop off of all artwork(s) to and from the gallery. Artworks will not be for sale.  

Submission Guidelines:

1. The artist must currently be a grade 12 student, attending high school in Aurora or living in Aurora and attending a school elsewhere.  
2. All wall-hanging artworks must be wired and have d-rings installed to the back by drop-off.  
3. All mediums are welcome and encouraged, however, due to limits in our present gallery space, artwork requiring a continuous power source (ie: monitor or projector) or with installation requirements outside of our technical limits may not be attainable at this time. 

Submission Deadline: 11:59 PM, January 12, 2024

Current and Upcoming Exhibitions