APPLICATIONS OPEN: Monday, January 27, 2025
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: Saturday, March 8, 2025 (11:59pm Atlantic)
APPLICATION FORM:
SUBMIT TO: <thirdspacesubmissions@gmail.com> with subject line THIRD SHIFT 2025
THEME: REVOLVE
NEED HELP? Application assistance is available for anyone who faces disability-related barriers to completing an online application and/or Indigenous applicants facing language, geographic and/or cultural barriers within the online application process. Please contact us at <thirdspacesubmissions@gmail.com> and we will be happy to help!
Open to everyone / drop in / Q&A format
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8620591126 Meeting ID: 862 059 1126
* All times in Atlantic
- Wednesday, February 19 from 7:30pm-8:30pm
- Saturday, February 22 from 7pm-8pm
- Thursday, February 27 from 7pm-8pm
THIRD SHIFT is an annual festival of public contemporary artworks that takes place in Saint John, New Brunswick. THIRD SHIFT 2024 will take place from August 15 – 17, 2025.
Established in 2015, THIRD SHIFT holds space for new experiences and communal exchange through the exhibition of temporary public art installations, performances, and screenings. For more information about THIRD SHIFT and to see installations from previous festivals, please visit the festival website.
When we are having these calls it is important that all applicants think about their relationship to the land; THIRD SHIFT offers an opportunity to re-imagine and engage with the natural and built environment in what we now know as Saint John, and the surrounding land and waterways.
The land on which THIRD SHIFT takes place is the unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Wolastoqiyik and Mi’kmaq peoples. This territory is covered by the “Treaties of Peace and Friendship” which Wolastoqiyik and Mi’kmaq peoples first signed with the British crown in 1725. The treaties did not deal with the surrender of lands and resources but, in fact, recognized Indigenous sovereign title and established the rules for what was to be an ongoing, equitable, reciprocal, and respectful relationship between nations—a relationship that Third Space strives to uphold. To learn more about Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages, the Native Land Interactive Map is a great resource and educational tool https://native-land.ca/.
- We encourage proposals that reflect Third Space’s objectives as an alternative, non-commercial, contemporary artist-run centre: https://thirdspacegallery.ca/mandate/
- We encourage all mediums to apply. Consider ways to display your work outside of the traditional gallery setting.
- We encourage emerging artists, creatives, arts workers, and makers to apply—even if you have never made art in a formal capacity before, you are welcome.
- We aim to support efforts that are exploratory, challenging, and critical in nature.
- We encourage proposals for interactive and engaging installations.
- We encourage applicants to propose new work as well as projects that have been started or completed elsewhere.
- We encourage proposals that are relevant to our community in Saint John, New Brunswick.
PLEASE NOTE
- Artworks will not be for sale, please submit proposals for non-commercial artwork only
- Applicants may only submit one proposal for consideration
The prices reflected below are currently adjusted to represent more than the 2025 CARFAC Minimum recommended industry standards.
Please note that rows marked with an asterisk are conditional and may not be applicable to every artist.
| Exhibition fee (Individuals) | $450 |
| Exhibition fee (Collectives) | $675 |
| Exhibition fee (Community Partners) | $650 |
| *Installation fee (Individuals & Collectives only) | $280 |
| Screening fee | $150 |
| *Panelist fee | $400 |
| *Workshop fee | $550 |
| *Workshop materials reimbursement | Up to $275 |
| Project materials reimbursement (Individuals & Collectives only) | Up to $350 |
| Accommodations coverage | $100/night, up to $200 |
| Travel coverage within the Atlantic | Up to $150 |
| Travel coverage within Canada | Up to $350 |
| Accessibility fund | Up to $200 |
- In addition to the online application, THIRD SHIFT will also accept proposals via phone, video, or audio file as needed by the applicant. Please get in touch with us at <thirdspacesubmissions@gmail.com> to arrange. This process will be a 10-15 minute recorded interview that takes place between an organizer or committee member and the applicant where we will go through each section of the application verbally. The conversation will be recorded and shared with the Selection Committee via video or transcription.
- You may submit your application in English or in French. Please note that the selection process will take place in English, so your application will be translated.
Tentative schedule:
- Friday, August 15th: Third Watch (nighttime screenings)
- Saturday, August 16th: THIRD SHIFT Day Shift (workshops) & THIRD SHIFT Art Works After Dark (nighttime exhibition of installations, projections, performances, etc.)
- Sunday, August 17th: THIRD SHIFT Conversations (VIP Event, artist talks, panels, etc.)
- THIRD SHIFT takes place in various venues and various outdoor locations with differing terrain. Third Space is committed to organizing a barrier-free festival and will work with applicants to select project locations that meet accessibility requirements.
- Third Space can arrange for closed captioning, ASL interpretation, translation of artworks at the applicant’s request, or any other accessibility requirement up to $200. Please indicate if you expect to utilize one or more of these services in your proposal, or if you require access to accessibility funds.
What does it mean to revolve? Sometimes, we think about those hotel doors that never stop moving, other times, we think about life cycles and their constant ebb and flow. To revolve can refer to many things, but ultimately it is the driving factor behind a lot of our day-to-day practices and lives.
This year’s theme reflects on many aspects of our livelihood: our job prospects, our creative practice, our social lives- everything always remains in perpetual motion. Revolve refers to the everchanging, constant flow of ideas, movements, thoughts, emotions, and powers that drive us to create. When we reflect on our communities, it can denote growth, progress, change, processes, and development. When we look inward, revolve takes on a more serious note, it can be our own personal turmoil, our habits, our hobbies, our emotions, our finances, our living spaces, our status compared to the rest of the world.
In a day and age where we are constantly fed information, both through the internet and our everyday lives, the cycles and patterns we recognize are always revolving, evolving, to reflect our surroundings and our climate.
As artists, it is important to continue creating, no matter whether the revolving door is going in the right or wrong direction. Does the theme challenge your surroundings, or does it match the rhythm of the world around it? We invite applicants to delve into this theme in whatever manner that suits their proposal best. THIRD SHIFT provides a platform for artists and creatives alike to experiment through public art in a low-barrier, accessible fashion, with themes guiding their way. What does revolve mean to you?
Submit your application by Saturday, March 8, 2025 (11:59pm Atlantic)
- Send the following documents to the email address <thirdspacesubmissions@gmail.com> with the subject line THIRD SHIFT 2025
- Completed application form
- Relevant images/video/audio (you can include work you are submitting if it has been started or completed, similar work you have made in the past, sketches of your proposed project, or use any image/video/audio clip that will help the committee visualize your proposal)
- Third Space will also accept proposals via phone, video, or audio file if email or text-based format is not accessible to the applicant. Please get in touch via email at <thirdspacesubmissions@gmail.com> or give us a call at 506-566-7434.
- Application assistance is available for anyone who faces disability-related barriers to completing an online application and/or Indigenous applicants facing language, geographic and/or cultural barriers within the online application process. Please get in touch via email at <thirdspacesubmissions@gmail.com> or give us a call at 506-566-7434.
- You may submit your application in English or in French. Please note that the selection process will take place in English, so your application will be translated.
The Selection Process
- The Executive Director and Third Space Board President review the proposals to flag anything that does not align with our festival priorities and application criteria.
- The Executive Director sends the proposals to the THIRD SHIFT Jury that comprises past THIRD SHIFT artists and/or arts community members representing diverse identities and communities.
- The Jury selects between 10-15 proposals to recommend based on the following criteria:
- Impact
- Feasibility
- Site specificity (relevance to communities in Saint John)
- Connection to theme
More information about the THIRD SHIFT Jury:
- Each jury member must sign a confidentiality and conflict of interest agreement.
- Notes about the jury discussion will be kept on file, applicants may call and request feedback on their application.
- If the jury has any questions or concerns, the Executive Director will contact the applicant to clarify any necessary details about their proposal before making a final decision.
Notification of Results
- Mid April 2025: All applicants will be notified of the status of their application.
- Early May 2025: Applicants whose proposals were recommended by the jury will be asked to submit a detailed work plan by this date.
- Mid May 2025: Successful applicants with approved work plans will be officially invited to take part in THIRD SHIFT!
NEW TO THE APPLICATION PROCESS? NO PROBLEM!
We encourage folks who are new to the process to attend one of our info sessions to chat about THIRD SHIFT and clear up any questions or concerns. Application assistance is also available for anyone who faces disability-related barriers to completing an online application and/or Indigenous applicants facing language, geographic and/or cultural barriers within the online application process. Please get in touch via email at <thirdspacesubmissions@gmail.com> or give us a call at 506-566-7434.