Call to Artists: Moccasin Designs

The City of Calgary’s Indigenous Relations Office, in partnership with Calgary Arts Development, is commissioning moccasin designs to be incorporated into The Wandering Spirit, a permanent Indian Residential School memorial to be installed at The Confluence in 2027. Up to ten designs will be selected, and each selected artist will receive a $800 stipend for their design, as well as the opportunity to work collaboratively with the project design team and fabricators to adapt their design to the memorial’s template. Applications are open to urban and rural Indigenous artists and community members who have a connection to Calgary and the surrounding area, including members of Treaty 7 Nations. The submission deadline is 4:30 pm MT on 25 November 2026. Selected applicants will be notified by email within 30 days of the decision, and final designs are to be submitted between December 2026 and January 2027, with fabrication scheduled for Spring/Summer 2027. The project aims to provide a space for gathering, ceremony, and healing, honoring the memory of residential school children and their families.

Stipend, collaboration with design team, fabrication support, inclusion in permanent memorial installation

Indigenous artists and community members with a connection to Calgary and the surrounding area, including members of Treaty 7 Nations; must submit original work.