The following information provides guidelines for what artists working in public art projects should be paid for the various stages of a public art project. A public art project is any art project whose form, function, and meaning are intended for the general public, and/or a location that is publicly accessible. 

Each public art project is unique, and there may be many scenarios that emerge which we do not yet have payment rates for. We will continue to develop new rates in consultation with artists and commissioners on an ongoing basis, and rates may be periodically adjusted to account for inflation.

Additionally, it is good practice to seek prior input and approval from an Indigenous Nation or community when installing / placing art on their lands. With respect to public art, ensure the planning process begins with the involvement, guidance, direction, and advice of the local First Nation, Inuit, and/or Métis Nation(s) or communities. Seek advice from the local Indigenous Nation(s) or community regarding local Protocols, including the preferred manner of acknowledgement and the relevant groups to be acknowledged. Protocols regarding offering gifts or honorariums may vary from one Nation or community to another. New guidelines regarding compensation for Indigenous communities may soon become available in the next development phase of this Fee Schedule. For further information, visit: https://www.indigenousprotocols.art/. 

This Public Art Fee Schedule does not take into account the size of a commissioning organization when recommending fees. The minimum recommended fees are determined by the project budget, duration, and scope of work. 

It may apply to any public art project including: temporary projects presented for up to five years, permanent projects installed for 5 years or more, and public art projects presented as part of a festival, as well as the display of pre-existing works in the public realm. 

It applies to works on both public and private lands where the intended audience is the public at large and where the CARFAC-RAAV Minimum Recommended Fee Schedule may not otherwise apply. 

All rates shown in the Fee Schedule are in Canadian dollars. Some artists are registered to collect HST, GST, PST, etc. If so, they are required to charge this in addition to the rates that follow.

These fees are for the payment of an artist in the role of peer assessor for the time and expertise taken in evaluating applications for public art. To determine the appropriate fees for artist members of a Selection Panel, please refer to Section C.4.0 Artist Professional Services of the CARFAC-RAAV Minimum Recommended Fee Schedule. These rates were created for visual artists and pertain to work carried out by an artist on a selection panel, evaluating applications by their artist peers.*

Current rates for 2024: $362 half-day  (under 4 hours)/ $638 full day (over 4 hours)
Current rates increase by 4% per year in 2025, 2026, and 2027.

We recommend determining the Selection Panel fees based on the anticipated scope of work required of each member. It is recommended that the Commissioner and Selection Panel members review the anticipated scope of work prior to determining the appropriate fee when required. The scope of work will depend on various circumstances, and should include consideration of the following items:

• Review Period and Number of submissions

  • Consider the number of submissions and level of detailed review, reading, and scoring required of the Selection Panel

  • Commissioners should set a fee based on the anticipated number of submissions but are encouraged to increase the fee should the number of submissions be larger than the anticipated amount
    

    
    

• Review process

  • The fee for a review process should include the time required for the panelist to independently review and score the submissions, as well as participate in making a selection. For example, a One Stage review process may require 5 hours of independent review and a 3 hour review meeting. In 2024, the fee for this would be 1 Full Day rate + 1 Half-day rate ($362 + 638 = $1,000).

  • A Two Stage review process will require two independent review phases, and two review and selection meetings. If the example above also involves an additional 5 hours of independent review and a 3 hour review meeting for the Second Stage review, the total fee to the artist selection panel member would be $2,000 for both review processes combined.

  • If the Selection Panel is required to be present at engagement opportunities or artist presentations, this additional time and scope of work should be reflected in the fee based on the total time required of the Selection Panel members
    
    

• Travel and Accommodation

  • Refer to the travel and accommodation portion of this Fee Schedule for guidelines (Section 3).

*Non-artist members of a selection panel may have their own standard rates that differ from CARFAC’s rates, and some participants may be prohibited from accepting payment in certain situations. As such, commissioners may choose to refer to CARFAC guidelines for all selection panel members, or to negotiate other arrangements for non-artists participants.

Calls for artists and artist submissions vary per public art project. It is recommended that commissioners scale the requirements of an artist to submit to an open call, expression of interest, or request for qualifications to the scope of the project. 

The base requirements for an open call include:

• Artist CV

• Samples of Past Work

• Artist’s Statement and/or Expression of Interest or Concept

A proposal fee must be paid when an artist is required or contracted to submit a proposal package as part of the artist selection process, that is above and beyond the base requirements of an initial project open call. Proposal fees are only paid to artists when they are chosen (by invitation, short list, etc.) to submit a proposal for consideration for a public art project.

It is recommended that commissioners consider the number of hours required to complete a proposal and scale the fee based on this consideration. Additional items require additional time and labor, and artists should be compensated accordingly. 

The following minimum fee recommendations are based on the scale and timeline of the project, as well as the scope of work required of the artist to meet the requirements of the proposal.

2.1 Temporary Projects and Festivals*

• Minimum Fee Recommended: $500 – $1500 

• Based on proposal requirements, which may include:

  • Concept Statement

  • Draft Artwork or Design Proposal

  • References or testimonials
    
    

2.2 Proposals for Existing Works for Re-Display*

• Minimum Fee Recommended: $500 – $1500 

• Based on proposal requirements and/or spec work to plan re-display, which may include:

  • Getting quotes for packaging and shipping costs

  • Installation plans and specifications from previous installations

  • Submission of any technical drawings or materials from previous installations

  • References or testimonials

*Proposals for temporary projects or existing projects proposed for re-display that require proposal packages that include any of the following additional items should refer to the next Section (2.3) for guidance instead. 

2.3 Permanent Project Proposal Fees

Proposal fees apply to artists who have been contracted to submit a proposal via shortlist, an invitation to submit, or through a direct commission. The three types of applications (basic, medium, and complex) and their corresponding budget ranges reflect that each project is unique, and therefore the scale of work required to submit a complete proposal will vary depending on the complexity of the commission.

The range in fees for each package type provides a guideline for commissioners to plan their budgets, but the top end should not be considered a maximum to be paid to artists.  Artists and commissioners are encouraged to negotiate appropriate fees, especially for larger scale proposals. Fees for large-scale public art projects (valued over $500K) are not included in this Fee Schedule, and may be added at a future date.

Basic Proposal Package- $1000 – $2500

• Artist Concept statement or creative approach;

• Draft artwork and design proposal (images or illustrations in requested format, description)

• References or testimonials
  
  

Medium Proposal Package – $2500 – $5000

Basic Proposal Package elements and:

• Scaled drawings or in situ representation of the proposed art work

• Project plan outline, including detailed budget and schedule (based on the commissioner’s project scope);

• Presentation to the Selection Panel (if required)
  
  

Complex Proposal Package – $5000 – $7500+

Basic and Medium Proposal Package elements and:

• Engineer project consultation

• Quotes for materials, fabricators, subcontractors, installers 
  
  

Additional items required of artists at the proposal phase may not be included in the above packages, and should be compensated as follows:

• Maquettes, physical models, or specific renderings 

• Additional drawings, writing, editing, and revisions, including consultations with engineers, architects or other project stakeholders to be submitted that are outside the scope of the initial proposal request from the commissioner: refer to Section C.5.0 of the CARFAC-RAAV Fee Schedule

• In-person or online engagement activities, presentations, community consultation meetings, or similar activities in which the artist must prepare and present to a group: refer to Section C.2.0 of the CARFAC-RAAV Fee Schedule

• Activities requiring travel, accommodations, and/or per diems: refer to the guidelines below.

The following fees are to be paid to the artist once contracted to execute the scope of work as outlined in the agreement determined between the artist and the commissioner. They are minimum guidelines; artists and commissioners are encouraged to negotiate appropriate fees specific to each project. For example, in certain circumstances where there are no material costs, etc., the artist might be paid up to 100% of the art production budget.

The following rates apply to new temporary and permanent public art projects, projects that are part of a festival, and the display of pre-existing works in the public realm. It does not include the cost of materials and supplies.

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What does the Minimum Artist Fee include?

Minimum Artist Fee refers to the commissioning of a design only and may include the following items and duties to be supplied and executed by the artist:

• Signing of the contract or agreement for a fixed term

• Development of artwork and/or design

• Submission of artwork and/or design, design drawings in required format 

• Design review, and revisions (recommended up to 3, additional fee for revisions can be negotiated based on the additional item menu below)

• Maximum of one consultation meeting. Any additional meetings to be negotiated 

• Supplying an artist and project statement, bio, headshots and didactic text including review and edits (set amount, recommended up to 3 revisions; for further editing tasks, refer to Section C.5.0 of the CARFAC-RAAV Fee Schedule)

• Maintenance manual creation and submission (if required)

The above recommended requirements for the Minimum Artist Fee may be negotiated between the artist and commissioner during the contract phase if additional meetings or revisions are required by either party, within reason. This does not include any of the below additional items, which would require an increased percentage added to the artist fee. 

Additional Fees and Items

If the scope of work the Artist is being contracted to execute by the Commissioner exceeds what is covered in the Minimum Artist Fee, the artist and commissioner should negotiate to ensure the additional duties and work is reflected in the Artist Fee. 

The tasks itemized below are in addition to the minimum requirements and minimum fee percentage recommended in the chart above. The below items are project specific and should be negotiated based on the scope of work the artist is being contracted to execute. 

An additional 20% – 40% of the overall project budget must be paid in artist fees depending on the project scope and contract requirements. 

 A. Project and Contract Administration Duties

Scope of work may or may not include:

• Ongoing project meetings with commissioners, staff, and stakeholders

• Site visits (determine the number required)

• Correspondence, updates, and status reports

• Subcontractor management, including:

  • General Contractors

  • Engineers

  • Fabricators

  • Installers

  • Consultants

• Permit applications and management

• Provision of necessary information including insurance certificates, workplace safety coverage, schedule, budget, and subcontractor information

• Communications including providing copy and images for signage, web, and social media

B. Artwork Fabrication Duties

Scope of work may or may not include:

• Selection and contracting of fabricator, contractors, and subcontractors related to fabrication

• Selection of materials and suppliers

• Artwork fabrication

• Documentation and reporting to the commissioner based on schedule

C. Artwork Installation

Scope of work may or may not include:

• Delivery of artwork to site

• Installation, including coordination of rental of any equipment required

• Hiring of installers and sub contractor management

• Storage (if required)

• Site security (if required)

Travel and Accommodation

If travel is required, additional payment for travel, accommodations, and other stipends is required to cover the travel time and cost of an in-person site visit from the artist. 

Artists may be required to submit an invoice and receipts for reimbursement in a timely manner, or the commissioner may pay for costs directly.

Guidelines for reimbursement of travel expenses may be locally, provincially, or federally regulated, and as such, commissioners should use rates that correspond to their specific requirements. If there are none, commissioners may use guidelines set by funders such as the Canada Council for the Arts or the Government of Canada as a reference point.

Presentations and Engagement

For solo public presentations by the artist, a fee of $500/presentation of 4 hours or less applies.

For group presentations or community stakeholder meetings of 4 hours or less, $375-400 should be paid to each artist presenter.

Budget

How a project’s budget is spent depends on a variety of factors including the duration of the project, the commissioning body, applicable procurement policies, and the scope of work being contracted for the artist to execute. It is recommended that both the Artist and Commissioner consider and discuss who will manage and spend each aspect of the budget, and adjust the contract accordingly if changes are required. 

A comprehensive list of items that are commonly included in public art project budgets is provided:

• Art Selection Process, including selection panel fees and proposal fees

• Minimum Artist Fee + additional percentage based on scope of work

• Communications, including signage, documentation, plaques, etc.

• Site preparation, including foundation, utility locates, rentals

• Contingency, including artist and commissioner

• Accessibility considerations and inclusions

• Travel and Accommodation, including per diems

• Presentations and Engagements

• Contractors, including subcontractors, engineers, electricians, architects

• Artist Materials

• Fabrication

• Installation

• Permits

• Equipment and Rentals

• Transportation

• Maintenance

• Site security