Public Art Placements - STEPS Public Art

STEPS offers Public Art student placements. These placements are ideal for students interested in hands-on experience in public art production, curatorial practice, artist and community engagement, and program coordination, with a focus on equity-informed and community-responsive approaches to creative placemaking.

We typically host up to four (4) placements per academic term, tailored to the student’s interests, skills, and learning goals. Depending on your focus area, you may have the opportunity to gain experience in the following:

• Creative Project Development: Support the development of public art and cultural programming concepts in response to requests from municipalities, BIAs, community agencies, corporate clients, and cultural organizations across Canada.
• Project Coordination & Logistics: Assist with the planning and delivery of public art initiatives, including researching and coordinating with artists, fabricators, and suppliers; sourcing materials and equipment; and providing on-site or virtual logistical support.
• Risk Awareness & Health and Safety: Learn to conduct basic risk assessments related to project planning, including community engagement, site logistics, and health and safety protocols.
• Community-Engaged Programming: Contribute to the planning and facilitation of public-facing events such as artist talks, workshops, unveiling ceremonies, social media takeovers, and community consultations.
• Capacity Building & Outreach: Help deliver programming that supports artist and community development, while building outreach strategies to ensure participation from diverse and equity-deserving groups.
• Stakeholder Communication: Communicate effectively with artists, collaborators, and community members to ensure project goals are clearly conveyed and programming is accessible and well-promoted.
• Creative Storytelling & Documentation: Capture and compile quotes, images, video, and stories from public art projects to support communications, evaluation, and storytelling across digital and print platforms.
• Evaluation & Reporting: Support impact measurement through qualitative and quantitative data collection, and contribute to the creation of internal and external project reports for clients, funders, and community partners.

Benefits of this placement include:

• Mentorship from public art professionals
• Skill development in project planning, site logistics, accessibility, and community engagement
• Training in equity practices, risk assessment, and site safety
• Opportunities to contribute to meaningful projects that centre equity-deserving communities

Placements are hybrid or virtual depending on the participant’s location and project needs. While unpaid, STEPS may reimburse specific project-related expenses (e.g., travel or training).

Placement and Volunteer Eligibility

We understand that people may want to participate in a placement for different reasons, and we have tried to be flexible with the formats of placements within the constraints that the Employment Standards Act provides.

Our placements are targeted at the following:

• Participants in a placement program approved and operated by an Ontario university, college, or private career college
• Newcomers to Canada who are seeking a volunteer opportunity that will help enhance their resume as well as build relationships in the region
• Visitors to Canada who are not legally able to work, but who are seeking a volunteer opportunity while in the country

Placement Format

STEPS is mostly a virtual team. We have an office in downtown Toronto, and given the place-based nature of our work, we’re frequently at project sites in the community. Individuals enrolled in placements who reside in southern Ontario may have the option for hybrid placements that combine virtual and in-person experiences. For those located outside of southern Ontario, most placements will be virtual, though there may be some hybrid opportunities available for those residing in communities where we currently have projects. We ask those submitting an expression of interest to communicate their placement preferences and ability to travel to sites.

STEPS can accommodate a range of placement formats and scheduling options. The total number of placement hours and the number of placement hours per week will vary from placement to placement, but the format must be identified before the start date, so that our team can thoroughly assess whether we have the capacity to appropriately support the requested schedule.

Typically, we do not host placements for less than the equivalent of 1 day (8 hours) per week, which we find is the minimum amount of time it takes to provide a meaningful placement experience over a term. We ask those submitting expressions of interest to provide as much information as possible regarding their availability and the specifications of any academic requirements they seek to fulfill in their submission.

We only host placements when we are confident we have the capacity to appropriately onboard, train and support individuals to succeed in those placements. This ensures maximum benefit for those enrolled in placements or partnering on a project with us. While we state an approximate number of placements available each term, these are estimated maximums, subject to change, and STEPS is under no obligation to host a certain number of placements in any given term.