Arrow Trail Public Art Call

Prince Edward County’s Public Art Program is looking for proposals from artists for a public art work that explores the human stories behind the Avro Arrow and the work done by the Raise the Arrow project particularly as they relate to Prince Edward County and the Bay of Quinte region. This commemorative public artwork will be sited at Mariner’s Park Museum grounds with the potential for relocation in two or more years to Monarch Point Conservation Area pending an approval from Ontario Parks after the development of their Park Management Plan. 

Background:

This public art project will feature as part of The Arrow Trail a driving route that celebrates and explores the incredible story of the Avro Arrow, honours the amazing efforts of  the team behind the Raise the Arrow campaign, and shares the intertwining stories that weave Canadian folklore & national icons into local legend. The trail is a partnership project with the Royal Canadian Air Force, 8 Wing, the Raise the Arrow team, The National Air Force Museum of Canada, The County Museums, Base 31, The Regimental Museum, and the South Shore Joint Initiative.

The Avro CF-105 Arrow was a supersonic interceptor jet aircraft designed and built in the 1950s by A.V. Roe Canada. Praised for its elegant design and power, it was one of the most advanced aircraft of its era and helped to establish Canada as a world leader in scientific research and development. Despite this, the Avro Arrow Program ended in February, 1959. To this day, many believe that the Arrow’s cancellation was a betrayal of Canada’s aerospace industry. Employees, many of whom lived or had connections to our region, left for manufacturing and engineering jobs with British and American companies, including NASA.  

Between 1955 and 1957, nine of eleven free-flight test models for the Arrow were launched into Lake Ontario from a test facility at Point Petre, which was operated by the Canadian Armament Research and Development Establishment (CARDE). From 2017 to 2020 OEX Recovery Group, a private group led by John Burzynski, decided to put together a team of partners from various backgrounds and areas of expertise under the Raise the Arrow project banner to attempt to locate and recover the models. On August 12, 2018, the OEX Recovery Group, with the support of the Canadian Conservation Institute, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Canadian Navy, as well as several contractors and a professional dive team, recovered a Delta Test Vehicle (DTV) which may have been used to test the capabilities of the CARDE firing range itself, for use in the Arrow’s free-flight test model program and/or used to evaluate firing a vehicle with a larger delta wing configuration. It is known that representatives from A.V. Roe were present at the firing of the third DTV in October of ‘54.

At Point Petre (now Monarch Point Conservation Area), testing was also believed to be conducted on the Arrow’s “Iroquois” jet engine, built by Orenda, another Canadian company. The asphalt ring and tether-pole that make up the Orenda Ring can still be found within the trees and brush today. 

Thanks to the generosity of a Donor we have received funding to commission an artwork that commemorates this history and tells the story of the human connections the Arrow has to our community. 

This commission will be located at the Mariners Park Museum grounds at 2065 County Road 13 with the possibility of being moved to Monarch Point Conservation Area (if possible) pending the development and approval of their Parks Management Plan which will not be for two or more years. It is preferred that installation of the work take place in the summer of 2026. Artists are encouraged to consider works that can be easily re-sited when applying.

 

To review the call and guidlines click here. 

 

Questions / Application Assistance: If you have any questions or would like to request an alternative application (e.g. via Zoom interview) please contact Stacey Sproule, Programs Director, at stacey@countyarts.ca.

Application deadline is May 29th, 2026, at 5pm.

 

The Prince Edward County Arts Council is committed to facilitating inclusion, representation, and participation by everyone who contributes to the diversity and plurality of our community. The Self-Identification Survey content is based on current self-identification survey best practices and developed in collaboration with our Artist Advisory Committee. The questions focus on several equity-denied groups who, because of systemic discrimination, face barriers that prevent them from having the same access to the resources and opportunities that are available to other members of society, and that are necessary for them to attain just outcomes (Reference - Government of Canada). Respondents may identify with more than one of these groups.

A reminder that participation is voluntary; in addition, we have also included a “Prefer not to respond” option for each question.

HOW WE USE THIS INFORMATION

For the purposes of this application, if there are multiple well-assessed applications of equal merit and insufficient space to accept all course proposals, applications from PEC residents, and then Bay of Quinte residents, will be prioritized. Following that process, self-identification information will be reviewed, and the applications of artists who self-identify as belonging to one or more of the Equity Priority groups in the Application Form will be prioritized. 

County Arts acknowledges the varying degree of equity-related challenges or barriers that equity-deserving individuals experience, and will ensure each application receives appropriate contextual consideration. 

For more info on our Self-Identification Framework and Equity Priority Policy see here.

For the purposes of this survey, a person with a disability is someone who has a long-term or recurring physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric and/or learning disability and considers themselves to be disadvantaged in employment by reason of that disability, or believes that an employer or potential employer is likely to consider them to be disadvantaged in employment by reason of that disability. A person with a disability may also be someone whose functional limitations owing to their disability have been accommodated in their current job or workplace. (Reference - Employment Equity Act / CAUT Toolkit).

Do you identify as an Indigenous person? For the purposes of this Survey, “Indigenous” refers to people who self-define as a First Nations (Status or Non-status), Inuit, or Métis person. (Reference - Toronto Arts Council). We invite all Indigenous artists to learn more about our recently launched Indigenous Voices Fund on our website here.

Do you identify with a non-cis gender identity (e.g. Trans*, Two-Spirit, Genderqueer**/Non-binary) and/or a sexual orientation other than Heterosexual/Straight (e.g. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Queer, Questioning, Two-Spirit, etc.)?
 
* Trans is an umbrella term that describes people with diverse gender identities and gender expressions that do not conform to stereotypical norms. It includes but is not limited to people who identify as transgender, transsexual, or gender non-conforming (gender variant, genderqueer), or an analogous term.   

** Genderqueer/Non-binary refers to individuals who do not follow gender stereotypes based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Non-binary is an umbrella term for gender identities that fall outside of the man-woman binary. People who are non-binary may or may not identify as trans. 

Reference: CAUT Toolkit

Thank you for applying! We appreciate your interest and the time you’ve taken to share your proposal.