BC Ferries issues call for artists for Coast Salish vessel artwork

BC Ferries has issued a call for artists to commission artwork for their new Salish-Class ferry, the Salish Heron.

The Salish Heron will need some Coast Salish artwork on the exterior and interior of the vessel.

BC Ferries is partnering with the First Peoples' Cultural Council to find an original design from a BC Coast Salish artist.

From the first round of submissions, the committee will select several artists to be shortlisted and commissioned to propose specific design concepts.

From these proposals, one artist’s designs will be selected for final refinement, adhering to BC Ferries’ specifications for fabrication and application.

The primary design will be applied to the exterior of the vessel and elements of the design will also be used inside the vessel.

The vessel will be joining the fleet in the Southern Gulf Islands in 2022.

Three other vessels, the Salish Orca, Salish Eagle, and Salish Raven, entered service in 2017, sailing between Comox and Powell River and in the Southern Gulf Islands. Each has its own original artwork.

The deadline for expressions of interest is May 10, 2021.

Shortlisted artists will be contacted and invited to submit conceptual designs by June 14, 2021, and the final selection of artists will take place late June.

For full details of the call for artists, including submission guidelines, please visit the First Peoples’ Cultural Council website here.