Indigenous artist commission — cover art and design elements for the JP Centre’s first strategic plan (2027–2030)
The invitation
The Jim Pattison Centre for Health Systems Learning + Innovation (JP Centre) invites Indigenous artists from the Interior of BC to submit expressions of interest to create the cover art and interior design elements for our first strategic plan. This is a paid commission of $6,500 plus travel costs for engagement events. The artist keeps copyright of their work.
Applying is simple and requires no free work. You do not need to create a concept or sketch to apply. We ask only for examples of your past work and a short description of how you would approach this project. Concept development happens after selection, and is paid.
About the JP Centre
Our purpose: transforming health systems together for better health and wellness for all.
Our six focus areas: Clinical Advisory & Health Systems; Health Leadership; Health Technology; Indigenous Health & Wellbeing; Planetary Health; Rural & Remote Health.
The JP Centre works with partners to improve health care across BC’s Interior. We bring together health care organizations, Indigenous communities, municipalities, patients, researchers, innovators and industry to move good ideas into real-world practice. Our main office is based in Kelowna, on Syilx Okanagan Nation Territory.
The JP Centre is not an Indigenous organization, and this artwork is not intended to represent us as one. It reflects our commitment to respectful relationships with Indigenous Nations, communities, and peoples, and to better health care for everyone who lives in and receives health services.
Why we are commissioning this work
This commission is guided by the JP Centre’s Indigenous Health & Wellbeing Advisory Table. The Advisory Table gave us clear direction: the artwork must be more than decoration. It has to connect to the substance of the strategic plan and the work it represents.
We designed this commission to honour that guidance. The selected artist will be paid to engage directly with the plan, the Advisory Table, and community, so the artwork grows from a real understanding of the work— not from a written brief alone.
The creative brief
We invite your interpretation of the JP Centre’s purpose and pathways to impact — how ideas spark from community, grow and spread, endure over time, and shape the conditions for better health — seen through the lens of the 4 Rs.
The 4 Rs:
- Respect — honouring Indigenous peoples, territories, and knowledge, beginning with the Syilx Okanagan territory where the JP Centre makes its home.
- Relevance — work that reflects, and matters to, the communities of BC’s Interior.
- Reciprocity — relationships where all parties give, receive, and learn from one another.
- Responsibility — accountability to communities for how we work and what we deliver.
Creative direction belongs to you. The brief sets the themes; you choose the imagery, the style, and the story.
Deliverables: one cover artwork, a set of interior design elements (such as section dividers or motifs), and an artist statement describing or interpreting the meaning of your artwork. Final files suitable for print and digital use.
What the commission includes
Beyond creating the artwork, the commission includes four paid engagement sessions. These are how the artwork connects to the work it represents:
- A briefing with JP Centre staff — meet the team and receive the draft strategic plan and guiding documents ($250).
- A meeting with the Indigenous Health & Wellbeing Advisory Table — hear their vision directly ($250).
- A regional Indigenous engagement event in mid-October 2026 — share your concept and receive community feedback ($500).
- The JP Centre annual Advisory Table event on December 1, 2026 — unveil the finished artwork ($500).
Travel costs for in-person events are covered in addition to session payments.
Who can apply
This opportunity is open to Indigenous artists (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) living in or connected to the Interior of BC. Indigenous identity is by self-identification. You are encouraged to share your community or Nation affiliation in your submission.
Compensation
The total value of the commission is $6,500, plus travel costs:
- $5,000 — the commissioned artwork and the JP Centre’s license to use it.
- $1,500 — the four paid engagement sessions described above.
The payment schedule will be set out in the artist agreement.
Ownership and use of the artwork
You keep copyright of your artwork. The JP Centre receives a non-exclusive license to use the artwork and its design elements in the strategic plan (print and digital), on our website, and in our presentations and reports.
- You will be credited every time the artwork or its elements are used.
- We will not modify the artwork without your consent.
- You remain free to exhibit the work, sell prints, and include it in your portfolio.
- Any other use (e.g. merchandise or wall art) would only happen through a separate agreement with you.
Any cultural knowledge, story, or teaching you share through this process remains yours and your community’s. The license covers the final artwork only.
What to submit
- A written approach — up to one page on how you would approach this project. Plain and informal is welcome.
- A short biography, including your community or Nation affiliation, if you wish to share it.
- Three to five examples of your past work (links or images).
- Your contact information.
How the artist will be selected
Submissions will be reviewed by a joint panel of Indigenous Health & Wellbeing Advisory Table members and JP Centre staff. The panel will consider the quality and fit of your past work, your written approach, your connection to the brief and the 4 Rs, and your connection to the communities of the Interior. Every applicant will hear back from us.
Timeline
| REOI released | July 2026 |
| Submissions close | August 28, 2026 |
| Artist selected and agreement signed | Mid-September 2026 |
| Briefing and Advisory Table session | Late September – early October 2026 |
| Concept shared for community feedback | Mid-October 2026 (engagement event) |
| Final artwork delivered | Mid-November 2026 |
| Artwork unveiled by the artist | December 1, 2026 (annual Advisory Table event) |
| Strategic plan launch | January 2027 |
Questions and how to apply
Send your submission by email to Alex Kent at Alexandra.kent@jpcentre.ca by August 28, 2026.
Questions are welcome at any time — by email, phone, or video call, whatever works best for you.
Email: Alexandra.kent@ubc.ca Phone: 604-316-2286
