Glenbow Brand Update

Location:	Alberta
Posted:	Mar 18, 2025
Due:	Apr 15, 2025
Agency:	Government of Alberta
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	69 - Training Aids and Devices
Solicitation No:	AB-2025-02209
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

Open & competitive opportunity • Request for Proposal

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Glenbow

Glenbow is one of Canada’s leading art museums—a nationally recognized innovator in arts, culture, and education, with a deep commitment to reconciliation and decolonizing museum practices. For nearly 60 years, Glenbow has played a vital role in Calgary’s arts and culture landscape. The museum’s diverse and expansive collection of over 250,000 works of art, objects, and cultural belongings—including the largest public art collection in Western Canada—sets it apart from other museums and galleries in the country.

Since 2021, Glenbow has been closed to the public as it undergoes a complete renovation, reimagining its 1970s building in downtown Calgary to create an open, accessible, and dynamic community hub. This transformation marks an exciting new chapter for the museum, driven by a mandate for radical accessibility. Thanks to the Shaw Family Foundation’s $35 million donation, Glenbow will become the first major museum in Canada to offer free general admission—permanently removing financial barriers to access. In recognition of this transformative support, the building will be renamed the JR Shaw Centre for Arts & Culture.

Beyond free general admission, Glenbow is committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment by prioritizing accessibility across its physical space, operations, and programming. To align with this new chapter and prepare for reopening, Glenbow is seeking a strategic update to its brand identity that incorporates the museum’s name and the new building name while reflecting its mission, vision, and values and maintaining its well-established presence in the community and brand characteristics.

Project Description
Glenbow’s brand is built on a foundation of inclusivity and community connection. Over the years, this brand has helped transform the museum’s reputation into that of an inviting and relatable space for experiencing diverse forms of art and culture. As the museum undergoes significant transformation through Glenbow Reimagined, its brand identity must evolve to deepen connections with the diverse communities it serves and drive meaningful visitor engagement.

While not a full rebrand, this evolution must:
•        Ensure a cohesive and engaging visitor experience by reinforcing Glenbow’s commitment to radical accessibility, inclusivity, and reconciliation, ensuring visitors—regardless of background, ability, or experience with art—feel a sense of belonging.
•        Define and articulate Glenbow’s brand characteristics to ensure a distinct, compelling identity that resonates with diverse audiences and aligns with the museum’s mission.
•        Drive attendance and engagement through a dynamic brand that translates seamlessly across physical and digital platforms.
•        Thoughtfully integrate donor recognition and stewardship, ensuring meaningful acknowledgment of the Shaw Family Foundation’s contribution while fostering a long-term donor relationship.
The evolved brand must be a practical, adaptable, living brand, seamlessly integrating into Glenbow’s programs, exhibitions, and communications to actively engage visitors, enhance their experience, and drive attendance.

This RFP invites proposals from qualified agencies to support Glenbow in refining its brand positioning and messaging, evolving its visual identity while maintaining existing brand equity, and developing comprehensive brand guidelines to ensure consistency across all communications, including marketing, community engagement, and donor stewardship.

As a non-profit organization and registered charity (Charitable Registration No. 10743 5695 RR001), Glenbow will follow a traditional competitive process to select a firm that best meets the project’s objectives.
Statement of Work
Glenbow is seeking to partner with an agency to deliver a brand update by September 2025. The scope of work includes:
1.        Refining brand positioning and key messaging
2.        Evolving visual identity, which will include:
•        Integrating/refining key existing brand assets, including Glenbow logo, supporting wordmarks and design element, colour palette, etc.
•        Developing creative concepts for key collateral using the above brand elements – collateral list to be provided by Glenbow (note: these are design concepts only; scope does not include production-ready design files)
3.        Developing brand guidelines document
This brand evolution will ensure Glenbow’s identity remains relevant, compelling, and aligned with its transformation into a radically accessible and inclusive museum.

APC Reference # AB-2025-02209

Category Services

Posting Date • Time Mar 18, 2025 • 5:25 pm (MT)

Closing Date • Time Apr 15, 2025 • 2:00:00 pm (MT)

Region(s) of Delivery Alberta, Calgary

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