Artist Opportunities
Organized below by region, opportunities include Requests for Qualifications (RFQs), grants, other calls for entry, as well as employment, fellowship, workshop, conference, and volunteer opportunities. Our best practice is to post Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) for artists/artworks, rather than Requests for Proposals (RFPs). If you would like to learn more about best practices for public art calls, please reach out to our consulting team at consulting@forecastpublicart.
Have an opportunity to share? Please contact jen@forecastpublicart.org with a clear description of the opportunity and a live link.
For a list of Emergency Relief, Grants, Funding, and other artist resources in response to the pandemic, please follow this link to our message regarding COVID-19.
We suggest that you confirm the status of an opportunity before applying.
Minnesota / Midwest
RFQs, COMMISSIONS, & CALLS for ART
The Arts@MSP Program is creating an Artist Roster of emerging, mid-career and established artists who will be prequalified for future public art opportunities at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP). This roster will be one method of selecting artists to develop temporary, permanent, free-standing or site-integrated artwork of various complexities, forms, and sizes, indoors and outdoors, at MSP Terminals 1 and 2. This call is open to professional artists residing in the United States. Regional talent is preferred. Project budgets for roster-based selections will vary, depending upon project complexity. Contract awards above $175,000 are subject to approval by the Metropolitan Airports Commission. Applications will be accepted at any time, and reviews are anticipated to be conducted quarterly in January, April, July, and October.
FELLOWSHIPS, RESIDENCIES, & SCHOLARSHIPS
Check back soon.
EMPLOYMENT & PAID INTERNSHIPS
The Franconia Sculpture Park Arts Administration Internship Program provides “hands-on” immersion in the daily operations of a contemporary non-profit arts organization. This position is best suited for those interested in exploring public art, museum studies, arts administration or nonprofit management careers. Arts Administration Interns work directly with Franconia staff and closely with professional artists on a range of projects. Arts Administration Interns will work on-site, where an ever-changing exhibition of over 100 contemporary sculptures reflects the talents of local, national, and international artists. Arts Administration Interns will work directly with the Program Assistant and Executive Director to support Franconia’s artist residency, education programs, and public events. Internships can last two to four months and interns will receive a $750 stipend and complimentary food and board on-site at Franconia for non-local interns. There may be potential for other paid work opportunities at the park as they arise. This program accepts and reviews applications on a rolling basis.
VOLUNTEER, INTERN, APPRENTICESHIPS, & BOARD OPENINGS
Embrace winter by volunteering at Art Shanty Projects! We’re back on the ice of Bde Unma / Lake Harriet January 15 – February 6 on Saturdays and Sundays 10 AM – 4 PM. There are morning and afternoon volunteer shifts available, and roles include welcoming guests at the gate, helping visitors navigate parking & amenities, tending a fire, managing our kicksleds for a fun and accessible way onto the ice, and more. We ask that all volunteers be fully vaccinated and prepared to wear a mask. If you are not vaccinated, we ask that you show a negative COVID test result from within 72 hours of your volunteer shift. Fill out this form to join us or head to our website to learn more. Questions? Send an email to: production@artshantyprojects.
CONFERENCES, SUMMITS, WORKSHOPS & EVENTS
Check back soon.
PROGRAMS, GRANTS, & AVAILABLE FUNDING
Springboard for the Arts announces Artists Respond: Combating Social Isolation, a new, state-wide call for artists to help people in their communities connect with one another while staying safe and healthy. This is an open call with a rolling deadline for artists with creative ideas, with $500 in project support available. Projects with a focus on higher-risk groups, including but not limited to those in care facilities, elders living at home, new immigrant communities, families lacking access to broadband, and essential workers who may be self-isolating, will be prioritized for funding. Artists should already have a connection with or into the group – through yourself, someone in your family or close network, or other existing relationship.
Southwest Minnesota Arts Council Artist Equity Grants provide up to $4,000 to aid Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other artists of color with projects that will advance their skills and artistic careers. No match requirements. Application Deadline: Ongoing, August 1, 2021 through May 1, 2022 or until funding for the year has been expended.
The City of St. Louis Park has funds available to pay for the graphic wrapping of city-owned utility boxes. Community and Neighborhood Organizations may apply to wrap a box. Original local artwork is encouraged. If you have a design you’d like to bring to life and need to find a community partner to support the project, contact info@slpfota.org.
The Creative Capital Award is valued at $100,000, including $50,000 in project funding and $50,000 in career development services. 2022’s free application are slated to open in February 2022.
Metro Regional Arts Council (MRAC) offers a variety of arts project support and learning grants, for all artistic disciplines. Varying submission dates.
Springboard for the Arts offers a Community Emergency Relief Fund, which provides up to $500 to use art to respond to community emergencies. The Emergency Relief Fund exists to meet the emergency needs of artists living in Minnesota. The Fund helps to support artists with personal emergencies and to support artists who want to respond to emergencies in their own communities. There is not an expectation of repayment, but the Fund is replenished in part by recipients paying back into the Fund so that others can benefit later. Whether they apply for funding or not, artists can also get a free hour of consulting with Amelia Brown, founder of Emergency Arts. July 2020 update from Springboard: As of July, we have funded 2,101 applications, and allocated $1,050,000 to artists and creative workers. We have paused accepting applications to the Emergency Relief Fund as we assess this work and plan for the future, as well as replenish the fund. We hope to re-open the fund in August in its original iteration, to help artists in Minnesota recover by helping pay an unanticipated, emergency expense.
National
RFQs, COMMISSIONS, & CALLS for ART
The City of Davis Civic Arts Commission, in support of City Council goals to improve public spaces and downtown amenities and develop strategies to grow arts and culture in Davis, invites qualified artists or collaborative teams to design and create a new piece of public art that will significantly enhance the Covell Overcrossing/Cannery Bike Path Project, centered around a retaining wall that wraps around the corner of F and Covell Streets in Davis, CA. Up to $35,000 commission fee will be awarded to the selected artist or team of artists. This award is to cover all costs associated with the project, including artist fees, materials, insurance, engineering, fabrication, engineering approval (if required), installation, transportation, etc. Apply by 5:00 PM local time, January 28, 2022.
Broward Cultural Division’s Public Art & Design Program seeks to commission one artist or lighting design team (Professional Visual Artist), to create an artistic lighting design for the E. Clay Shaw Bridge located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The drawbridge spans the Stranahan River and links the city with the beach. The selected artwork will create a visual identity for the bridge and help activate the surrounding area including the riverfront. Finalists will be paid an honorarium of $3,500.00 for the proposal. The selected artist will develop a budget based the artist’s and their selected engineer’s estimate of probable costs and actual costs. The budget must include Professional Visual Artist’s design fee, presentation expenses, lighting design(s), electrical and structural engineering, insurance, travel, artist’s contingency, and all applicable taxes. Apply by 11:59 PM EST, January 28, 2022.
Frederick Arts Council seeks qualifications from artists or artist teams to design a mural for Hill Street Skatepark. The eventual mural will fill the skate pools and/or full street areas in the park with a unique and distinctive design that strengthens a sense of community and neighborhood unity, marks the neighborhood, provides a venue for community events, and/or reflects nature and the surrounding ecology. Qualifications are due January 28, 2022.
The Public Art Committee of Johnson City, TN seeks qualifications from artists or art teams for the commission of a mural to be located on Commerce Street in downtown Johnson City. Up to three finalists will be selected to develop design concepts for this project. The Johnson City Public Art Committee will commission a professional artist to paint a large-scale mural that celebrates the city’s musical and artistic heritage by showcasing bluegrass musicians, bluegrass instruments, and quilts of particular patterns. The design should include elements reminiscent of the 1930s era as this is the period in which bluegrass music began to blossom. The total project budget for the selected commission is $24,000. Each finalist will be paid a $500 honorarium for his/her design. The selected artist will be paid $22,500 for the commissioned work. The preferred installation period is May/June 2022. Apply by 4:30 PM EST, February 8, 2022.
The City of Virginia Beach Cultural Affairs Department and Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation are seeking an artist (or artist team) to create a site-specific sculptural installation at Woodstock Park, Virginia Beach, VA’s newest skate park. Woodstock Park is a $32 million groundbreaking program that integrates a recreation site and a 5.2 million-gallon offline wet-weather storage tank. The project budget is $45,000. Professional artists, or artist-led teams, are eligible to apply. Application materials must be submitted by 5:00 PM (local time) on Friday, February 11, 2022.
Maryland State Arts Council seeks to identify a qualified individual artist or artist team for public art RFQ at Bowie State University MLK Jr Communications, Arts and Humanities Building. Bowie State University, a member institution of the University System of Maryland and the state’s oldest Historically Black University, is building the new Martin Luther King Jr. Communication Arts & Humanities building (CAH). Through this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process, managed by the Maryland State Arts Council’s Public Art Across Maryland program, artists (or artist teams) will be invited to develop concept proposals for a new and original public artwork to be featured prominently at the new building. The MLK Jr. CAH building is being designed by Perkins and Will and is expected to open in Fall 2024. The all-inclusive budget to commission public artwork for the new Martin Luther King Jr. Communication Arts & Humanities building is $515,000. Semi-finalists will receive a $2,500 stipend to offset their travel and lodging expenses. Apply by 5:00 PM EST, February 16, 2022.
The University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) is a public, residential university that is seeking a public artwork that aims to Celebrate Diversity and Inclusion. One of UNK’s core values is that people matter: UNK promotes an inclusive environment that affords equitable access and opportunity to every individual. The framework for UNK’s vision is centered on being an environment that is inclusive and explicitly values diversity of individuals, cultures, thought and expression, that centers on student success through personalized teaching and mentorship relationships, and extends broad access to quality education. The Committee is approaching the theme “Celebrating Diversity & Inclusion” within the context of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, where Diversity means a mix of different identities and cultures, Equity to acknowledge that we do not always start on a level playing field, and Inclusion to acknowledge individuals voices and power. “Celebrating Diversity & Inclusion” is a priority on the UNK Campus, and the Committee hopes that the artwork and surrounding space should feel welcoming and inclusive for different identities and cultures to enjoy and experience the artwork in their own way. The goal is to offer a vision of how DEI can evolve and provide a better, more equitable and inclusive future. Along with that, people with different abilities should be able to experience the artwork and should follow ADA regulations. The artwork site is outside the Student Union, which is a major hub for student activity, meals, study groups, club meetings, conferences, etc. The outdoor sculpture and surrounding garden should be an extension of that hub, and encourage interaction with the artwork and with each-other. The artwork should have the potential of becoming an iconic and memorable emblem for the University, and be a place where students want to go for milestone events and photos. The Committee hopes to select an artist, artist team who are willing to collaborate with and involve the UNK community during the project development. As a part of the RFQ submission, it is important to the Committee to understand the artist’s/team’s personal and artistic approach to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts on and with the UNK Campus, and how their approach is relevant to the artist. Artwork budget: $100,000. Artists or artists teams within the United States are eligible. The committee is made up of a diverse group of students, faculty, and Kearney community members. Apply by March 7, 2022.
The Arts Council of Indianapolis is assembling a pool of artists interested in creating large-scale, painted portrait murals of “legends” important to the growth and culture of Indianapolis. Murals are anticipated to be executed between 2021 and 2023. For each mural, three artists from the pool will be selected by the mural’s community stakeholder group to create design proposals; one of the proposals will be commissioned. At least 2-3 murals will be created during the initial phase, with additional murals pending funding. This is a non-juried pool: the community stakeholder committee convened for each portrait mural will review everyone whose work is in the pool and will select three artists to be compensated to create design proposals for specific murals. Must be able to work in the US. Commission fee: $20,000-$30,000 per mural (based on size/location considerations) for artist fee, materials, and travel costs). As artists are identified to provide design proposals, they will be informed as to the budget of the particular mural project they are invited to design for. Artist fees for Legends murals include compensation for artists’ engagements with the community, design work, installation, travel and lodging, and meals. Depending on the site, the artist may also be compensated to rent the necessary equipment to execute the mural. Questions: contact Julia Moore, at jmoore@indyarts.org or (317) 631-3301. Apply by December 31, 2023.
The Oregon Arts Commission in partnership with The Ford Family Foundation, is putting together a registry of Oregon artists. We invite artists from across the state to sign up for the list by filling out a brief survey about themselves and their artistic practice. We encourage any and all artists living in Oregon to register! Deadline not specified.
The City of Wichita- Government Division of Arts and Cultural Services is launching a Public Artist Registry web page to serve as a resource to aid architects and developers in connecting with art consultants and artists when working on City projects. This database of qualified artists is intended to streamline the process of selecting artists and art consultants for cultural and public art projects. Local, regional, state and national artists who have experience working on large scale public projects are encouraged to apply for inclusion. No listed deadline.
The Celebrity Series Boston Public Performing Art Project with a budget of $130,000 has moved to a rolling deadline due to the COVID-19 crisis. If artists were not able to meet the original March 13th deadline but remain interested there is now time to submit an application. Celebrity Series of Boston’s Public Performance Projects Initiative was established in 2013 as part of the organization’s 75th anniversary celebration. From its inception, the goal of each public art project has been to broaden awareness of the organization’s activities by taking the artistic experience outside of the traditional concert venues to public spaces throughout Boston. The initiative conceives of the entire city as a canvas for participatory arts activities to promote the Celebrity Series’ mission and brand. Projects traditionally celebrate the joy of live performance and take place outside, at the end of September, are temporary and free. The public’s participation is an important component of each project. Rolling applications.
FELLOWSHIPS, RESIDENCIES, SCHOLARSHIPS, & OTHER AWARDS
Design Trust, in partnership with SITU, will award two paid fellowships for Turnout NYC in Communications and Storytelling & Evaluation and Assessment. Arts organizations and artists in underinvested neighborhoods are critical anchors in the city’s recovery and long-term health. Turnout NYC will co-design five outdoor performance venues—one in each borough—in historically disenfranchised communities to create new cultural venues and support equitable access to the arts. Applications accepted on a rolling basis until January 28, 2022.
UrbanGlass (Brooklyn, NY) offers 4 deadlines a year for general scholarship applications for our workshops. These four deadlines are at the start of each semester, when there is most funding available for financial aid and students have the best chance of admission into their preferred workshop. To apply for a scholarship, please fill out the Scholarship Application Form found on our website. No glass experience is required to apply for a scholarship. The opportunity is open to all visual artists. Rolling throughout the year; the extent of assistance is dependent on available funding and will vary.
National Parks Arts Foundation offers a variety of residencies. We recommend checking regularly.
EMPLOYMENT & PAID INTERNSHIPS
Meow Wolf hires for a variety of jobs, in Santa Fe, NM, and Las Vegas, NV. Meow Wolf is an arts collective and production company that creates and operates immersive, interactive multimedia experiences that transport audiences of all ages into fantastical realms of storytelling. We recommend checking regularly.
VOLUNTEER, INTERN, APPRENTICESHIPS, & BOARD OPENINGS
Check back soon.
CONFERENCES, SUMMITS, WORKSHOPS, & EVENTS
Check back soon.
PROGRAMS, GRANTS, & AVAILABLE FUNDING
Gottlieb Emergency Grant Program. This emergency grant provides financial assistance to painters, printmakers, and sculptors whose needs are the result of an unforeseen incident, and who lack the resources to meet that situation. Each grant is given as one-time assistance for a specific emergency, examples of which are fire, flood, or emergency medical need. No close date.
The Foundation for Contemporary Arts offers Emergency Grants between $200 and $2,500 for visual and performing artists. Applications reviewed monthly, so artists can quickly take advantage of momentum or solve budget errors. Rolling acceptance.
The Maryland State Arts Council Creativity Grant Program strengthens the vitality and sustainability of artists and small organizations, in order to maintain a strong arts infrastructure in the state. The Creativity Grant also provides opportunities to serve the growing needs of relevant arts projects and collaborations within Maryland communities. Close dates for the Creativity Grant Program are rolling. Funded activities must occur within the grant period. Applications must be submitted at least 90 days before the funded activities occur. Applications will be reviewed monthly, and Creativity Grants will be awarded throughout the fiscal year until allocated funding is depleted.
The Maryland Touring Grant assists eligible nonprofit organizations by subsidizing the presentation of any performer on the Maryland Performing Artist Touring Roster. Rolling acceptance.
United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant. Public bodies, Non-profit organizations, and Federally Recognized Tribes may apply.
International
RFQs, COMMISSIONS, & CALLS for ART
CODAmagazine Call for entries.
Short Édition seeks short stories and poems to delight, inspire, surprise, and, most importantly, move our readers. Starting July 1, 2019, the editorial team at Short Édition will be publishing a monthly selection of original and unpublished short fiction in both the Short Story Dispensers and on our website. Button fiction — very short fiction published at the push of a button — is found in unexpected places, whether it’s when you’re savoring the last sips at the local coffee shop, waiting in line at the DMV, or strolling through the airport. We want to insert a bit of storytelling into the mundane moments, elevating the role of story in the everyday. We pay $125 stipend for each selected short story and $75 for each poem as an advance payment on the royalties that each author will receive on a yearly basis from the Short Story Dispenser subscriptions. Each selected piece will be published as a part of a Rendez-vous collection in our Short Story Dispensers around the world and on our website, short-edition.com/en. Response rate could be anywhere from a few days up to four months, depending on the number of submissions received. Submissions accepted on a rolling basis.
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