Request for Proposals

The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County is seeking temporary & permanent installations/works for its annual ArtScape 9 Public Art installation. With the Arts Council celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024 and the United States also celebrating 250 years in 2026, ArtScape 9 aims to foster community participation, showcase diverse artistic voices, and commemorate the intersections of history and the arts. 
The Arts Council welcomes submissions of 3-D outdoor sculptures/works/installations to be leased for one year around the themes of Immigration, Women/Families/Children, Protest/Counter-Protest, Latinx Experience, Black Experience, American Indian Experience/Rights, LGBTQ+ Experience/Rights, Disability Experience, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Movement, and Voting Rights. We particularly encourage submissions from North Carolina artists. 

Evaluation

ArtScape 9 will be juried by artwork, as such Artists are required to submit a separate application for each artwork to be considered for the show, and may submit up to a maximum of 4 different applications. Submissions are evaluated by a panel composed of Arts Council Board of Trustees members, staff, and additional community members who represent the diversity of Cumberland County and who have professional experience in arts, culture, marketing/cultural tourism, and public art. Panelists will evaluate submissions based on artistic excellence, safety and durability, alignment with theme, and compatibility with available sites. 

All panel member’s scores are averaged to produce an aggregate score. The scores will produce a ranking with the top twenty-five (25) recommended to the City’s Public Art Commission. Recommendations from the Public Art Commission will be provided to the City Manager for final approval.

Selected Artworks

Selected artists will be paid a one-year lease of up to $3,000. Each selected artist will be allotted a travel stipend of up to $500 total to cover both installation and deinstallation per sponsored artwork. Artists are responsible for installation and de-installation. 

Artists will provide purchase price with submission and acknowledge if the lease fee will be applied towards the purchase. Artists will receive a payment of 70% on any individual sale. All sold works must remain on display for the duration of the lease period. The Arts Council carries liability and damage insurance for the course of the exhibition. 

The Arts Council will publicize ArtScape 9 through its website, brochures, social media, and print advertising. The artist retains all copyrights to submitted images and represented artwork. Digital images submitted with the artist's entry are for showcase selection only and will be deleted after the selection process. Artists selected to showcase grant the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County rights to use the selected image(s) on printed materials and the gallery website for promotional purposes only. The Arts Council retains no copyrights to the artist’s work. There will be on-site recognition of the artist. Selected artists will be invited to an opening reception.

Timeline

• Applications Open in Café:  February 7, 2025
• Application Deadline: March 14, 2025.
• Artist Notification of Provisional Acceptance: April 1, 2025 (Pending approval of Public Art Commission 2nd week of April)
• Artist Notification of Final Acceptance/Sponsored Piece: May 15, 2025.
• Installation Period: Between July 7, 2025, and July 18, 2025.
• Removal Period: Between June 23, 2026, and June 30, 2026

Application Requirements

Each application request must include the artist’s contact information, artist biography and 3 highquality images showing various angles of one existing piece, a short statement regarding the work and a description of its installation/removal requirements and provisions for stability to include size of concrete pad/hard surface, if required for safe installation as well as a lease price of the exhibition period and sales price.  If an artist would like to submit more than one artwork they must submit an additional application for each artwork, up to a maximum of 4.

Questions should be addressed to Sarah Busman at SarahB@theartscouncil.com.

Eligibility Criteria

Selection criteria shall include, but not limited to: Artistic excellence, safety, suitability for public display, compatibility with site(s) available, durability and maintenance. The selection committee will make recommendations to the City’s Public Art Commission who will forward all final recommendations to the City Manager for final decisions.