Colorado is a vibrant state filled with interesting and inspiring landscapes, architecture, people, and culture. Each resident has a different perspective of what visually defines Colorado. Denver International Airport (DEN) is searching for photographers to share their vision of Colorado’s past, a captured moment that embodies the present, or their foresight of Colorado’s future. The exhibition will display select photographs from 30-35 different artists.

Criterion: My Colorado is open to all forms of photographic image-making in color or black/white and in any process or technology, current or historical. Images submitted should be representational, however, image manipulation will be considered. All work must be your original creation.

Eligibility: Photographers of all levels who are Colorado residents are invited to enter. City & County of Denver and airport employees are welcome to apply as long as their employment is in good standing. Non-Colorado residents who apply to this call will be disqualified.

Exhibit Location Display Information:
My Colorado will be a two-part exhibit with an overall duration of approximately two years. The first and primary location will be on Concourse A, just beyond the bridge security checkpoint, from October 2019 through March 2020. Thereafter, the exhibit will be relocated to different locations on Concourses A and B through early 2021. My Colorado will be experienced by approximately 180,000 travelers daily. Photographs will be displayed on standard walls and hung with an Arakawa hanging system.

Printing:
The airport will be responsible for the printing of all photographs in the exhibit. DEN has partnered with Reed Art & Imaging to assure consistency with size and print quality. All photos will be printed with a Lightjet large format digital photo printer at 27”x40”. Fuji Crystal Archive professional digital chromogenic papers will be used, and photos will be gallery mounted.

File Size and Format
Lower resolution files are fine for submission purposes but photographs that are juried into the exhibit will have these file size requirements:

• RGB color-space
• Non-compressed, flattened tiffs or maximum quality jpeg – no layered files
• Minimum resolution of 150 ppi at 27” X 40”, however, 300ppi is recommended.  

Artist Recognition and Honors:
All selected artists whose work is included in the exhibition will be acknowledged with a 3”x5” wall placard that includes name, image title, year and web address. Additionally, selected artists will receive a printed photograph of their work -- they can choose an 8x10, 11x14 or 16x20, to be shipped, courtes of DEN. Four Honorable Mentions will be awarded to four individual artists whose work will be featured on the exhibit poster and postcard.

DEN Standard Policies:

1.    SUITABLE THEMES: The subject matter of the exhibitions and displays must be appropriate for viewing in an airport venue. In keeping with the airport’s mission statement, DEN does not accept for display:

2.    EXHIBITION PROGRAM STANDARDS: At the discretion of DEN ARTS Program staff, we will accept for exhibition objects and display materials that meet the criteria, below. To be considered for display at DEN the exhibition must:

A. Present an informative or enlightening subject of cultural interest, related to Colorado, that will be a captivating occasion for our passengers and visitors
B. Contribute to a sense of place, unique to the experience at DEN
C. Adhere to the highest standards of craftsmanship, authenticity, presentation, scholarly interpretation, and design
D. Be in support of airport goals, and
E. Not utilize calls-to-action or other marketing messages, and limit institutional branding and logos of any kind to no more than 5 percent of the display area

3.    ADVERTISING PROGRAM DEFINITION: As it pertains to the DEN ARTS Program, any proposal for exhibition or promotional display that falls under the following criteria will be considered advertising and will not be accepted by the DEN ARTS Program office. Advertising is described as material that contains:

A. Messaging in direct promotion of a for-profit company or corporation
B. Material that is identical or similar to that used elsewhere in direct advertising, and
C. Material that violates any of the above standards for exhibitions or promotional displays

4.    CURATIORIAL DISCRETION: DEN reserves the right to refuse to exhibit or to remove from exhibition any work or group of works that DEN ARTS Program staff deem unacceptable for any reason and at any time. Cause for removal may include (but is not limited to):

A. Poor craftsmanship
B. Improper digital file size for reproduction
C. Significant departure from proposal or design
D. Factual error
E. Safety and operational concerns
F. Conflict with, or violation of, any contracts between DEN and its vendors, suppliers, concessions and airline partners, or
G. Violation of any Department of Aviation policy or City and County of Denver policy

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria