The PASEO is a festival dedicated to bringing the art of installation, performance and projection to the streets of Taos, New Mexico. This two-day outdoor event, set in the high desert of Taos, New Mexico, is in its sixth year, and scheduled for Friday and Saturday, September 13rd and 14th, 2019.

Eligibility:
The PASEO is seeking installations, projection, and/or performance art that can be installed/shown/projected/performed outdoors for this two-day outdoor art festival located in the Taos Downtown Historic District. Art must be designed for outdoor and nighttime viewing. Artists must be on site sunset - 11pm daily, September 13rd and 14th. Artwork must be able to withstand the outdoor environment of the high desert of Northern New Mexico. Overnight security is provided.

The PASEO 2019 theme is “Connections.” The PASEO is seeking work that celebrates, contemplates, or questions our interactions with each other, nature, or the world. The PASEO seeks works that are immersive, site-responsive, participatory, and/or will make a dynamic impact within the Taos Historic District.

Submissions must be of fully executed projects. No concept proposals. All work must be original and created by or under direction of the artist(s). Collaborations are welcome. Artwork must match type & quality submitted for jurying.

The PASEO is able to provide stipends, but artist is responsible for providing equipment and installation of their work. The festival will provide staff and volunteers to assist artists.

About:
The PASEO started in 2014 as an outdoor arts festival connecting the 40th annual Taos Fall Arts Festival in the Downtown Historic District of Taos, New Mexico. In its sixth year, The PASEO has become the anticipated art event of the year, bringing out thousands of locals and visitors alike to fill the streets. Taos is a centuries old Art Colony and home to Taos Pueblo, UNESCO protected and the oldest continually inhabited community in North America. Home to artist for centuries, The PASEO holds to the tradition of bringing artists from around the world to both inspire and be inspired.  

What we are looking for:
The PASEO is an outdoor art festival. Installations must be able to be installed or performed outside. The PASEO encourages work that is immersive, participatory, and/or context responsive. ​The PASEO encourages work that engages with people, or with the unique architecture of this historic town. Pieces must be able to be viewed outside. Sound, light, and other forms of art are encouraged. The PASEO welcomes work that can't be 'hung on a wall'. Please check out our website for examples of past work.

NOTE: The PASEO hosts Performance Art (not performing arts). SPECIFICALLY: "Performance Art may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned .... The performance can be live or via media. It can be any situation that involves four basic elements: time, space, the performer's body, or presence in a medium, and a relationship between performer and audience."
Live bands or musical performances, for example, are not hired for PASEO.

 PASEO Education Program
The PASEO engages the entire community through educational programs that happen before and during the annual event. Artists are invited to submit proposals for pre-teen, teen, and adult workshops. Proposals for lectures and educational forums are also welcome. Selected artists will be contact prior to the event to explore this year’s options. 

STEMarts LAB @ The PASEO: As part of the application process artists are invited to submit proposals for STEMarts LAB @ The PASEO, an innovative educational program that allows schools, youth and their families to become part of the STEM-art making process at The PASEO. The artists are asked to share their process of art making with the students who then perform/install at the event.

STEMarts LAB seeks artists that are engaged in creative hybridization of cutting-edge technologies, art and science. If selected, artists are partnered with schools in Taos, encouraging art and science teachers to collaborate to enhance the STEAM (Science, technology, engineering, math + arts) component. Students work with their artist(s) up to one week prior (or in the summer) in an experimental LAB setting which includes sharing their work live at The PASEO event along with their host(s) This real-world collaboration exposes students to critical thinking, creativity and innovation, while building valuable 21st century skills.

This program engages middle and secondary educational institutions in the art-making process. Additional stipends are available for eligible artists.

Media Exposure
The PASEO is an award-winning festival and attracts audiences from all over the Western US and beyond. We heavily promote and market our artists by coordinating: radio interviews, artists videos, museum talks, online and social media promotion, newsletter, and regional and national ad campaigns. PASEO 2018 advertised in Hyperallergic and Colossal. Participating artists are featured in the Festival Guide and website.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria