BACKGROUND:

On a trip together in 2019, Piechocki and Wasserman agreed the ideal way to discover the nuances and histories of a place is through the interpretations of artist cartographers from multiple disciplines. In 2020, they launched Compass Roses in Pittsburgh, PA. The organizers are now expanding the project to new communities. Together the maps created by selected artists offer a journey of local discovery that will become part of a larger national and international public art project.

PROJECT INTENT:

Instead of offering moments of discovery by getting lost, this project offers a way for visitors and residents alike to see the city anew through the eyes of its creatives – visual artists, writers, poets, dancers, actors and musicians. What better way to reveal the hidden places of a city and region, or even the places we thought we knew well, interpreted anew?

Artists are invited to consider and interpret the idea of a map and place in any way they wish. The content of each map is therefore unique and might contain readily recognizable places or imaginary ones or those that have been forgotten or are unfamiliar. This project invites a journey of discovery in which people can traverse, wander, wonder, reflect and share, using an artist’s map as a guide. 

Compass Roses: Albuquerque will include a total of thirty artists. Fifteen will be selected through an open call process by a selection panel. Those fifteen artists will each be asked to invite an additional visual, literary, or performing artist to participate. All thirty artists will be compensated equally for their map contribution. 

The maps are available for free on the project website and in community presentations and exhibitions. The artists’ maps will reveal singular and unique perspectives and interpretations, not just of particular places but of their own minds, moods, and movements. Participants are invited to interpret the map as they would a poem, a musical score or a screenplay, by following, meandering, roaming, and discovering for themselves.

PUBLIC PRESENTATION:

This project invites a journey of discovery in which people can traverse, wander, wonder, reflect and share, using an artist’s map as a guide.  The maps will be free and available to the public on the project website and will be on display in a community exhibition at the South Broadway Cultural Center Gallery. Reproductions of the maps will also be available for visitors. 

The project organizers and the City of Albuquerque Cultural Services Department are collaborating to develop a variety of free public programs to accompany the exhibition. 

MAP REQUIREMENTS: 

• Artists will create a map (or list, journey, layer, or other method of exploring and experiencing Albuquerque and the region) by any means as long as it can be easily reproduced as an 8.5 x 11 inch photocopy. 

• While a map can be created in any digital or physical format, all of the maps will be presented as a PDF or JPG on the website. 

• Maps can be one or two-sided, black and white, or color.

• Artists are invited to consider and interpret the idea of a map and place in any way they wish. The content of each map will therefore be unique and might contain readily recognizable places, imaginary places, aspirational places or those that have been forgotten or are unfamiliar. The only requirement is that the map is grounded in Albuquerque and the region in some way. 

• The map can offer instructions on how to experience a place. 

• The analog presentation of the map is key to the project, however digital components can be added to the online version to augment the paper map with additional links.

• All maps will be added to the City of Albuquerque Public Art Collection.

• Artists who are selected agree that their maps can be freely distributed physically, digitally, or virtually by the City of Albuquerque and the project organizers. 

Artists do not need to develop a final concept for a map in order to apply for this opportunity.

PROJECT BUDGET:

Each artist will be paid $300.00.  

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

This opportunity is open to all visual, literary, and performing artists who live or work in the Greater Albuquerque area.  Artists must be at least 18 years of age to apply.

Proof of New Mexico tax identification may be required. 

SELECTION PROCESS:

A selection committee will review all applicants and choose 15 artists to participate in the project. The committee will jury and recommend selections to the Albuquerque Arts Board.  If they are approved, the 15 artists each will be asked to invite another artist to participate in the project. 

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Saturday, January 9th  9, 2021 at 11:59 PM MST.

Artists must submit the following items. 

• Resume or biographical statement (up to three pages)

• Links to artist website or other relevant website(s)

• Up to 5 work samples including any or all of the following formats:

  • JPG images
• • PDF Documents (up to ten pages)
  • A 150-word statement of intent or letter of interest describing a proposed map you would like to create, and / or your interest in participating in the project.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

INFORMATION SESSION:

An information session will be held via Zoom to discuss the project and review the application process on December 15, 2020 at 6pm MST.  To attend, RSVP via email compassroses.art@gmail.com.  RSVP must be received by 4pm MST. 

Artists do not need to attend the information session to apply.

PROJECT TIMELINE:

Project timeline subject to change without notice.

December 4, 2020                   Call for Artists Released

December 15, 2020                  Information Session

January 9, 2021 at 11:59pm     Application Deadline

January 30, 2021                      Finalists Notified

March, 2021                              Maps Due

April 2021                                  Exhibition at South Broadway Cultural                                                                Center

June 2021                                 Exhibition Complete and Maps                                                                           Submitted to City of Albuquerque                                                                        Art Collection

Questions:

If you have questions about the application process, please email: compassroses.art@gmail.com. 

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria