NJ Transit and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts are pleased to present the TRANSITional Art Project; Trenton Transit Station. This exciting project seeks to select five (5) visual artists who live or work in the Central New Jersey Counties of: Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, Union, and Hunterdon; who are current residents of the State of New Jersey. Preference will be given to artists with a connection to Trenton. Qualified artists are encouraged to submit their work for a temporary art project at the NJ Transit Trenton Transit Station to take place in Summer 2021 as part of the “Stepping into Tomorrow” public art event.  

Selected artists’ 2D artwork will be printed on vinyl banners for display on either the Rail Terminal or the Light Rail Station area. (Locations are shown on the site details link above.) Artists should submit examples of their work for consideration and are encouraged to be considerate of the ridership and public nature of temporary art in transit spaces. The NJ Transit TRANSITional Art Selection Committee (TASC) will review each application received and will select five artists. In addition to the display of their work, artists’ names and images of the project will be shared with the public through NJ Transit and the State Arts Council's social media and other communication platforms.  

Artist submissions should include images of their completed work. Work samples submitted will be the basis for the Selection Committee’s consideration to print one of the artists’ submissions for the project. NJ Transit will work with selected artists to obtain high quality digital files in the scale needed to print banners. The TRANSITional Art Project will provide a $1,000 stipend to each selected artist, which can be used toward project costs and artistic fees as needed. Each selected artist’s banner(s) will be temporarily installed in one of the spaces identified on the site plan. NJ Transit will manage the logistics of printing, using artist-supplied digital files, and installing the banners. Each selected artist’s banner(s) will be temporarily installed in one of the spaces identified on the site plan. 

Safety & Durability 

Artists must consider that the work will be displayed in a public location and subject to the elements and potential vandalism. Artists must work in a timely fashion with the NJ Transit team to ensure the work provided for printing is technically reproducible and appropriate for public display.  

Eligibility 

This project is open to artists/artist teams who are at least 18 years of age, and legally able to complete a contract with NJ Transit. Artists (individuals or all team members) must live or work in Central New Jersey (Counties of Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth Ocean, Somerset, Union, and Hunterdon); and must be current residents of the State of New Jersey. Preference will be given to artists with a strong connection to Trenton. Artist/Teams must be able to work effectively and collaboratively with the NJ Transit Arts Team to further develop their initial image(s) to a final reproducible design.  

Media 

All 2D media appropriate to the project will be considered. Artists must consider that the work will be situated in a public location, and subject to the elements and potential vandalism. The TASC seeks artwork that is appropriate for public display, and will not include images depicting violence, nudity or that are sexual in nature in the project.  

Budget 

The TRANSITional Art Project will provide a $1,000 stipend to each selected artist, which can be used toward project costs, travel, digital services/storage media and artistic fees as needed. Only one $1000 stipend per artist/artist team will be provided. NJ Transit will manage the logistics of printing and installing the banners.  

Selection Process 

The NJ Transit TRANSITional Art Selection Committee (TASC) includes members of the Trenton community, NJ Transit staff and a representative from the State Arts Council. The committee will review application materials and make final recommendations. The selection committee reserves the right to reject any or all entries at any time in the review and selection process.  

Selection Criteria: 

The goals of this program are to connect NJ Transit riders and the Trenton Transit Station community with new, stimulating art experiences in their daily lives and to provide New Jersey Artists both exhibition opportunities and a supportive experience creating public art in transit spaces.  

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:  

1. Artistic excellence of the work samples in provided images
2. ​Potential for positive experiences or interactions with the proposed work by NJ Transit riders and the local community (the intended audience of the work)  
3. Feasibility of duplicating the work as a banner, as proposed or with minor changes 

Timeline: 

Call Posted: March 1 

Deadline for artist submissions: March 24th 

Decisions will announced by the end of April 

Project installation is scheduled for Summer 2021 

Questions?  

Technical assistance using CAFÉ is available at:  https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/ 

Please direct any questions about the space, project or program to Christine Blanco, Manager of New Jersey Transit’s Transit Arts Programs at cblanco@njtransit.com or by phone 973-491-8243.  

Please direct any other questions regarding this opportunity to Danielle Bursk, Director of Artist Services, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, at Danielle.bursk@sos.nj.gov or 609-633-1184. 

Contract: 

Upon selection and final design approval, the artist must complete a contract with NJ Transit for stipend payment.  

Application Process 

All applications must be submitted through www.callforentry.org (CAFE), a free website for artists to use. Artists must register and set up an account in CAFE, and upload images of their work to their CAFE account in order to submit to this call. Submissions will not be accepted or reviewed through any other means.  

Application Materials to be Submitted in CAFE:  

1. A 1,000 character (approx. 250 word) artists statement. You should mention here any specific connection you have to Trenton, and provide any insight into your work- ideas, materials, methods or concepts- that you want the review committee to understand. 

2. A brief artists bio 

3. Four to eight (total) digital images of existing, completed 2D work.  

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria