Downtown Arts seeks to provide support for and generate awareness of members of Greensboro’s visual arts community while enhancing the downtown built environment with original works of art. Selected artists will receive compensation and the support of several City of Greensboro led marketing initiatives. 

Applicants to this Call for Artists will be considered for one or both of the following opportunities. Both opportunities are available for Greensboro-based artists working in painting, sculpture, drawing, ceramics, glass, photography, digital arts, or fiber arts.

• Art on Downtown Kiosks: a $500 honorarium will be awarded to up to ten artists whose submitted work is selected for digital display on City maintained property, including on the 12 digital kiosks located throughout downtown, during calendar year 2022. It is expected that artists will submit images of work previously created. One work sample image from each selected artist will be chosen for the program. Selected work will be displayed in squared dimensions (minimum 980  x 980 pixels and minimum 72 dpi). Each selected artist/image will be displayed in a rotating slideshow on the downtown kiosks for a period of at least 10 weeks. Additional display opportunities may be identified. Work will be displayed through early 2023.
• Art in City Hall: a $3,000 commission will be awarded to one artist who will create an original work with dimensions of 36” x 24” (or 36” x 24” x 24” if 3-dimensional) that reflects their creative perspective on Greensboro in 2021. The original work will be placed in the City’s permanent collection and displayed periodically in public facilities. City staff will work with the artist to have the commissioned work photographed (if the original medium is not a digital format), enlarged and printed on vinyl, and installed on the council chamber wall, just inside the Plaza Entrance to the Melvin Municipal Office Building (MMOB). Work will be displayed through early 2023.

Application Requirements

Each submitting artist must provide:

• A resume: demonstrating commissions, exhibitions, awards, and/or other professional qualifications related to your creative practice in the Greensboro area and beyond.
• A headshot: a photo of yourself that can be used in promotional efforts if you are selected.
• An artist statement: no more than 2,000 characters (including spaces), describing what you make and why you make it.
• At least 5 and up to 10 images of work made within the past 5 years: All work samples must be the original work of the applicant, submitted as high-resolution image files. Note that the expectation is that these submissions are from a body of work already created by the submitting artist – as opposed to work that has been specifically made for this call. Work for the ‘Art on Downtown Kiosks’ program will be selected from the submitted work samples. Artists are encouraged to submit high quality, well-lit images that feature only the artwork. Work samples should not include logos, commercial speech or advertising, religious or political messages, explicit sexual imagery, nudity, or graphic depictions of violence. Work selected for the ‘Art on Downtown Kisoks’ program will be displayed in squared dimensions (minimum 980 x 980 pixels and minimum 72 dpi). Artists may choose to submit their work with these requirements in mind or be prepared to work with City staff to crop/format selected work.
• (Optional) If you are interested in being considered for the ‘Art in City Hall’ original commission, you must also include a statement of no more than 2,000 characters (including spaces) that describes the ideas/concepts you would like to explore in the commissioned work as you reflect on Greensboro in 2021. The commissioned artist will be expected to develop their concept and design through a design review process facilitated by Creative Greensboro. Feedback from the selection committee should be taken into consideration when developing the final design of the artwork.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility: Applicants must be a creative individual with a practice in painting, sculpture, drawing, ceramics, glass, photography, digital arts, or fiber arts and must be full-time residents of Greensboro at least 18 years of age.