AIPP Mission Statement

The Art in Public Places (AIPP) program enriches New Mexico’s public spaces through an innovative and diverse public art collection. Since its inception in 1986, the program has placed more than 3,000 works of art in all of New Mexico’s 33 counties.  Our goal is to reflect the diversity of the arts in New Mexico, the Southwest, and the nation while building a dynamic public art collection for the State of New Mexico.

Project Intent

The Art in Public Places Program of New Mexico Arts and the NM Department of Cultural Affairs (NMDCA) seek 5-26 artists to create coloring page illustrations for a multi-cultural, multi-lingual New Mexico themed alphabet book.  A goal of this project is to encourage early childhood literacy through art creation and reading comprehension. We seek to create a coloring book based on the English alphabet that targets children in the 2-5 age range. Each illustration will represent a letter of the alphabet with an accompanying short sentence. To support and encourage cultural diversity, artists are encouraged to embrace their own native languages and culture in determining which letters and words they would like to illustrate. Examples of what some of these words/sentences may appear as:

• D is for Dinosaurs – The Tyrannosaurus rex and other dinosaurs have been found in many parts of New Mexico.
• G is for Green Chile – The smell of Green Chile roasting makes me hungry.
• T is for Turquoise – The turquoise ring matched Tomas’ bolo tie.
• A is for Acequia – The acequia brought much needed water to the farmer’s field.
• Q is for Querencia – Para Elena querencia son la familia y la comida.
• S is for Sopapillas – Me gusta hacer sopapillas con mi abuela.
• Z is for Zozobra – Zach travelled from Zuni to Santa Fe to watch the burning of the Zozobra.

Coloring book illustrations must be black and white and 8.5” x 11” in size, preferably in portrait orientation. Corresponding letter must be incorporated into each illustration. Book text/Sentences will be added to each page during final book assembly and design phase. Artists will work with project committee to select and finalize letters/words/sentences. All 26 letters of the English alphabet will be represented in order.

Once finalized and assembled, books will be printed and distributed across New Mexico through local libraries and partners. Rural communities will be a priority for distribution.  

Eligibility

This request for qualifications is open to all artists working in New Mexico. Artists submitting qualifications should demonstrate an ability to create similar work commensurate with the scope of this project. AIPP regulations state that 1% funds may not be spent for artwork created for an institution or agency by an employee of the institution or agency. Qualifications submitted by and on behalf of current employees or family of current employees of NM Department of Cultural Affairs will not be considered. Applicants may be required to provide verifiable proof of current employment at the discretion of AIPP Program staff. Past employees are eligible to submit qualifications but may not become employed by NMDCA for the duration of the project.

Project Amount

Artists will be paid $1,000 per completed illustration. This amount includes all fees and expenses associated with the project, e.g., materials, equipment, labor, taxes, and travel.

Selection Process and Criteria

The Project Committee is made up of representatives from NM Department of Cultural Affairs. Under the guidance of an AIPP Project Coordinator, the Project Committee is responsible for prospectus development, submission review, finalist selection and ultimately selecting the 5-26 artists to be awarded.

The selection criteria shall include, but is not limited to:

• The qualifications of the artist(s) as evidenced by the supporting materials.
• Proven ability to undertake projects of the described scope.
• Artistic merit and superior caliber craftsmanship as evidenced by the images.
• Suitability of submission to project intent and scope.

Artists selected for this project will be required to enter into an artist agreement with the State of New Mexico.

Submission Requirements

Please read the following information carefully as incomplete or late submissions will not be accepted. Failure to provide any of the published requirements could result in disqualification from the competition. Duplicate submissions will not be accepted. All materials must be submitted via CaFÉ (callforentry.org) according to the specifications outlined below:

• Artist Statement/Letter of Interest no longer than 5,000 characters (including spaces). Please explain what excites you about the opportunity and how you may approach the project if selected. Describe your work, medium, techniques, cultural background and/or experience that influences your art.
• Helpful Links. Please provide any website or social media links that will help us learn more about you as an artist and your artistic practice. An extended biography can also go here (up to 5,000 characters, including spaces).
• Up to ten images of previously completed artwork. When possible, please submit images of artwork similar to the scope of this project (coloring book illustrations). Complete image citations will be required; including artwork title, medium, height, width and depth, price or value, year of completion, and project description. Please review and adhere to the Image and Media Preparation page on CaFÉ when formatting your images. Tutorials can be downloaded using the links near the bottom of the page. By default, CaFÉ will organize the images in your submission alphabetically. If you wish to present the images to the committee in a different order you must prioritize the images before submitting an application.

Project Timeline (subject to change):

January 2022 – Project Announced

March 2022 – Application Deadline

March 2022 - Jurying of Applications by Project Committee

April 2022 – Notification of Selected Artists

April – June 2022 – Artwork Creation & Book Assembly

July – August 2022 – Book Printing & Distribution

Questions/Follow Up

Questions regarding the project should be directed to Meredith Doborski, Public Art Program Director, at 505-396-0326, email: Meredith.doborski@state.nm.us

If you would like to have your submission materials reviewed by an AIPP staff person, please make an appointment no less than two weeks prior to the submission deadline. Technical assistance calls increase dramatically during the final two weeks of the open submission period; therefore, we cannot guarantee review during the final two weeks of the competition. Submission materials will not be reviewed on the day of the deadline.

Deadline for Submission: Midnight (MDT), Friday, March 18, 2022

Application Requirements

Submission Requirements

Please read the following information carefully as incomplete or late submissions will not be accepted. Failure to provide any of the published requirements could result in disqualification from the competition. Duplicate submissions will not be accepted. All materials must be submitted via CaFÉ (callforentry.org) according to the specifications outlined below:

• Artist Statement/Letter of Interest no longer than 5,000 characters (including spaces). Please explain what excites you about the opportunity and how you may approach the project if selected. Describe your work, medium, techniques, cultural background and/or experience that influences your art.
• Helpful Links. Please provide any website or social media links that will help us learn more about you as an artist and your artistic practice. An extended biography can also go here (up to 5,000 characters, including spaces).
• Up to ten images of previously completed artwork. Complete image citations will be required; including artwork title, medium, height, width and depth, price or value, year of completion, and project description. Please review and adhere to the Image and Media Preparation page on CaFÉ when formatting your images. Tutorials can be downloaded using the links near the bottom of the page. By default, CaFÉ will organize the images in your submission alphabetically. If you wish to present the images to the committee in a different order you must prioritize the images before submitting an application.

Eligibility Criteria

This request for qualifications is open to all artists working in New Mexico. Artists submitting qualifications should demonstrate an ability to create similar work commensurate with the scope of this project. AIPP regulations state that 1% funds may not be spent for artwork created for an institution or agency by an employee of the institution or agency. Qualifications submitted by and on behalf of current employees or family of current employees of NM Department of Cultural Affairs will not be considered. Applicants may be required to provide verifiable proof of current employment at the discretion of AIPP Program staff. Past employees are eligible to submit qualifications but may not become employed by NMDCA for the duration of the project.