Chicago Citywide Plan Artist-Led Public Engagement Program

The City of Chicago is seeking proposals from artists and artist teams to lead the public engagement component of the We Will Chicago Citywide Plan. The selected lead artist or artist team will work with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), Department of Planning and Development (DPD), and Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to develop and implement a Public Engagement Plan and Program designed to bring residents and stakeholders into the planning process.

The lead artist/artist team will have four primary functions: develop a Public Engagement Plan identifying methods for community engagement; develop and manage an iterative Public Engagement Program including engagement tools and public experiences; incorporate planning prompts and questions to obtain input; and develop methodologies to categorize and compile input, creating reports, artwork, and other expressions that summarize findings. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Public Engagement Plan should primarily operate online and through digital formats, though limited in-person activities may be possible as guidelines permit.

Eligibility requires applicants to be Chicago residents with a valid street address, not enrolled full-time in undergraduate studies, and practicing artists with at least two years of public presentation or publication history. Artist teams are eligible if the lead artist meets these criteria. Selection will be based on artistic merit and professional qualifications, creative and administrative skills, commitment to equity, knowledge of diverse Chicago artists, ability to translate complex concepts, advanced digital and web-based platform knowledge, and approaches for interpreting data. The budget for this phase is $200,000, which includes artist and design fees, translation, and other accessibility costs. The application deadline is August 30, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. CDT.