City of Chicago: Albany Park Branch Library Public Art Commission

The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), working with the Chicago Public Library, invites professional artists working in video to submit their interest and qualifications for a public art commission at Albany Park Branch Library. Four artists/teams will be commissioned at $4,500 each to create original video artworks for the City of Chicago's Public Art Collection.

This opportunity is open internationally to professional artists working in video. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and may not be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program. Of the four videos commissioned, at least two will be awarded to Chicago-based artists. The Albany Park Branch Library is located at 3401 W. Foster Avenue in Chicago's 39th Ward. The site's lobby features a four-panel Planar Clarity Matrix LCD Video Wall System with sightlines throughout the branch. The commissioned videos are intended to enhance a sense of place by meaningfully intersecting the culture of the neighborhood. Values that stakeholders have expressed as vitally important to the Albany Park community include diversity, immigration, creativity, lifelong learning, and the natural environment. Given that the branch is a family-friendly site welcoming intergenerational visitors, content should be suitable for all ages.

The commissions need to be silent, single-channel files that do not require any special software or hardware to screen optimally. There are no minimum or maximum length requirements for the commissioned videos. The four commissioned videos will run continuously on a loop with brief slides inserted between each to indicate the artist/s and running time. The video program will be accessible to the public for 8 hours each day the branch is open. The commissions will be contracted as unique, non-editioned, one-of-a-kind artworks for Chicago's Public Art Collection. However, artists may develop still iterations of the video as a saleable counterpart. Artists may also retain an artist's copy of the commissioned video for screenings at festivals or fairs, but the video may not be posted online. Applicants must submit a statement of intent (no more than 300 words), a resume (no more than 3 pages), an annotated media list, at least one video and no more than three videos edited to not exceed one minute each, and optionally up to three video stills and one URL. The application deadline is 10:59 p.m. CST, Sunday March 12, 2017. Semifinalists will be contacted in April, and proposals will be due in July. Four finalists will be recommended for commission, with at least two commissions awarded to Chicago-based artists. Commissioned videos are expected to be complete within a year of contracts being issued.