City of Chicago Artist Prequalification for Public Art Opportunities

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is creating a pool of prequalified artists eligible for public art opportunities in Chicago. This call is open to professional artists, artist teams, and nonprofit arts organizations resident or incorporated in Chicago. DCASE and representatives from Chicago's cultural community will review applications and create a prequalified pool from which artists may be selected for public art opportunities from 2018 until 2020. Artists prequalified through the 2017 Year of Public Art initiative do not need to apply and are automatically prequalified until 2020.

Eligibility requirements include: individual artists, artist teams, and nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organizations with demonstrated public art experience; U.S. citizenship or permanent legal residency; minimum age of 18; professional artist status with at least two years of professional practice, specialized training, and demonstrated success in creating high-quality work suited for public spaces; Chicago residency (proof required via Driver's License or State of Illinois ID); and for organizations, incorporation in Illinois for at least 12 months prior to application with a primary mission to create, produce, present, provide, or support public art in Chicago.

Applications will be reviewed on artistic merit and professional qualifications, experience working with communities and diverse stakeholder groups, ability to develop meaningful and impactful artwork, demonstrated public art experience, and demonstrated ability to develop and adhere to project budgets and timelines. Applicants must submit six images of past work, an optional video (no more than two minutes), an annotated image list with titles, media, year completed, dimensions, location, and price information, a two-page resume or curriculum vitae (for individual artists), and a 250-word letter of interest. Arts organizations must also submit a programmatic activities list. Application deadline is July 31, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. CST via CaFÉ. A technical support session will be held July 17, 2018 from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM at the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park Room, 78 E. Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602.