City of Durham Pre-Qualified Artist Registry 2023

The City of Durham's Cultural and Public Art Program commissions a variety of public artworks in collaboration with City departments and other organizations engaged in capital development projects across Durham, North Carolina. Public art is defined as original visual art including sculptures, murals, photographic renderings, mosaics, and electronic art installations. Project locations may include the City's parks, sidewalks, interior and exterior walls, vehicles, bus stops, and spaces visible from public streets and pedestrian walkways. Public art is traditionally free of admission fees and administered through a public process that provides opportunities for community input.

The City of Durham's Pre-Qualified Artist Registry will be used to select artists when a project's requirements render it suitable. Selection will be based on the appropriateness of the artist's medium and experience relevant to specific project requirements. The City continuously seeks greater diversity and urges artists and artist teams of all backgrounds and any medium to become part of the pre-qualified registry. In 2011, the Durham City Council passed an ordinance designating up to one percent of all capital improvement project budgets for the creation of public art.

Application materials must be submitted via the submission portal at https://callforentry.com and include: an artist statement describing experience, discipline(s), and qualifications; at least five high-resolution images from at least three different projects, each with accompanying title, location, cost, materials/medium, and timeline; resume(s) including public or private commissioning experience and community engagement experience; and at least three current references or recommendation letters with contact information. Artist teams should explain their collective interest and qualifications, include examples from each team member, and may submit three references collectively. Videos may be submitted as hyperlinks within the PDF and will count as one of the five images. Candidates are eligible regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender identification, military status, sexual orientation, marital status, or physical ability. City staff will review applications for completeness, and an Artist Selection Committee will evaluate portfolios for inclusion in the registry. Submittal deadline and selected artist notification are rolling.