Downtown Minneapolis Street Art Festival

The Mpls Downtown Improvement District and Hennepin Theatre Trust invite chalk artists and spray paint artists to apply for the Downtown Minneapolis Street Art Festival, taking place August 13-15, 2020. As many as 15 chalk artists and 4 spray paint artists will create artworks on site. The festival will be held on Nicollet Mall between 6th and 8th streets, with a preview and kick-off party on Thursday, August 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Hennepin Theatre Trust, and main festival hours Friday-Saturday, August 14-15, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.

There is no fee to participate. Selected artists will receive a $400 stipend for their participation. Professional out-of-state artists will receive an additional $350 stipend to help cover travel costs, and the organizers are working to secure accommodations. The application process is open to both amateur and professional artists 18 years or older residing in the United States. Applicants must submit a portfolio of 3-5 jpegs, an artist photo, a brief 3-5 sentence biography, artist website (if available), and social media handles.

All artworks must be family-friendly and appropriate for public viewing with no advertisements, political or religious endorsements, sponsor logos, exploitive nudity, offensive images, slogans, or text-based content. Selection criteria include artistic merit and intent of work samples, originality of technique and/or conceptual content, feasibility of executing artwork in the festival environment and time frame, ability to deliver as demonstrated by past work and experience, and the artist's contribution to diversifying the field. Chalk artists will be provided 2 boxes of Koss "48" Soft Pastels and will have approximately 15 x 13 feet of horizontal sidewalk space. Spray paint artists will be provided a 12-can multicolor pack plus 1 can each of white and black IronLak Sugar spray paint and will have approximately 12 x 6 feet of vertical temporary wall space. Artists must be present during both Friday and Saturday festival hours and are encouraged to engage with the public.