Experiments in Public Art: Prioritizing Conversations

The City of Boulder is issuing a call for artists to design and implement a socially engaged project as part of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan. A socially engaged art project includes members of the community in its creation through engagement, participation, or collaboration with the aim of social discourse or civic activation, focused more on people rather than the creation of an object.

The project has two main components: online and in-person. The online portion creates an opportunity for community members to contribute to the artwork both before and after in-person events. The in-person component will engage approximately 300 community members at a minimum of three events hosted by the city from June through September 2025 in Boulder. The artist will work in tandem with the city and a consultant group at their events, developing a plan to engage community members and infuse the process with creative perspective and opportunities for expression beyond conversation.

The goals are to use creativity to engage the public in assessing priorities, provide opportunities for audiences historically excluded from planning conversations to participate in new ways, and interpret and translate different perspectives shared during conversations. Media and descriptive text about the community prioritization conversations created by the artist will be posted on the city's website and shared in presentations to city and county leadership. Project outcomes should be appropriate for and accessible to people of all ages, cultural backgrounds, religious and political affiliations, and educational levels.

Eligibility is regional (Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma), although priority will be given to artists with connections to Boulder. Artists working in a wide variety of media are encouraged to apply, including poetry/spoken word, live painting, choreography/dance, film, oral history, cultural instigation/interruption, and education. Representatives from BIPOC, LGBTQAI+, multi-generational partnerships, multi-lingual, and other historically marginalized communities are highly sought after. Budget: $20,000. Project timeline: June-December 2025. Applicants must submit a two-page letter of interest addressing connections to Boulder, artistic and socially-engaged experience, creative and methodological approach, and clarity of intended artistic output. Four images or videos of previously completed projects and a one to two-page résumé are also required.