Year of Chicago Theatre Cultural Asset Mapping

The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCASE), in partnership with the League of Chicago Theatres, has designated 2019 as the Year of Chicago Theatre (YOCT). DCASE will identify up to 4 artists, artist teams, and/or non-profit organizations to lead cultural asset mapping projects on the south and west sides of Chicago. Selected artists will explore theatre assets including programs, spaces, people, and histories that support and inform theatre development in these neighborhoods.

Selected artists will be asked to meet with project stakeholders to review existing data, develop a public engagement program that creates a network to identify cultural assets, and interpret the data into a creative form (cultural asset map) accessible to the public as a platform, resource guide, and storyteller. Public engagement strategies may include workshops, listening sessions, parties, happenings, or other artist-led activations. Selected artists will work together to combine their final projects into a culminating project providing a comprehensive overview and celebration of theatre resources and assets on the south and west sides.

This opportunity is open to individual artists, artist teams, and non-profit arts organizations with expertise in working with diverse audiences and constituencies, advanced knowledge of Chicago theatre, experience interpreting cultural research and data as part of artistic practice, experience with urban and cultural planning or social practice, and ability to translate complex ideas into compelling artwork. Budgets will range from $20,000 to $50,000, inclusive of artist fees, public engagement program expenses, and production of cultural asset maps and programs. Applications should include up to 10 images of past work, an annotated image list, up to 3 videos or audio files (no more than 2 minutes each), a 2-page resume or CV, and a 250-word letter of interest indicating which type of asset (programs, spaces and places, people, or histories) the applicant would be interested in investigating and why.