Zip US Up! Collaborative Art Project - Public Exhibition and Sale

Zip US Up! is a collaborative art project selecting 40 artists from around the country to create individual canvas panels that will be zipped together to form a 175-foot mural. The mural will be exhibited in the windows of the Youth Wing of the Baldwin Public Library in Birmingham, Michigan, a prominent location overlooking Shain Park in downtown Birmingham, from October 2021 through May 2022. The project affirms that when artists collaborate, they can create something more meaningful than individually.

Selected artists will receive a primed canvas panel (18" H x approximately 56" L) and are required to collaborate with adjacent artists to create a cohesive piece that represents their own artistic style while using predetermined connecting points. Collaboration is virtual, with each artist working from their current location. Artists must share contact information with adjacent artists to coordinate the connection between panels. Acrylic paint is recommended; oil paint and high impasto are not allowed due to shipping requirements. The zipper teeth and path must remain uncovered and functional.

Eligibility is open nationally to anyone over 18. The entry fee is $35 (nonrefundable). Applicants must submit 3-5 JPEG photos of current or past work, may include a website link, and must submit an artist statement of up to 500 words explaining why the project is meaningful to them. Selected artists will attend virtual kickoff and midpoint check-in meetings. Each participating artist receives a Zip US Up! T-shirt, silver pin, premium coffee beans, and tea. The Collaborative 1st Prize is $2,100 (or higher based on additional fundraising) equally divided among the 3 artists with the best collaboration. SEE sunglasses will be raffled to one selected artist. Art will be listed for sale on the Townsend Street Gallery website, with artists receiving 70% of their specified sale price and the gallery retaining 30% as commission. Shipping costs to and from the Project Team are the artist's responsibility. Offensive, vulgar, or nude artwork is unwelcome.