PRISM: Seeing Beyond Mass Incarceration (Call for Public Artists)

Description

Cleveland Public Library presents an open call request for qualifications from artists interested in creating artworks for PRISM, an interdisciplinary initiative platforming public art as advocacy to end mass incarceration.

This open call will result in the selection of four (4) artists who will design and install artwork at four (4) library campuses throughout Cleveland. Selected artists will be required to attend a retreat to learn more about PRISM, visit potential installation sites and engage with community members to support the conceptualization of site-specific artworks.

Eligibility
This call is open to all qualified artists or teams of artists, working across all mediums, aged 18 and older living in the United States.

Artist Profile
Artists who identify with one or more of the following statements are strongly encouraged to apply:
- You or someone close to you has been directly impacted by the
experience of incarceration.
- You believe in the need for and possibilities of ending mass
incarceration in ways that redefine systems of shared safety.
- Your artistic practice interrogates notions of justice, safety, and/or
the creation of new/alternative ways of being.
- Community engagement is (or will be) a core value in your artistic
practice.
- Care and consideration for the communities that are most impacted
by mass incarceration or that will most interact with your artwork is
vital to your practice. These communities may include, but are not
limited to: currently and formerly incarcerated individuals; Cleveland
residents; youth; Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities; people
with disabilities, LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities.
- You have a connection to Cleveland, the Midwest, or the Rust Belt
regions of the US (note that this is an encouragement but not a
requirement, applications from artists residing throughout the
U.S. will be considered for selection)

Deliverables
Conceptual development and fabrication of a site-specific artwork remarking on mass incarceration through the exploration of PRISM’s curatorial themes.

Thoughtful engagement with impacted communities should be a key
project component, but methods and timing for doing so are at the
artist’s discretion. The final deliverable should be a public artwork to be installed by early Fall 2025 at a neighborhood branch of CPL. Artists will be required to attend an artists’ retreat in Cleveland to support refinement of concepts and resonance with community.

Budget
Selected artists will have a $75,000 budget to deliver their project by the Fall 2025 deadline. This budget is inclusive of all expenses related to project implementation, including but not limited to design, artists’ fees, fabrication, materials, installation, insurance, engineering, travel, shipping, etc.

Timeline
Fall 2024: Request for Qualifications is Open
Winter/Spring 2025: Concept Development; Artists’ Retreat in Cleveland
Fall 2025: Installation & Opening