Request for Qualifications:

Artwork/Poetry Wanted for Storefront Vinyl Murals

The Arts Council of Indianapolis seeks the existing work of visual artists and literary artists/poets to be reproduced on vinyl murals which will be printed and installed on Indy storefronts.

Applications Due:  October 17, 2021 11:59 p.m.

Compensation:  $500 ($250 participation fee plus $250 licensing fee)

Project Description

After the popularity of the SWISH Storefront Mural Program, the current Indy Keeps Creating project, as well as the desire to incorporate artwork into upcoming city-wide events in 2022, the Arts Council of Indianapolis, the City of Indianapolis, and several other civic partners continue to identify storefronts as potential sites for the installation of vinyl reproductions of existing visual artworks or poems by central Indiana artists. Due to this continued interest in displaying artwork, the Arts Council is seeking applications of existing artwork from central Indiana artists.  Artists who are interested in having their work displayed on storefronts in the next 6 to 9 months should consider applying to be a part of the pool of potential artworks.

There is no conceptual theme for this project.

Eligibility

• As this project is funded in part by the city of Indianapolis, artists must be 18 years or older and live in Marion County.
• Artwork/Poetry must be suitable for all audiences.
• You must be able to adhere to a project timeline. See below.

Timeline

• September 30, 2021:  Call released
• October 17, 2021, 11:59 p.m.: Deadline for applications
• By October 22, 2021: All applicants are notified. Selected artists/poets will move forward to the pool of potential artists. Through the next 6-9 months, selected artists will be notified if their work has been selected for use.
• October 2021 through May 2022: Artwork/Poetry Vinyl on display. Display dates may vary per storefront location.

Copyrights

Full copyright to the artwork will be retained by the artist at all times. The artist will be required to license the Arts Council to produce and reproduce images of the artwork for promotional use, and to maintain archival documentation of the project.

• The submitting artist must have produced the artwork, and the artist must own the copyright for the images or have permission to use any separately copyrighted images in the design.
• Documentation of any third-party permissions must be in hand at the time of application and available to be provided to the Arts Council prior to production of the vinyl.
• The submitting artist will sign an agreement giving the Arts Council and partners limited rights to use the artwork for the purposes stated in this call.
• The Arts Council is not responsible for any third-party infringement of the artist’s copyright or for protecting the intellectual property rights of participating artists. To learn more about how to protect yourself and your public artworks, visit the Arts Council’s Artist Resource Directory.

Compensation

Each selected artist whose work is installed on a storefront will receive $500 ($250 for participating plus $250 as a licensing fee for the use of the image/poem as part of the project.)

Promotions

• The Arts Council will host a project webpage and will keep it updated with information for the Storefront Project and link each entry to the artist’s page on the IndyArtsGuide Artist Directory. If you do not have an Artist Directory page, please create one. The Artist Directory is a FREE service to Indy artists and patrons.
• Our partners and the Arts Council will jointly promote the work through both traditional and social media channels.
• Artists are encouraged to promote their own work through their own promotional and social media outlets.

Selection Process

Arts Council staff and partner organizations will identify artworks/poems to be reproduced on vinyl and installed on storefronts.

Should the Arts Council receive an insufficient number of entries, we reserve the right to change the process to an invitation process.

Submission Considerations and Instructions

For your work to be considered for the project, follow these instructions:

• Submit ONLY via an online application form, available at https://indyarts.formstack.com/forms/round_2
  • This form is accessible on a variety of platforms and through various devices, including cell phones.
  • You will be able to save an unfinished application and return to it later.

Poets/Literary Artists

• The submitted poems may be published or unpublished, as long as they are the original work of the applicant, the applicant owns the rights to the poem, and the applicant has the right to allow third parties to publish the poems.
• Applicants may enter one document (.doc, .docx) containing up to three short poems and/or excerpts.
• Poems may be in any language but must be accompanied by an accurate English translation.
• Poems may have a maximum of 20 lines each.
• A graphic designer hired by the project partners will create the visual layout for selected poems.

Visual Artists

• The submission form will ask you to attach up to five images of existing visual work. JPG/JPEG images are preferred, but TIFF and PNG formats are also accepted.
  • Artists may only propose existing artwork for consideration.
  • For application purposes, images do not need to be high resolution, but the image quality should be set to “high.”  The resolution should be no larger than 72 dpi and the file size for each image should be under 1MB.
  • The suggested orientation of the submitted images is horizontal. NOTE: Selected images may be cropped by the project team/designers to fit window shapes/sizes.
• Tips for submitting images:
  • There is no theme or topic for this project.
  • Artwork should be engaging for both pedestrians and drivers alike.
  • Do not put your name, signature, or website address on the image itself. We will take care of that in the printing process and with appropriate labels and signage.
  • If you use text within your work, know that larger text will read better; also, bright, bold colors behind the text with great contrast between the background and the text letters will be easier to see.
• After Selection
  • If you are selected for the project, you will be asked to submit high-resolution files within one week of being notified of inclusion in the project. Please do not submit unless you have the ability to meet the aggressive timeline.
  • NOTE: If selected, the artist(s) will need to provide hi-res images scaled for printing.
    • Files will need to be either:
      75 dpi at 100% scale (meaning the image size is 12ft wide and 10ft tall) – OR –
      750 dpi images at 1/10th scale (meaning the images are 12 inches wide and 10 inches tall).
    • If you are not able to provide a high-resolution image of your artwork, the Arts Council may provide a free photography session in order to obtain the file size needed for printing.

Final Submission Details

• If you find you cannot attach your images/files to the application form, please contact Mike Barclay, Consulting Curator at mbarclay@indyarts.org.
• There is an optional demographic information survey at the end of the form. Answering these questions will help us serve artists better through our programming.
• You must click the “Submit” button to upload your application!
• PRO TIP: if you plan to start your application and come back later, wait until you are ready to press “submit” before you add any attachments. Otherwise you will find they have vanished when you come back!
• After submission, you will see an onscreen acknowledgement. This will let you know your application has been received.
• You will also receive an email acknowledgement containing your submitted information.

The deadline for submission is Sunday, October 17 at 11:59 p.m.

The application will automatically close at that time.

• Applications still unfinished at this time will not be uploaded.
• Allow plenty of time to complete your submission before the deadline!

QUESTIONS? We are here to help! Contact Mike Barclay, Consulting Curator at mbarclay@indyarts.org.