The Arts Council of Indianapolis, in partnership with Indianapolis International Airport, invites visual artists to submit images of pre-existing two dimensional or digital artworks for consideration for reproduction as large-scale, temporary murals.  The artworks will be photographed and the murals digitally printed on adhesive vinyl by third-party vendors and installed at no cost to the artist.

COMPENSATION:  $500 licensing fee; no out-of-pocket costs will be required

ELIGIBILITY: Artists age 18 or over, living in Central Indiana (Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion, Morgan, or Shelby Counties) and legally able to work in the United States

DEADLINE:  Sunday, November 15, 2020 11:59 p.m.

HOW TO APPLY:  Apply here.

About the Indianapolis Airport Authority and Indianapolis International Airport

The Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA) owns and operates Indiana’s largest airport system in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. In addition to the Indianapolis International Airport (IND), its facilities include the Downtown Heliport, Eagle Creek Airpark, Hendricks County Airport-Gordon Graham Field, Indianapolis Regional Airport and Metropolitan Airport. IND generates a $5.4 billion total annual economic impact for Central Indiana – without relying on state or local taxes to fund operations. More than 10,000 people work at the airport each day, and 22,600 area jobs have a connection to the airport. IND served more than 9.5 million business and leisure travelers in 2019. IND is consistently ranked, year after year, as the best airport in North America and the nation, based on ease of use, passenger amenities, customer service, local retail offerings and public art. The airport is home of the world’s second largest FedEx operation and the nation’s eighth-largest cargo facility. IND is committed to becoming the airport system of choice for both passenger and cargo service.

This is the community’s airport! Whether you’re getting on an airplane or picking up loved ones, Indianapolis International Airport is here to serve you. The IAA is dedicated to enhancing the community through thoughtful airport programming, supporting local events, and encouraging students to explore STEM- and aviation-related careers.

The IAA believes in supporting a climate where art and culture thrive; it’s apparent throughout the fabric of IND. Permanent and temporary art collections are displayed in both public and post-security areas throughout the airport. Many of the collections were created by artists or poets who live in Indiana or have ties to the Hoosier state.

All of this commitment to service has resulted in IND having been named best airport in North America by Airports Council International for the past eight years (nine years total), as well as being named the best medium-sized airport in North America for customer service by J.D. Power. The Indy airport has also been rated the best airport in America by Condé Nast Traveler for the past six years and by Travel + Leisure for the past five years. For more information, visit IND’s Facebook page at Indianapolis International Airport and Twitter page at @INDairport.

Since 2014, the Arts Council of Indianapolis has been the airport authority’s visual arts programming partner and has worked to bring the best of Central Indiana arts and culture to enhance the airport setting. The Arts Council and the IAA are constantly developing new opportunities for permanent and temporary display of art in the terminal.  For more information, visit the Indianapolis Airport Authority’s art program webpage.

Description of Opportunity

The Arts Council of Indianapolis invites visual artists to submit images of pre-existing two dimensional or digital artworks for consideration for reproduction as large-scale, temporary murals.  The artworks will be photographed and the murals digitally printed on adhesive vinyl by third-party vendors and installed at no cost to the artist.

Three murals will be produced and installed in early 2021.  Two murals will be located in the terminal concourse connector and one mural will be located in the parking garage.  Please see the attached document for more information about the sites.

There is no specific theme or content desired for these murals, but artworks submitted for consideration must adhere to the general standards of art in the airport:

• Artwork placed in airports must take into consideration the sensitivities of the majority of the traveling public and common stresses about air travel.
• The nude human figure or sexually suggestive imagery will never be displayed at the Indianapolis International Airport.
• Also unacceptable are images or the suggestion of images depicting terrorism, blood or gore, aviation accidents, or any other images or statements that, in the public’s view, could negatively reflect on the perceived safety of air travel.
• Electioneering, partisan, or other overtly political statements are not appropriate
• Commercial messages or images that could be perceived by the public as a commercial message or endorsement of a business or commercial product are not permitted as artwork
• Images or statements that may be interpreted by the public as promoting a specific, identifiable religion or spiritual tradition are not appropriate unless it is in the context of documenting historic or contemporary landmark structures or individuals, or referencing well-known works of art of a religious nature.
• Statements or images that, in the opinion of the IAA, may offend potential viewers if placed in a public setting (such as an airport) are not appropriate.

It is anticipated that new murals will be created every two years.

Artwork sites

Two of the artworks will be installed inside the terminal, in the concourse connector at either end of the passageway between Concourses A and B. The artworks will be viewed primarily by ticketed passengers and airport employees moving between the two concourses, although they will be somewhat visible to viewers standing at the east end of Civic Plaza, which would include airport meeters and greeters.

The third artwork will be installed inside the Parking Garage, in the lobby area on the 3rd level as people enter or leave from the pedestrian bridge. This location is viewable by anyone with no airline ticket required.

Please see the labeled photographs for site location(s) and dimensions at end of the attached document.

Copyrights

The submitting artist must have produced the artwork, and the artist must own the copyright for the image.  Images with shared copyrights must also include authorization from the other copyright owner(s) to submit the artwork for consideration.

The artist retains full copyrights to their work at all times. Artists selected for this project will enter into a licensing agreement with the IAA to allow their work to be used in this context and for the associated publicity and promotion.

The Arts Council and IAA are 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.

Timeline

• Call released: Wednesday, September 30, 2020
• Deadline for submissions:  Sunday, November 15, 2020 11:59 p.m.
• Jury selection process:  Late November 2020
• Artists notified:  early December 2020
• Artists’ original work due to photographer: December 13, 2020 (photography will be paid for by the IAA)
• Artwork installed:  by January 15, 2021
• Artwork de-installed:  January 2023

Selection Process

Arts Council staff, members of the Arts Council’s Public Art Selection Committee, and representatives of the Indianapolis Airport Authority will identify three artworks to be recreated as adhesive vinyl murals. These artworks may be by the same artist, or may be by different artists.

Should the Arts Council receive an insufficient number of entries, we reserve the right to invite artists to submit images.

Application Instructions

• This is an online application process with digital images.
• All applicants must access and complete the application form.
• The form will ask you to indicate which site (concourse connectors or parking garage) you are suggesting work for. You may select “both”, but note that the dimensions of the sites differ.
• The form will ask to you to attach up to five images of existing work in JPG format, for consideration for this opportunity.  Submit ONLY the images you wish to be considered.
  •  Images do not need to be high resolution right now, 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. It is suggested that the dimensions for image submissions be as follows:
    • Concourse glass: 5.5”h x 21.75”w at 72 dpi. (aspect ratio approximately 4:1)
    • Parking garage:  2”h x 20”w at 72 dpi. (aspect ratio approximately 10:1)
  • The image should present the artwork as it will look on the site and as it will be submitted for printing.  Any cropping or shaping of the original artwork should be represented in the submitted image. The strong “wedge” shape for the parking garage submission can be approximate: if selected, we will work with you on the exact cropping.
  • Name your submitted digital files according to the following format: FirstLast_01.jpg, FirstLast_02.jpg, etc. (example:  JaneSmith_01.jpg)

Tips for submitting images:

1. The best images are those where the size of the original artwork is more than 25% of the size that the finished vinyl reproduction will be.
2. Viewers will be seeing the artwork in very large scale from relatively close up.  Please make your image selection accordingly. Artworks that have large blocks of color with little detail are not good candidates for this opportunity.

NOTE

If you are selected, you will be required to bring the original artwork to the Airport Authority’s photographer within two weeks of notification.

• Please do not submit images unless you can meet this aggressive timeline!

QUESTIONS?  We are here to help! Contact Julia Moore, Director of Public Art, Arts Council of Indianapolis, jmoore@indyarts.org or (317) 631-3301 x240.

About the Arts Council of Indianapolis

The mission of the Arts Council of Indianapolis is to foster meaningful engagement in the arts by nurturing a culture where artists and arts organizations thrive. The Arts Council is an organization that advocates for the need and importance of broad community funding and support for a thriving arts scene; innovates by constantly pursuing and promoting innovative ideas and programs that better serve the area, its artists, and arts organizations; and connects artists, audiences, businesses, foundations, and arts and cultural organizations with opportunities to explore and expand central Indiana’s creative vitality.

The Arts Council of Indianapolis is committed to working with the arts and cultural community to cultivate a sector that serves, celebrates, and values every resident of Indianapolis. We envision a city where engagement in the arts is not pre-determined by socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. We also believe that Black lives matter and we are committed to supporting Indianapolis’ Black artists–whom we need more than ever to help imagine a different world. Learn about our commitment to racial justice in the arts  and read our full equity statement.