Karl Hofmann, In the Balance, 2018

Call for Proposals: Windows on the Future

DEADLINE MAY 17, MIDNIGHT

Artists, creatives, and art groups are invited to submit proposals for window showcase installations based on the theme Windows on the Future. Open to your creative interpretation, your installation might be realistic or fantastic, it might imagine a future close at hand or one a few millennia out, it can be representational, abstract, or somewhere in between. We invite proposals in any medium, including music, dance, and performance art. While you are welcome to include freestanding artworks in your installation, we will give preference to proposals that actively engage with the window format and create cohesive installations over straightforward displays of existing pieces.

Windows on the Future is open to artists of all levels — from emerging to professional artists. The aim is to feature artists representing diverse communities and assist those financially impacted by Covid-19.

We are seeking a balanced gender representation and prioritizing the inclusion of participants from diverse and
varied racial/ethnic backgrounds, a wide age distribution, LGBTQ+ participants, and those financially impacted by Covid-19.

SUBMIT NOW!

CRITERIA

All submissions will be considered, reviewed, and selected by Vital Spaces, 516 ARTS, and The Paseo Project based on the following criteria:

•Viable: given the nature of the project, participants will need to be agile, adaptive, and innovative to be able to execute their vision with the resources, funds, and spaces available.

•Compelling: artistically strong in concept and execution, compelling to a diverse audience and actively engaging to the public.

•Relevant: responsive to and engaging with diverse audiences, themes, neighborhoods, and landscapes.

•Quality: the work presented is of exemplary quality —specifically in regards to the medium in which it is presented. In the interest of accessibility and inclusivity, artist statements, resumes, or exhibition histories are not required to apply. The committee curates each open call blind — meaning that we review the art without knowledge of the artists’ names in an effort to produce an unbiased selection.

PARAMETERS

We are unable to accept proposals that feature graphic sexual or violent imagery, support an elected official or candidate, or invite the public to enter the space. Projects must be created at an off-site location and then assembled in a single eight-hour visit with limited assistance. We hope to be able to give participants more time to install their work, but that will be determined in consultation with individual spaces.

WHAT TO EXPECT IF YOU ARE SELECTED

Each selected artist receives a stipend of $500. All participating artists must submit a signed W9 form and a signed “Display Terms and Conditions” contract. The installations will be up for one month. Each selected participant will be paired with a curator or established artist to talk through their installation ideas. At least one discussion during the planning phase is mandatory for participation. An additional discussion about the finished project can also be scheduled. Joan Vorderbruggen, Director of Hennepin Theatre District 
Engagement, Hennepin Theatre Trust in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the developer of Made Here, the largest 
storefront window art installation series in the country, will also hold an online Q&A with all participating artists.

Following selection, participants will receive a photograph of their window with a document outlining the window sightlines and the dimensions available for the installation. If possible, you will have one site visit before installing. Each participating artist will be given one day to install their showcase. Work is not permitted onsite outside of installation times. All materials must be installed inside the window.

Each artist will be provided access to a clean, safe commercial storefront to create a showcase with electrical access, extension cords, clamp lamps, light bulbs, minimal hardware and power strips, as needed. Professional installation assistance is available upon request. All showcases will be professionally photographed and featured on dedicated pages on the Vital Spaces, 516 ARTS, and the Paseo Project websites. These organizations will actively promote the series through their communication channels, including email and social media. We will create maps of the installations for self-guided tours. Should 
social distancing guidelines permit, we will also lead guided tours.

ABOUT

Vital Spaces is a Santa Fe-based 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to sustain and enhance Santa Fe’s cultural vibrancy by creating affordable spaces for artists working in all media to create, present, connect, and teach. Their focus is on fostering a collaborative creative community and supporting people, ideas, and art forms that are underrepresented in Santa Fe’s commercial art scene. www.vitalspaces.org

The Paseo Project’s mission is to transform art through community and community through art. In addition to collaborative community projects and a socially-engaged artist in residence program, The Paseo Project hosts the annual PASEO outdoor art festival in Historic Downtown Taos. Since 2014, artists from all over the world have brought projection, installation, and performance art to the streets of Taos for this free two-night event. Pending pandemic developments, the 2020 festival remains optimistically scheduled for September 18th & 19th.paseoproject.org

Falling Colors is a Santa Fe-based company providing innovative data collection & analysis solutions for publicly-funded behavioral health programs. The company’s mission is to improve behavioral healthcare in New Mexico through advanced data management and treatment plan assessment. www.fallingcolors.com

Creative Santa Fe’s mission is to leverage Santa Fe’s unique sense of place, using collaboration and the power of the arts to re-frame critical issues and drive positive change. In March 2019, Creative Santa Fe hosted The Future of Art: A Disruptive Futures Dialogue. Program audiences were asked the question “What are some new projects we can
initiate now to support our arts community?” Attendees identified over 220 ideas in response – the majority addressing the need for more pop ups and art distribution across Santa Fe. Creative Santa Fe is excited to be partnering with Vital Spaces to help meet this need by helping procure sites for A Window on the Future. www.creativesantafe.org

LOR helps communities in the Mountain West take the lead to enhance their quality of life. www.LORFoundation.org