CFA: Temporary Interactive Art Installation

CALL FOR ARTISTS
May 21, 2020
“Visions in Motion,” a public art installation for the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Poetic Kinetics.
Better Days 2020 is seeking artists to design and create a temporary interactive art installation that honors Utahns’ work for civil and human rights and encourages voting and civic engagement.

The year 2020 is an important year to reflect on voting rights. 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of Utah women’s first votes (February 1870), the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment (August 1920), and the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (August 1965). This summer is a unique opportunity for Utahns to engage with the long and unfinished history of suffrage work, learn about women and people of color who fought for equal access to the ballot, and resolve to become more engaged participants in our own communities.

Details: Better Days 2020 will select two artists to create a public art installation that engages with these themes in different locations in Utah this summer. Each artist will be paid $1,500 for their time and materials.

The installations can be any size and medium that invites viewers to engage with, contribute to, and/or interact with the artwork while following state and local public health guidelines. Artists can propose locations anywhere in Utah, and Better Days 2020 will work with artists and our community partners to find an appropriate outdoor site for each installation.

Dates: Better Days 2020 will hold a virtual event titled “Hard Won, Not Done,” in late July or early August to reflect on the long struggle for voting rights and highlight Utah women’s work to advance civil rights. The two art installations will open in conjunction with this event and be accessible to the public, free of charge, through the end of August. Exact dates will be coordinated with each artist.

Contact: Submit proposals to katherine@betterdays2020.org by 5 pm on June 5 for consideration. Proposals should include a current resume or CV, a letter outlining artists’ interest in the project and explaining the design concept and materials, and a visual rendering of the proposed installation. Selected artists will be notified by June 12.

Learn more about Utah’s suffrage story here, find historical articles here, and read biographies of key Utah women’s advocates here.

Read more about intriguing public art installations in Berlin and Washington, D.C. at https://www.whenthisisover.org/about/.

Download a PDF of the call for artists here.

This project is made possible by funding from the BYU Charles Redd Center for Western Studies.