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Art in Park — Call for Mural Artists IS NOW CLOSED

Title: New Free-Standing Murals in the Berwyn Art Park 

Submission Deadline: August 27, 2023 

Location: South Berwyn Park District Lot at Oak Park Avenue/34th Avenue — Google Street View of Lot (pre-installation)

 

Artist Qualification: Must have experience and be able to show a portfolio of work

Size: Free Standing Murals are 8 feet wide by 4 feet tall (horizontal)

Budget: Each final artist will receive $200 for materials before the start of the project and a $600 stipend for mural work on location – boards are mounted on location and will be primed. 

Final Selection: September 18, 2023

Art Installation: Mid-October, 2023

Background 

The Berwyn Public Art Initiative (BPAI) is updating the "Art in the Park" installation. The "Art on Track" Installation was created in 2019 with the City of Berwyn and was financed with the West Suburban Mass Transit District Grant for Public Art. Volunteers helped us to relocate the art in 2022 to a park owned by the South Berwyn Public Park District.

Based on weather wear, two existing boards will be replaced with new installations in October 2023. 

BPAI is seeking to commission two artists to create these semi-permanent outdoor murals. 

Winning artists will be awarded a paid contract and responsible for on-site creation and installation.

Each final artist will receive $200 for materials before the start of the project and a $600 stipend for mural work on location – boards are mounted on site and will be primed.

Theme and Location 

Artists are asked to design a mural that will be enjoyed by the diverse community of Berwyn and surrounding area at a highly visible location. All work must be original. References/Stencils may be used only if they were created by the artist. The BPAI board and Park District representatives will review all applications and renderings to determine finalists who will be awarded the opportunity to install their concepts. 

Stipend

Artists will be paid $200 for materials after the contract is signed, prior to the execution of the mural. Upon completion of the mural artist will receive a $600 stipend to cover time and labor for one 8ftx4ft (horizontal).

Proposal Submission Requirements 

To be considered for the project, please complete this google form

Applications CLOSED

The form contains the following:

  • Contact Information

  • Website or Social Media Links to artist work and/or PDF of work samples

  • A brief narrative description of the concept for the mural 

  • Artist rendering for the proposed mural in digital format (Submissions should be in the 8x4 (horizontal) proportion to match final execution)
    Having image size issues? Read here for some quick tricks!

Selection Guidelines

Applications will be reviewed by the BPAI board and South Berwyn Park District representatives. Criteria considered by the committee include: 

  • Artistic Quality: Concept, Vision, Originality of idea and clear narrative describing the work  Originality of idea and clear narrative describing the work. 

  • Site: The potential of the work to enhance and expand the public’s awareness of art in Berwyn and the location.

  • Inclusivity: We seek work from artists of diverse racial, sexual and cultural identities. The program also shall strive for diversity to style, scale, media and numbers of artists represented. Exploratory types of work as well as established art forms shall be encouraged. Artists must be 18 years of age or older to apply.

  • Originality: Artists are required to warrant that artwork is their own original, unique design and an edition of one or part of a limited edition, and to warrant artwork is not infringing on copyrighted materials. Logos, advertisements or any kind of commercial signage will not be accepted. Only the artist’s name and year of completed mural is permitted.

  • Execution: The submitting artist has to paint their submitted proposal on location during the agreed time and seal work upon completion to withstand at least 12 month of weather exposure.

The committee will review current submissions and announce selected artists by Mid September.

The committee reserves the right to withhold the commission award if it should not find a satisfactory artwork. All submitted complete applications will be reviewed. Applications not meeting the submission guidelines will not be considered. The committee reserves the right to reject any or all application and proposals. 

Rights about reproduction or visual representation of the work

Berwyn Public Art Initiative (BPAI) and South Berwyn Park District reserve the right to photograph and video record and use accepted work for documentation, on websites, social media and print for publicity and/or fundraising to expand the public art portfolio. Whenever possible the artist name will be included.

Forward all questions and submissions to: BPAI Board of Directors
info@berwynpublicartinitiative.org

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Baird & Warner and the Berwyn Public Art Initiative Present:

A Community Art Collection

Activating a new intersection to connect artist & art collectors

The Berwyn Art Initiative is thrilled to partner with Baird & Warner on a long term art collection curated by BPAI which will feature local artists in an effort to continue bringing visibility to artists and their practice. We are excited to highlight each artist through public programming and stimulate the collector base in the neighborhood by activating spaces like Baird & Warner who value the arts and the community at large.

Call for Artists

We are looking for artists who are open to loaning their artwork for one year for the first Community Art Collection which will be housed at the new Baird & Warner location in Berwyn. A selection of works will be installed, insured, and highlighted through public programming. 

Duration:
Max 1 year loan 

Art Submission Deadline:
August 5, 2022

Public programming will be flexible to each artist's comfort level and can take the form of an artist talk or reception. If artists would like to propose other ways to connect & share with the community, we are happy to discuss further. BPAI and Baird & Warner will also circulate a listing of the collection to our respective audiences via e-blasts and social media. An artist contract will follow upon final artist selections.

Please Note: in the event artwork is sold during the exhibition timeframe (to a client of B&W or from the artist's end) the artist will retail 100% of the sale. 

Art Work Requirements:

  • 15” x 15”

    24” x 24”

    24” x 30” (w x h)

    30” x 30”

    36” x 36”

    40” x 40”

    48” x 48”

    60” x 40” (w x h)

    Art does not have to have exact measurements as above but should be within the range.

  • Paintings, Photography, Mixed Media, and Illustration

  • Abstract, Atmospheric, Colorful, Floral, Elegant, Landscape, Layered, Movement, Organic, Pop, Representational, Textured, Topographical, Urban, Vibrant, and Whimsical

  • Works on paper must be framed with a wire or d-rings for hanging. 

    Canvases must be stretched with wire or d-rings for hanging (framing is not required).

  • Series of works welcomed

B&W Office Location: 
6347 Cermak Rd, Berwyn, IL 60402
Business Hours: M–F, 9am–5pm

 

Submission Instructions

Artists may submit up to 5 pieces for consideration. Please include the following information in the body of the email for every piece you submit:

  • First, Last Name

  • Artist Nickname

  • Artist Bio

  • Phone

  • Email

  • Website, Instagram, Facebook

  • Image of artwork

  • Title 

  • Medium

  • Size

In the file name of your images, please include last name, title, medium, and size, ex: DALI-The-Persistence-of-Memory-Oil-on-Canvas-9_5x13.jpg

Submission Form:

Submit Your Art

https://forms.gle/r3UEjT6KKvsMs88P8
This form will require you to sign into your Google to upload files.

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • • Opportunity to showcase your art in a bright, large, and accessible space.

    • Freeing up space in your studio for new work.

    • Broadening your audience.

    • Promotion by BPAI and B&W.

    • Keeping 100% of all sales if you provided purchase code.

  • Selected artists will be contacted on August 31, 2022 by BPAI.

  • We encourage artists who are based in Berwyn, neighboring towns and local to Chicagoland to apply. Artists will be responsible to hand deliver their work to a Berwyn location to sign a condition report and an artist contract.

  • The Community Art Collection will be displayed at the Baird & Warner office.

    6347 Cermak Rd, Berwyn, IL 60402

  • Business Hours: M–F, 9am–5pm

  • BPAI plans to rotate the artwork after 6 months within the space. All artwork in the collection will remain in the office space, but in a new wall location.

  • Yes, artists can also bring potential buyers to the B&W office to view the work in person.

  • Item descriptionInterested purchasers/clients will contact BPAI or artist directly via QR code which will outline information to initiate the art sale. Or an email can be sent to info@berwynpublicartinitative.org to initiate sale.

  • After a sale, the empty wall space will be filled by another piece of art, BPAI may contact artists to place another piece in this space.

  • If payment has been received and confirmed by BPAI & the artist, the client can take the piece the same day as long as it's during Baird & Warner business hours. If the artist nor BPAI are unable to confirm payment, a scheduled pick-up date will be made once the payment has been received from the client. A pick-up can also be conducted post business hours with advance notice and coordination with Baird & Warner.

  • Yes, as long as it's within business hours.

  • No, you are welcome to visit without an appointment. However, for the artwork located in conference rooms - if those rooms are in use at the time of the visit, you may need to wait until meetings end and clients leave the space in order to view the works.

  • High level details in contract will include:

    1. Artwork will be insured by Baird & Warner.

    2. Commitment of 1 year loan at no cost to Baird & Warner or BPAI.

    3. Baird & Warner & BPAI will circulate artist materials via social media and newsletters to introduce each artist and their practice to their collective audiences.Public community events around the artwork will be held at the Baird & Warner office to bring visibility to participating artists and their artwork.

      Both Baird & Warner and BPAI will promote these events to engage with current clients and community members.

    4. Artists must provide a QR code or digital payment method & information in order to receive a payment directly from the client.
      OR
      if you would like BPAI to accept payment via Square - a credit card processing fee of 2.6-3.5% will be deducted from sale cost and BPAI will pay artist via check.

    5. If art is sold during the time of the loan, clients can take artwork at the time of the sale transaction, artists will retain 100% of the sale. Baird & Warner nor BPAI will not collect a cut from the selling price. (However, if BPAI is collecting payment on behalf of the artist, BPAI will retain the processing fee).

For any questions, please contact us at info@berwynpublicartinitative.org