DivComm x co:census: Call for Artists!
Open Call for Creatives, Visual Storytellers, Performers. Emerging artists and hobbyists are welcome!
Application Deadline: Friday April 12th
co:census and DivComm have joined forces to host a spring art gathering for our communities. All interested artists, planners, designers, creatives, and performers are invited to submit completed works or ideas for new art for the “Unbound Blueprint: The Art of Liberation” exhibit and community gathering. Our aim is to interrogate equity and justice in urban planning from the point of view of data, art, urbanistics, anthropology, and design.
We hold an expansive and informal idea of who is an artist. Are you an urban planner who’s a crafter or maker in your spare time? A data scientist who gets a thrill from making accessible graphics or interactive media? An organizer or facilitator who uses improv and found materials to create shared community meaning? Whether you are an experienced artist, a hobbyist or something in between, we welcome your submissions.
You may submit a description of art you have already created, or a concept for art you would create for (or even during!) the May 21st exhibition. Individual artists and collaborations are welcome.
Unbound Blueprint: The Art of Liberation will exhibit art on topics broadly related to the culture and design of cities. Submissions can range from personal reflections, research-based thesis projects, material adapted from other work, participatory / crowd-sourced art, etc. We are especially interested in pieces that are borne from Black and Brown communities of NYC.
The theme for this event is [The Meaning of Freedom]. Artists will explore the idea of urban spaces being confined by rigid planning, symbolized by chains, grids, and constraints. They will also confront the phenomenon of reactance and the processes triggered when individuals face threats to their freedom. Through juxtaposing the concept of natural urban development with enforced order, artists seek to employ their art as a means to examine the necessity of strict planning regulations, with a primary emphasis on the theme of freedom. Examining the contrast between the idea of organic urban expansion and enforced order, artists will employ their artwork to challenge the need for rigid planning regulations.
Artists can submit an application to exhibit any visual, spatial, physical, or performance artwork or creative material that uses symbols, shapes, colors, lines, voice or presence to depict the subject of their work.
The artworks can be in 1D, 2D, or 3D forms and can be of any medium including photography, mapmaking, graphic art, data journalism, printmaking, digital art, mixed media, installations, spoken word, dance, improvisational performance. We also welcome concepts for an activity or experience that invites event attendees to make art together with you.
Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis until April 12th at midnight.
Artwork Goals
A question to spur inspiration and identify alignment: When confronted by the grand challenge of dismantling systems, there will be exhaustion and the need for rest. What does it mean to forge boundless joy, pleasure, safety, and self-determination as Black, Brown, Asian, Trans, Queer, and Religious bodies? Conventional urban design is marked by rigidity, confined by grids, dictated by constraints - what can unshackling ourselves and diving into flow, fusion, and chaos provide?
Selection Criteria + Process
The organizing team will select about 10 artists to showcase their work during the exhibit. Selection will be made based on alignment with the event theme, and cohesion with other selected artists.
Event Location
New York, NY
Tuesday, May 21st
Application Requirements + How to Apply
We encourage submissions that represent a diversity of experiences, viewpoints, and mediums. These may take the form of photographs, design projects, infographics, interviews, or performance art. What works for you works for us.
