Calls for Artists

Artists, performers, makers, and creators can find opportunities to share their talents with the people of Alexandria.
Current Calls
"Call for Artists" - New Project Residency Program
The City of Alexandria's Office of the Arts is seeking up to three New Project Residents who could be an artist, artists group or arts organization who will each develop and execute one New Project on Saturday, December 16 to engage audiences in an arts project. The New Project Residency Program is funded by National Endowment for the Arts and the City of Alexandria, VA. New Projects will be site-specific and will aim to inspire and engage the public. The New Projects will be held at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, 101 Callahan Drive, Alexandria, VA.
NEW SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Wednesday, November 1, 2023, by 5 p.m., EST (Eastern Standard Time)
Click here to submit an application.
Click here to See application tool.
New Project Residency Goals:
Each New Project Could:
- Explore the creative process in a community-focused way.
- Capture the public's imagination.
- Reflect the rich history and culture of the City of Alexandria.
- Represent diverse voice.
- Inspire and engage audiences.
Criteria:
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Artistic Excellence: Creative work or artistic product or practice that is characterized by such qualities as vitality, originality, relevance, creativity, innovation, experimentation, technical, and professional.
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Impact and Engagement: Clear description of New Project and how audiences will be engaged with the arts in a meaningful way. New Project will promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
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Management and Implementation: Ability to meet the stated goas of the project within the timeline available. Evidence of qualified artists and other staff to implement the New Project.
Eligibility:
New Project Residencies are open to all contemporary artists, artists groups, or arts organizations, age 18 and older, based in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland, and the District of Columbia who work in the arts fields, including, but not limited to visual artists, performing artists, musicians, and interdisciplinary artists.
Selection Process:
A review panel organized by the Office of the Arts will review submissions and select up to three New Project Residents. The review panel or staff may choose to interview candidates before making a final selection.
Budget:
The three New Project Residents selected will each receive a stipend of $2,000 to produce the New Project on December 16. Payments will be made in two installments, 50% once selected an appropriate paperwork received, and 50% upon completions of the New Project. Checks may take up to 4-6 weeks for processing through City Accounting.
Artist, Artist Group or Arts Organization Responsibilities:
Each selected New Project Resident will:
- Collaborate with the Office of the Arts to create an original New Project that aims to inspire and engage the public.
- Complete the online application which will include a written description of the New Project.
- Work with the Office of the Arts to schedule the specific time and location at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.
- New Project should be a minimum of 1 ½ hours in length.
- Work with the Office of the Arts to document and archive the New Project and the process.
- Provide any additional art supplies and equipment needed.
- Help promote the New Project.
Office of the Arts Responsibilities:
The Office of the Arts and the George Washington Masonic National Memorial partners will provide access to the locations, necessary permits, marketing and communications, and project management support. The Office of the Arts will also:
- Approve the direction for the New Project before the artist, artist group or arts organization embarks on further development of the idea.
- Work with the selected New Project Resident to develop and schedule the New Project at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.
- Provide photography of the New Project for documentation and media purposes.
- Promote the New Project.
Anticipated Schedule:
- NEW SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Wednesday, November 1, 2023, by 5 p.m.
- New Project Residency submissions reviewed: Friday, November 3 - Friday, November 10.
- New Project Residencies Selected: Tuesday, November 14.
- New Project Residencies Contracts: Sent out and finalized - Wednesday, November 15.
- Schedule of New Project Residencies will occur Saturday, December 16.
To Submit:
NEW SUBMISSION DEADLINE for the New Project Proposal online at SurveyMonkey by Wednesday, November 1, 5 p.m., EST.
Questions:
For questions about this opportunity, please contact arts@alexandriava.gov.
Literary Programs
There are no literary calls open at this time.
For additional about the Poet Laureate and other literary programs, visit the Office of the Arts website: alexandriava.gov/Arts or email the Poet Laureate: poet@alexandriava.gov.
Public Art
There are no public art calls open at this time. Please visit alexandriava.gov/PublicArt for more information about public art in Alexandria.
Events & Public Space Activation
Regional Call
Deadline: Ongoing
Events and Public Space Activations creates equitable access to the arts by bringing visual and performing arts to neighborhoods throughout Alexandria.
Proposals are being accepted from emerging and established visual and performing artists who are interested in engaging directly with the community through their work. All opportunities are paid and will be scheduled between April and October of each year. Artists will have access to the Mobile Art Lab, which is a mobile studio with supplies and equipment to facilitate outdoor activations. Proposals should indicate if work will be done in one day or over a series of two or three weeks.
Proposals are reviewed by staff with the following criteria:
- High artistic quality
- Unique work
- Weather-sustainable art (can be outside for extended periods, or be projected, performed, or facilitated out of doors)
- Equitably accessible for the community to engage with and/or participate in making the art
Interested artists should submit a proposal. For more information, contact the Office of the Arts at arts@alexandriava.gov.
Mobile Art Lab Projects & Programs
There are no current open calls for the Mobile Art Lab.
For questions about the Mobile Art Lab, please contact arts@alexandriava.gov .
Visual Art
Visit the Office of the Arts Submittable page to learn of any currently open Calls for Entry.
"WEST END ALEXANDRIA": AT HILTON ALEXANDRIA MARK CENTER
Celebrating Alexandria’s largest and fastest-growing neighborhood, the culture of the West End including a strong African immigrant community, more than 82 languages spoken in local schools, growing entrepreneurship, Civil War history, parts and more.
This exhibition will be in the lobby at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center located in the West End of Alexandria (5000 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA 22311). The Exhibition represents a partnership between the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center and the City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts.
The Office of The Arts, a division within the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Activates, promotes the value of arts and culture in Alexandria by nurturing, investing in and celebrating the creative contributions of artists and arts organizations. Through engaging the community, encouraging participation, and facilitating access to the arts, the Office of the Arts works with local artists and arts organizations to build a vibrant community for all of the City's residents, workers and visitors.
DATES:
- Due: July 17, 2023 by 11:59 PM
- Artists notified by: July 22, 2023
- Art delivered to Torpedo Factory Art Center by: July 27 by 6 PM, 2023
- Exhibition: July 29, 2023 – November 1, 2023
- Reception: TBD
- Art picked up from Torpedo Factory Art Center: November 3 - 6, 2023
ELIGIBILITY: Open to all visual artists, at all levels of their career, who live or work within the City of Alexandria.
APPLICATION FEE: Free
JUROR AND CURATOR: Aya Takashima, Discipline Chair, Photography, and Gallery Director at NOVAarts Northern Virginia Community College Alexandria Campus. Takashima was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1969. After graduating from the Osaka University of Arts in Osaka, Japan, and working in the field of photography in Tokyo, she decided to go back to school, this time in the U.S. She received her M.F.A. from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2001. Her work has been exhibited in Boston, New York, Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, Osaka and Hitachi, Japan, and Korea.
- Artists may submit up to two (2) artworks. Best practice is for images to be high resolution (300 DPI). Default maximum file size is 400mb per upload, and the default maximum total application size is 800mb. Images shall be accompanied by artwork title, medium, size, date created.
- Artists may submit only one application.
- Artists shall submit a short artist statement, less than 200 words.
- Art needs to be within 60” wide by 70” tall by 5” deep and must be less than 150 pounds.
- Art must have been created within the past two years.
ATTESTATION: All applicants shall attest that all submitted information and work samples, including artwork and statements, is the applicants own work and comply with all provisions of this application and if found to be untrue, applicants will be removed from the process and/or will lose privileges awarded because of this process.
SALES: Art may be for sale, but it is not required. Any sale shall be between the artist and the buyer. Art sold is to remain in the exhibition until the end of the exhibition.
INSURANCE: Art shall be insured by the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center.
INSTALLATION/DE-INSTALLATION/TRANSPORTATION: Shall be performed by professional art handlers. All art is required to have hanging apparatus, such as wire or “D” rings. Art is not required to be framed if that is the intention of the artist.
QUESTIONS: Email arts@alexandriava.gov
Grants
PROGRAM GRANTS
Deadline: Annually
The Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities' Arts Division stewards the City of Alexandria's Arts Grants program with the intent of reaching these goals:
- To strengthen Alexandria's creative capacity by providing its residents with diverse opportunities to meaningfully engage with the arts
- To improve the capacity and stability of Alexandria-based arts organizations to create, perform, and present works of artistic excellence and innovation through organizational support and program funding
- To create a vibrant urban environment by supporting diverse individual artists, organizations, and other entities in the creation, performance, and presentation of high-quality works of art across the City of Alexandria
Learn more about Alexandria's Arts Program Grants.
Torpedo Factory Art Center
STUDIO ARTISTS AT TORPEDO FACTORY ART CENTER
Torpedo Factory Art Center encourages artists and artist groups to apply for available studios.
Visit torpedofactory.org/artopps for more opportunities to show work at Torpedo Factory Art Center. Many calls are national and international.