Northfield: Call to Artists

The Friends of Downtown Northfield and the City of Northfield’s Arts & Culture Commission have partnered to open two calls for public art in Northfield this summer. The deadline for submissions to both is June 23^rd, 2023.

More information about each opportunity is below. For questions about either, contact Natalie Draper at Natalie.draper@northfieldmn.gov, 507-645-1801 or Revee Needham atrevee.needham@northfieldmn.gov.

1. The Artists on Main Street (AOMS) program, a community development initiative exploring the intersection of arts and culture, downtown revitalization, and historic preservation by investing in “creative placemaking” projects in downtown Northfield, is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund, with additional funding from the City of Northfield’s 1% for the Arts Program.  Applicants can request up to $5,000 to support their work. The number of projects selected for funding will ultimately depend on the quality of the proposals and the amounts requested. there are no restrictions as to what kind of “art” or “creativity” might receive funding. Visual art, performances, interactive events, residencies, etc. are all fair game, and no idea is too big or too small. While projects are intended to be temporary in nature, proposals for longer-lasting installations will also be considered. For examples of previous projects, please visit our website. Applicants do not need to be residents of Northfield.

2. Hispanic Heritage Month banner design competition To highlight downtown Northfield as a welcoming and inclusive destination for visitors and residents alike, the Northfield Arts and Culture Commission (ACC), in partnership with the Friends of Downtown Northfield, is hosting a competition for artists to design a new downtown banner. The banner will be hung on lamp-posts along Division Street. The purpose of the banner is to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. It will be displayed for Northfield’s sixth annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration on September 15, and remain for all of Hispanic Heritage Month, and into November. The banners will be displayed annually from the second week of September to the second week of November. Preference will be given to artists who live or work within the Northfield school district boundaries.  Candidates are eligible regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender identification, military status, sexual orientation, marital status or physical ability. Candidates are NOT eligible if they are immediate family or business partners of the Public Art Review Committee or program staff. The Arts and Culture Commission recognizes that Hispanic and Latino artists have been historically underrepresented within the City, and are committed to furthering inclusivity and equity in the art community. We recognize that many distinct peoples and cultures exist within the broad nomenclature of ‘Hispanic’ and ‘Latino’, and wish to be inclusive of these cultures without conflating or being reductive. We encourage all artists who identify as Hispanic, Latine, whose ancestors hail from Central or South America, Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, any of the indigenous peoples of South and Central America, or any other regions that identify with these cultures to enter.