City of Lowell Banner

Call for Art

 

General Information:

The City of Lowell through the Cultural Affairs and Special Events (CASE) Office invites artists to submit designs to be considered for reproduction on vinyl banners to be hung from lampposts throughout the downtown area. This will be for new spring-themed banners. This call is restricted to Lowell practicing artists. Artists will receive a fee for banner design and a renewal fee if banners are used for more than one year. Designs cannot feature any commercial, political or religious content and should be appropriate for viewers of all ages.

The office of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (CASE) was created by city ordinance in 2008 and produces projects directly and serves as the main facilitator for organizations looking to produce art or projects within the City of Lowell. The CASE Office works closely with other city departments and partner organizations to elevate arts and culture within the city of Lowell.   

Details:

  1. Location: Banners will be attached to lampposts throughout the downtown area of Lowell. A full map is available upon request.

  2. Banners are 30” x 60”.

  3. A selection committee comprised of members of representatives from CASE, the City Manager’s Office, and Department of Planning and Development

  4. Artist must submit high resolution files in Vector or SVG format.

  5. Designs must be original and cannot feature any third party, copyrighted, or commercial content.

  6. Artists will receive a design fee and a license fee for renewal if banner designs are used for more than one year.

  7. This call is open to Lowell practicing artists (must maintain studio and or residence) only.   

  8. License fee is $500 with option to renew after one year at a rate to be determined.

Information Session:

Tuesday, March 11th @ 5:30pm via zoom

Click Here to Join

Project Timeline:

Call Opens: March 5, 2025

Closes: March 19, 2025

Artist(s) Notified: March 21, 2025

Completed Designs Due: March 31, 2025

How to Submit Qualifications:

Proposals must be received by. and must include: 

  1. Name and contact information—phone number, email and website 

  2. Resume (2 page max) or short bio (two paragraphs)

  3. 3-5 digital images in jpg format of applicant’s related work with descriptions that include: title, year and medium.   

  4. Conceptual description and/or sketch of proposed artwork (detailed proposals not required) 

  5. Files for printing must be submitted in a high-resolution Vector or SVG file.

  6. If submitting via email, please submit in PDF format 

  7. Incomplete/unreadable submissions will not be accepted 

Selection Criteria:

Artist selection will be based on the following criteria, please contact the CASE Office for a copy of the selection rubric.

  1. Qualifications – does the artists have appropriate qualifications and technical abilities?

  2. Content - Does the work meet the content requirements? Suitable for all ages, free of copyrighted materials, no political, religious or commercial content.

  3. Feasibility/Suitability – Does the artist(s) demonstrate experience working in the artistic medium of the proposed project concept? Does the artist(s) demonstrate the technical experience in implementing projects in the medium and scale proposed (e.g. resume, work samples, artist portfolio?) 

Additional Information:

If you have any questions or to arrange a site visit please contact Peter Crewe at (978) 674-1481 or Roberto Dei at (978) 674-1482.   

To submit Via regular mail or email (please submit all materials in a single PDF): 

Cultural Affairs and Special Events 

375 Merrimack St. Rm 7 

Lowell, MA 01852 

Attn: Peter Crewe 

Email: pcrewe@lowellma.gov or rdei@lowellma.gov