Applying to calls is ALWAYS FREE!
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You will submit this application online using PublicArtist.org.
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| Activated: 06/22/2026 Deadline: 08/03/2026 |
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| Call Summary The City of Austin Art in Public Places (AIPP) program from Austin Arts, Culture, Music, & Entertainment (AACME) seeks exceptional emerging, mid-career, and established public artists working in a variety of visual media and artistic approaches for its 2026-2028 Pre-Qualified Texas Public Artist Pool (Pool). Selected artists or artist teams from the Pool may be contracted to design, fabricate and install potential public artworks for eligible Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) of various scopes, timelines, and budgets throughout the City of Austin. Certain projects may offer opportunities for an artist to work as part of the sponsor project design team. Possible artwork opportunities include but are not limited to public art construction projects involving the following City of Austin departments: Austin Transportation and Public Works (ATPW), Austin Parks and Recreation, Austin Public Health Department, Austin Public Library, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and the Austin Convention Center. In addition, AIPP is partnering with ATPW to support artist commissions for City of Austin programming. The Pool will be available for ATPW to commission artists for Neighborhood Partnering Program (NPP) and Artbox Program. Artist commissions awarded outside of AIPP funding will not count against AIPP eligibility requirements. Other programs that may utilize the Pool for artist commissions include Planned Unit Developments (PUDs), Public Private Partnerships (P3s), and Downtown Density Bonus Programs (DDBP). Similarly, artist commissions awarded outside of AIPP funding will not count against AIPP eligibility requirements. |
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| Budget Description Individual project budgets between $10,000 and $250,000 By ordinance, the funds for public art are appropriated from 2% of the City of Austin’s construction projects. The total award artist contract is paid over the course of the commission with milestones at community engagement, design, fabrication, installation, and closing. Art in Public Places (AIPP) recommends that selected artists or artist-led teams budget 20% for their artist design fee, 10% for contingency, and budget the remainder for all other project expenses including but not limited to: insurance, promotion, community engagement, design, all engineering, fabrication, materials, subcontractors, travel, transportation, shipping, permits and installation. The individual project budgets anticipated through the City of Austin’s current and upcoming CIP Plan for this artist Pool are projected to range between $10,000 and $250,000 (or potentially more). Artist commissions awarded through this artist Pool without AIPP funding may have different milestones and deliverables. Individual programs (ATPW) will establish budgets, milestones, and deliverables. |
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| Project Description The purpose of the Pre-Qualified Texas Public Artist Pool is to provide a streamlined application and selection process for artists interested in being commissioned for public art projects through the City of Austin Art in Public Places Program and other eligible programs identified above. The process requires one application from interested artists or artist teams. The Selection Panel will convene once to review all eligible applications. The Selection Panel will then recommend artists and artist teams for approval to the Art in Public Places Panel and Austin Arts Commission. Once approved, all artists and artist teams in the Pool remain eligible for contract opportunities for a two-year period, which may be extended by staff as needed. Program staff and the Art in Public Places Panel may use the Pool, in whole or in part, for commission opportunities based on project timeline, scope, previously identified project outcomes, and/or a highly specialized field of opportunity. The list of artists in the Pool may also be made available to private developers or independent public art commissioning entities for consideration for their use. Commissions awarded outside of AIPP funding will not count against AIPP eligibility requirements. |
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| Artwork Goals The Art in Public Places program seeks artists and artists teams whose work advances public understanding of visual art and enhances the aesthetic quality of public places through innovative and thoughtful design. An artist, or artist team, is expected to design artwork that: - Supports the artwork goals set for the respective CIP project for which the artist or team is chosen; - Reflects a high level of aesthetic and technical quality; - Identifies and considers opportunities for innovation or enhanced civic engagement; - Transforms a space or the user experience; - Contributes to a local, regional and/or national contemporary art dialogue; - Enriches or adds to the depth/breadth of the City of Austin’s public art collection; - Is low maintenance and vandal-resistant. |
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| Artwork Location Description Artworks may be sited in City sites and facilities, including but not limited to libraries, streetscapes, public safety facilities, health centers, Fire and EMS stations, parklands, pools, recreation centers, trails and bikeways, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and Austin Convention Center. |
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| Site History The Austin Art in Public Places program manages a diverse range of public art projects within the City of Austin. Since AIPP’s inception in 1985, over 400 public artworks have been created in City sites and facilities, including but not limited to libraries, streetscapes, public safety facilities, health centers, Fire and EMS stations, parklands, pools, recreation centers, trails and bikeways, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and Austin Convention Center. The Capital Improvement Projects are managed in coordination with many City departments who are collaboratively dedicated to deepening the community experience within a civic space. For additional information about the Austin Art in Public Places program, please visit www.austintexas.gov/aipp |
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| Eligibility This call is open to professional visual artists or artist teams residing in the State of Texas. Professional visual artists, or artist teams, who work in a variety of visual media that are at least 18 years of age are eligible to apply. AIPP defines artist as an individual recognized by critics and peers as a professional practitioner of serious intent and substantial ability. Artists and artist teams are asked to self-identify as an emerging, mid-career, or established public artist. Artist teams are encouraged to use the team members’ highest attained level of experience. 1) EMERGING PUBLIC ARTISTS show professional achievement and are developing qualifications that show significant potential in the field of public art. Minimum of one relevant completed project with a budget up to $10,000. 2) MID-CAREER PUBLIC ARTISTS are recognized in their fields and have a track record of exhibits, engaging communities, and completed projects in the public art realm. Minimum of five relevant completed projects with budgets up to $100,000. 3) ESTABLISHED PUBLIC ARTISTS are recognized as leaders in the field of public art as evidenced by their career accomplishments and installations in a variety of scales, media, and locations, including significant community engagement, working with design teams, and other stakeholders as part of their design process. Minimum of four relevant completed projects with budgets over $100,000. Design professionals, including architects, who do not have a consistent visual art practice are ineligible to apply as team leads, but may be a part of an artist-led team. Full-time, permanent City of Austin employees and project consultants and their employees are ineligible to apply. Artists who are currently under an active contract for a permanent AIPP project, and artists who have completed an AIPP project within the past year are eligible to apply. Artists may not be eligible for an AIPP commission but may be still eligible for other City programs utilizing the Pool. Please note artists may only have one active permanent artwork commission contract with the Art in Public Places program at a time. |
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| Application Requirements | ||||||||||||||
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Resume: 2 page(s) maximum Work examples: 1 - 10 Letter of Interest: 500 word maximum References: 3 |
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Artists are allowed to apply in teams.
Artists applying as a team must split the allotted number of work examples between themselves. |
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| Additional Requirements | ||||||||||||||
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| Selection Information | ||||||||||||||
| Selection Process A selection panel will review qualifications using evaluation criteria from all artists who met the minimum eligibility requirements. Up to five voting panelists who are working visual arts professionals provide scores to determine artists to be recommended for inclusion in the Pool. The selection panel’s recommended Pool of artists will go to the Art in Public Place Panel and Arts Commission for approval. For each individual CIP artwork opportunity, staff work with the Art in Public Places Panel and Arts Commission to identify the best artist selection process, which may or may not use the Pool. If using the Pool, the Art in Public Places Panel and Arts Commission may recommend an artist directly from the Pool, recommend a short-list of artists for interviews or paid proposals, or recommend inviting the artists in the Pool to apply for a limited or open Art Call. Other programs (such as ATPW) utilizing the Pool will work with the Art in Public Places Panel to commission artists. A minimum of three Art in Public Places Panel members will be used as the selection panel to award a commission. Additional Policies - The Austin Art in Public Places program reserves the right to decline all submissions, cancel any qualified list at any time, or commission an artist through another process. - Inclusion in the Pre-Qualified Texas Public Artist Pool does not guarantee a commission. - Additional eligibility criteria may be set for commission selections. Artists or artist teams may only have one active permanent artwork commission contract with the Art in Public Places program at a time. Artists or artist teams awarded commissions outside of Art in Public Places funding will not count against eligibility requirements, excluding artists commissioned outside of AIPP funding (ATPW). - The Pre-Qualified Texas Public Artist Pool may be shared with community members, developers, or entities desiring to commission an artist for a public artwork project, and limited information on artists in the Pre-Qualified Texas Public Artist Pool may be promoted on the City of Austin website. - The Austin Art in Public Places program may open the Pre-Qualified Texas Public Artist Pool for new applicants as needed. |
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| Selection Criteria The Pool will include emerging, mid-career, and established public artists whose applications will be reviewed and juried separately. - Artistic merit, creative capacity, and technical expertise of past work - Applied experience and proficiency in the field of public art - Expressed interest in creating public artwork and working with local communities |
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| Timeline Call Open: June 22, 2026 Call Deadline: August 3, 2026 Artist Notifications: Fall 2026 |
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| Additional Resources | ||||||||||||||
| https://www.austintexas.gov/arts-culture/art-public-places | ||||||||||||||
| RFQ: 2026-2028 AIPP Pre-Qualified Texas Pool (PDF) | ||||||||||||||
| Contact Information | ||||||||||||||
| Rebecca Rende AIPP Coordinator Senior 5202 E Ben White Blvd. Suite 400 Austin TX 78741 United States rebecca.rende@austintexas.gov 512-694-6833 |
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