Minnesota Statewide call for visual artists for digital commissions and coaching

Hennepin Theatre Trust partnered with Clear Channel Outdoor to produce ten works of original artwork by Minnesota-based artists to be featured on digital billboards across the region with messages of hope and gratitude to those who are working on the front lines during the stay-at-home period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eleven artists from diverse backgrounds were selected from the Trust’s broad network of visual artists who participated in the Made Here storefront initiative, a public art project that spanned five years activating vacant commercial storefronts with artistic displays in the Hennepin Theatre District.

The billboards launched on April 15 and the first round of artworks run through May 31 on boards that span the Twin Cities metro area.

Request for Qualifications

With generous support from the Minneapolis Foundation’s OneMPLS Pandemic Response Grants, Hennepin Theatre Trust and Clear Channel Outdoor have partnered to extend the initial pilot with an additional 30 original designs by Minnesota-based creatives.

We are seeking a pool of diverse artists who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to create designs to be displayed on our billboards during the summer of 2020. A diverse panel of artists and arts administrators will select the artists or artist groups to receive a $250 stipend for the new designs. Artists will also have the opportunity to apply for a series of individual coaching sessions additionally at no cost.

The deadline to apply is May 6, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. Follow this link to apply: hennepintheatretrust.org/art-connects-us/.