The New Children’s Museum announces its biannual Artist Open Call, which generates collaborative and highly participatory artist projects in all media, and hands-on art making opportunities for NCM visitors. Artist Open Call further enhances the NCM visitor experience by bringing the artistic process into the galleries, offering new perspectives on existing works.

Goals of Artist Open Call

• To support project-based opportunities for emerging and established artists
• To provide access to the creative process for NCM visitors
• To create a vibrant forum for artistic experimentation
• To provoke an on-going dialogue about and exploration of existing artworks in NCM exhibitions

Artists may submit proposals for one or more of the following project categories:

• Artist Lens
• Creative Team Residency
• Teen Studio Workshop

Deadline: January 27, 2012

About The New Children's Museum
The New Children’s Museum celebrated the opening of its new home located in downtown San Diego’s Marina District on May 4, 2008. The Museum, an environmentally sustainable building designed by architect Rob Wellington Quigley, provides a dynamic, playful public space and community center for children and families—a place to experience exciting art exhibitions, hands-on studio projects, performances, birthday parties, in-depth classes, camps, and educational programs. Across the street from the new building is a beautiful park, extending the museum visit outdoors with space for running, climbing, family picnics and a view of the trolley going by.

The New Children’s Museum opened just in time to meet an urgent community need, providing early exposure to the visual arts at a time when arts curriculum is increasingly cut from schools. And with a focus on sustainability, The New Children’s Museum provides an environment that encourages active minds, healthy bodies and unstructured play.

Blending elements of art museum, children’s museum, and community center, NCM is a new model of a museum that creates versatile opportunities for an audience of children and families to experience the visual arts. NCM empowers children to think, play, and create by commissioning contemporary artists to create installations that are presented in an approachable environment — integrating the best programmatic aspects of both art and children’s museums to create an environment that serves an audience of toddler to teen. The Museum experience features innovative, provocative artworks that kids can touch, climb, or move; hands-on art making opportunities; and a variety of arts-based classes and camps.

Instead of cultivating a permanent collection, the Museum aspires to impact the field of both art museums and children’s museums by helping artists to create works of art that are suitable for display in both of these environments.

General Considerations for an Artist Open Call Submission
Artists interested in creating an original project for The New Children’s Museum are required to visit the Museum before submitting a proposal. Artist proposals must take into account the participatory nature of all artwork exhibited at NCM, as well as the unique audience.
The Museum’s mission to commission contemporary artists to create works of art and hands-on art making opportunities that are meaningful to an audience of families and children. This unique vision involves areas of special consideration; much like those artists must work within when creating art for the public realm. All commissioned projects, in all media, must engage the core concepts of participatory art in an approachable environment. It is our highest ideal that all art on view at NCM will serve as an invitation to engage new ideas and will facilitate meaningful play and learning experiences. All of the artists’ installations and projects are of a caliber appropriate to the highest art museum standards.

Artist Open Call proposals will be assessed with the following general criteria in mind:

• Appropriateness to NCM audience
• Participatory nature and approachability
• Overall professional quality and aesthetic of work
• Ability to accomplish an artwork for public presentation or develop a hands-on workshop in a timely manner and within a designated budget, as demonstrated by previous experience
• Wide range of media represented among the artists selected
• Interpretive potential
• Child-proofing and safety
• Durability of materials
• Maintenance or renewal process for a 3-6 month timeline

Additional Artist Open Call Participation Requirements

• A minimum of two blog entries describing and documenting your creative process and your experience engaging with NCM’s public
• Participants must consent to a video interview with NCM staff to record and document each project

back to top

Project Categories

Applying To The Program
To apply to participate in NCM’s Artist Open Call, please submit the following items:

Artist Lens Proposals

• Letter addressing interest in NCM and chosen artwork in TRASH exhibition
• Resume detailing education, work, teaching experience, gallery showings, and/or exhibitions.
• Photographs or digital images (10 or less) of past work with title, date, medium for each image.
• Project proposal (2 pages max). All proposals should address how the project will illuminate one of more aspects of the chosen artwork in TRASH and how it will engage NCM’s unique audience.
• Budget detailing materials and fabrication expenses and artist fees not to exceed $2000.

Creative Team Residency Proposals

• Letter addressing interest in NCM and participation in Creative Team project development.
• Resume detailing education, work, teaching experience, gallery showings, and/or exhibitions.
• Photographs or digital images (10 or less) of past work with title, date, medium for each image.
• Hands-on studio workshop proposal (2 pages max). Proposal should include description of how workshop responds to original artwork, detailed instructions for completing project with accompanying images for each step, and budget outlining material expenses/sources to accommodate 20 participants.

Teen Studio Workshop Proposals

• Letter addressing interest in NCM and working with a teen audience.
• Resume detailing education, work, teaching experience, gallery showings, and/or exhibitions.
• Photographs or digital images (10 or less) of past work with title, date, medium for each image.
• Hands-on workshop proposal (2 pages max). Proposal should address why the technique explored is relevant and meaningful for a teen audience, and include a detailed lesson plan, materials list, and budget to accommodate 20 participants.

Applicants are required to visit NCM before applying. Additionally, we strongly encourage all applicants to attend one of the following informational sessions at the Museum:

Thursday, December 15, 5pm
Thursday, January 12, 5pm

Critical information about each project category will be disseminated at these sessions. Applicants will also be able to review successful examples of past projects and ask questions about the application process. Please RSVP to info sessions at lpopp@thinkplaycreate.org.
 
Mail application to:
Lauren Popp
Assistant Curator, Exhibitions
The New Children’s Museum
200 West Island Ave.
San Diego, CA 92101
or lpopp@thinkplaycreate.org

Postmark Deadline: January 27, 2011

Please note: Email submissions must not exceed 10MB in size. All submissions will be reviewed in a timely manner and artists under consideration will be contacted for an interview.

back to top