11 Artist Opportunities in Metro Phoenix

Whether you’re a fine artist or casual crafter, you may find that at least one of these calls for art is well-matched to your interests. We’ve found all sorts of opportunities, from  painting a piano for a local performing arts center to creating a Christmas wreath for an alternative theater. So check these out if you’re feeling creative.

Street Pianos Mesa
Mesa Arts Center is seeking artists or artist teams to paint pianos as part of Play Me, I’m Yours, which is an international touring artwork by British artist Luke Jerram. Commissioned artists will “work closely with assigned local community groups to design and transform pianos into works of art” that will be placed in public settings. Mesa Arts Center will select artists for more than 20 pianos, and is awarding one $500 honorarium per piano. Qualified artists should submit RFQ entries by December 1. Find more information on the Mesa Arts Center website.

Public Art Sculpture
The City of Avondale is seeking proposals from professional sculpture artists for works of public art to be permanently displayed on 5-foot by 5-foot art pads located at the Avondale City Center. There are no height or weight restrictions, and the budget for these works will be determined after proposals are submitted. Applications are due at 5 p.m. on December 3. Find more information on the City of Avondale website.

Tiny Works
{9} The Gallery and Artelshow are seeking submissions for an exhibition of hanging works no larger than 12-inches by 12-inches for a December 4-15 exhibition titled "Tiny Works/Tiny Dances." CONDER/dance will present Ten Tiny Dances during the opening reception. Artists are encouraged to submit up to five works for consideration. The submission deadline is November 23. Find more information on the {9} The Gallery website.  

House, Habitat, Home
ASU’s College of Public Service & Community Solutions is seeking paintings, photographs, drawings, and mixed media works that “consider and explore the ideas of habitat and home, what these mean to others, and the way we view the lives of all creatures.” Selected works will be featured in a future ASU Downtown Campus Community Art Exhibition. Applications are due November 13. Find more information on the ASU College of Public Service & Community Solutions website.

GRAPH(feeties)
A new zine focused on true stories of “walking, strolling, rambling, and other forms of self-propulsion” is looking for poetry, cartoons, comics, lyric prose, collage, black and white photography — or anything else it can legibly reproduce in black and white on a 5.5-inch by 8.5-inch page. Submissions for the inaugural issue are due by January 1, 2016. Find more information on Rebecca Fish Ewan’s website.

Cats & Guitars
Show producer Kate Benjamin is looking for original works of art or design that contain images of, or references, a cat and a guitar (or, ukulele, banjo, mandolin, lute, bass guitar, or guitar case) for an upcoming exhibition at Chartreuse gallery. Artworks in various media — including oil, watercolor, acrylic, graphite, charcoal, pastels, photography, ceramics, printmaking, textile, mixed media, video, sculpture (and real guitars) — are welcome. Works offered for sale are subject to a 50 percent gallery commission. Submissions are due on November 15. Find more information the Hauspanther website.

Public Safety Memorial
The City of Tempe invites professional figurative sculpture artists to submit qualifications to create a site-specific public safety memorial honoring Tempe firefighters, police officers, and police canines who have lost their lives in the line of duty. A pre-submittal session takes place on Tuesday, November 17. The budget for this memorial, which will be placed at Tempe Beach Park, is $250,000 to $350,000. The submission deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, November 23. Find more information on the City of Tempe website.

TechShop Residency
Techshop Chandler is looking for artists in residence for its spring 2016 (January to May) cycle. Artists in residence work on projects that are shared with the TechShop community, and have 24-hour access to the TechShop’s 18,000-square-foot community workspace equipped with a wood shop, machining shop, electronics equipment, textiles equipment, and more. The TechShop selects two to four artists in residence each cycle. Artists in residence will be featured in an upcoming group exhibition at Vision Gallery. The deadline to apply is midnight on November 15. Find more information on the Vision Gallery website.

Portmanteau
Artelshow, best known for presenting a multi-day art event/exhibit called ArtelPhx at the Clarendon Hotel, is looking for works to feature in another exhibition — a salon-style show called “Portmenteau.” Artists can submit up to five works for consideration, which can be either wall-hanging works or sculpture. Works should relate to the show’s theme. A “Portmanteau” comprises or combines two or more separate aspects or qualities, but can also refer to a type of suitcase. All works must be for sale (artists receive 60 percent of sale price). Submissions are due by 11:11 p.m. on Monday, November 30. Find more information on the Artelshow website.

Visualize the Future
The Arizona Partnership for Immunization is seeking digital photographs by young photographers (ages 13 to 26) which portray “upbeat thoughts, favorable actions, healthy lives, and successful futures of and for Arizona’s teens.” Entries will be featured, and prizes awarded (including $300 for first place), at a photography exhibition at Oasis on Grand during December First Friday. Framed images will be sold for $35 with proceeds benefiting the Arizona Partnership for Immunization. Images are due at 5 p.m. on Monday, November 16. Find more information on the Arizona Partnership for Immunization website. 

Wreck the Halls
Alternative theater Space 55 is seeking “wild and wacky” Christmas wreaths, which will be judged by “A Bloody Mary Christmas” audience members. The winning wreath’s maker will be announced on January 2, 2016 — and the winning creative-type will receive $25 cash, free show passes, and “super-secret schwag.” It’ll cost you a $5 donation to enter your wreath, which has to be no more than 24” and ready to hang. There's no deadline—but wreaths have to be delivered between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. on December 2 or 3. Find more information on the Space 55 Facebook page.