Websites with Calls for Public Art
- CaFE: Call For Entry Public Art Calls
- publicartist.org
- Americans for the Arts Public Art Opportunities
- IndyArts: List of websites with public art opportunities
Facebook Groups with Calls for Public Art
Last week, Laura interviewed Nikki all about how she has gone big with her art in public spaces like the front of a downtown building (now covered in Nikki’s gorgeous butterflies) and a recent commission she won inside her local airport. This week, Nikki shares her 5 best tips with you so you can go BIG with your art too!
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Download Nikki’s 5 tips for going big with public art
Sign up for our email list to download Nikki’s 5 Tips for Going Big with Public Art and be notified when our weekly episodes are released! Once you sign up, you will be sent straight to the downloads page where you can grab this list and all our other helpful downloads!
Laura
00:06
Hi, this is Laura Lee Griffin.
Nikki
00:08
And this is Nikki May, with the Startist Society, inspiring you to stop getting in your own way and start building an art biz and life that you love.
Laura
00:10
We are artists who believe strongly in the power of community, accountability, following your intuition, taking small actionable steps and breaking down the barriers of fear and procrastination that keep you stuck.
Nikki
00:30
Follow along with us on our creative business journey as we encourage you on yours.
Laura
00:39
Last week, I spoke with Nikki all about going big with your art in public spaces. This week, she’s back to give you her five best tips on getting started. So Nikki, what’s your first tip?
Nikki
00:52
Okay, tip number one is be very visible. Don’t wait for the perfect time and opportunity; put your work out in the world for people to see – on social media, on print on demand sites, in local shows and events. I think it’s probably the print on demand calendars that I’ve been making and selling for the past four or five years that have gotten me the most awareness of my work.
Laura
01:15
Yeah. And they’re beautiful.
Nikki
01:17
Thank you.
Laura
01:17
And a lot of the elements that you’ve used for those you’re now using in your big public art. So it’s an awesome way of leveraging your art.
Nikki
01:27
Yes, and that works perfectly with my second tip, which is something that I say all the time is, don’t get known for work that you don’t want to do. If you want to do murals or other large scale public work, show that kind of work. Don’t wait until someone hires you to do it, paint a mural in your own space, or even just show mock ups like I had to do for these proposals. Only put the kind of work that you want people to associate with you as an artist on your website and social media. And then when you get that first big piece of public art, photograph the heck out of it and share it everywhere.
Laura
02:04
Or go to that restaurant across the street, like we talked about in the last episode, and take lots of pictures every time you’re there.
Nikki
02:11
Yes, yes.
Laura
02:12
All right. What’s your tip number three, Nikki?
Nikki
02:15
Be on the lookout for calls to artists or RFPs – requests for proposal – that you think your work would be appropriate for. You know, they might not just fall in your lap, you might have to search for them. But there are Facebook groups with those kinds of opportunities and lots of websites that list those. And we’ll link to a few of those in the show notes. Just be proactive.
Laura
02:37
Yeah, definitely. And it’s actually kind of funny that we’ve been talking about your airport commission, Nikki, because I used to actually work in an area for a large airline for their clubs that they had, they gave people access. And we used to hire local artists to do big scale panels and murals and things like that inside of those lounges.
Nikki
03:01
Well, why haven’t you gotten me one of those, Laura?
Laura
03:06
So I do have one friend who actually received a large commission and did a fantastic job in that particular lounge. So there, there are definitely opportunities out there. So just you know, keep your your ears and eyes open.
Nikki
03:21
Definitely.
Laura
03:21
All right. So what is your tip number four?
Nikki
03:24
So my fourth tip is a very easy one. Go listen to episode 78 and 79 with AlliK about her vast experience with murals. She has some great advice.
Laura
03:37
Yes, she does. And I think she I think she does like 27 or 28 of them a year if I recall. Crazy. All right. What is your final tip for us today, Nikki?
Nikki
03:49
So my final tip is and this one goes for almost anything that we do and everything we talk about on this podcast. And you can probably guess it: don’t let fear stop you from getting started. Just because you haven’t done it before doesn’t mean you can’t go after an opportunity. You just have to take that first step and each step after that becomes easier and less scary. And if you need some encouragement, talk to us about it.
Laura
04:15
Definitely. Nikki, thanks so much for coming back and sharing your tips on going big in public spaces with us today.
Nikki
04:22
Well, thank you for having me. To get a downloadable PDF of my tips and tricks, visit startistsociety.com/nikkistipsforgoingbig.
Laura
04:32
Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time.
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