Class of 2025 Open Call
Charlotte-Region Cities Program
Thank You
to all who applied!
Our Open Call for the Cities Program Class of 2025 ended on October 13th, 2024 at 11:59pm EST.
Submissions will be blind reviewed by a jury of artists, curators, and community figures based on what will make great public art displays - without knowledge of artists’ names, credentials, or other identifying information.
All applicants will be notified by November 11th, 2024.
Show Your Art in a Big Way!
ArtPop Street Gallery invites artists within the Charlotte-metropolitan region (NC & SC) to apply for our Cities Program Class of 2025 Open Call - an annual juried exhibition which brings the “gallery” to the streets - on billboards, signs, digital displays, and more!
Each year, 20 local artists (19 adults & 1 High School Senior) are showcased on donated public media space valued at $8.5 Million, and receive benefits including Educational Opportunities, Features at Artist Events, a Connection to a Thriving Creative Community, and so much more!
Before applying, artists should read through our Submission Guidelines below for important details, dates, and tips to ensure their application is as strong as possible!
Important Dates:
September 16th, 2024: Open Call Begins
October 13th, 2024 at 11:59pm EST: Application Deadline
November 11, 2024: Applicants are notified by this date
December 2024: Public announcement of the Cities Program Class of 2025
January 2025: Art displays begin installation & continue throughout 2025
HOW TO APPLY
01
Review Submission Guidelines
Before applying, first read all submission requirements below. Age and location requirements, an artist website, approved art content and cropping are all key factors to being accepted to the ArtPop Cities Program.
02
Format Your Artwork File
Use the provided templates to properly crop and format your artwork file.
Images that are uncropped, improperly formatted, or otherwise go against our guidelines are ineligible.
03
Submit Your CaFÉ Application
Applications are exclusively accepted via CaFÉ. After formatting your image file, use the link at the bottom of this page to apply.
Applications closed on October 13th at 11:59pm EST.
Submission Guidelines
↓ Review Before Applying ↓
Artist Eligibility:
Before you prepare to apply, ensure you are eligible by checking each of the requirements below.
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All applicants must reside in one of the following counties:
North Carolina:
• Cabarrus County
• Catawba County
• Cleveland County
• Gaston County
• Iredell County
• Lincoln County
• Mecklenburg County
• Rowan County
• Stanly County
• Union CountySouth Carolina:
• York County
• Lancaster County -
Adult applicants must be 18 years or older.
High School Senior applicants do not need to meet any age requirements, but must be enrolled in their final year of high school, and should be planning to study the arts through higher education following graduation.
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Adult applicants must have both an active artist website and a social media profile related to their artist practice.
High School Senior applicants are required to have a social media profile related to their artist practice, but are not required to have a website.
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Cities Program Alumni Artists must wait three full program years to apply again. Artists from the 2014 - 2021 classes are welcome to apply to the Class of 2025 Open Call.
Note: In an effort to ensure that our programs are serving those artists who will most benefit from it, this will be the final open call in which Cities Program Alumni are eligible to apply. We highly encourage our Cities Program Alumni to learn about ArtPop’s Inspiration Projects division, and sign up to be considered for those opportunities!
Application Checklist
What You’ll Need to Apply:
Cropped & Formatted Artwork File
A digital image file of your artwork which has been cropped & formatted in accordance to our guidelines. If selected, you will need to provide a high-resolution image file of your artwork (both cropped & in its original format) for printing.
Brief Artist Statement
A one-paragraph statement explaining your artwork’s medium & intention, and why you'd like to be in ArtPop's Cities Program.
High School Senior Applicants should also describe their academic plans in the arts.
Artist Social Profile & Website
Adult applicants must have both an active artist website and an artist social media profile. High School Senior applicants are only required to have a social media profile related to their artist practice, but are not required to have a website.
CaFÉ Account
Applications are exclusively accepted through CaFÉ, so you will need to have an active account that is updated with your current contact information. If you don’t currently have a CaFÉ account, you’ll need to sign up for free here before applying.
Application Fee
• $30 for Adult Applicants
• $10 for High School Senior Applicants
Entry fees cover the cost of the CaFÉ application system and some printing expenses for public art displays.
Artwork Requirements:
When preparing to apply, it is crucial to consider how your artwork will look as a sky-high ArtPop Billboard, and our jurors will be do the same when reviewing all submissions.
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Each applicant may submit exactly one (1) original artwork of any medium.
Group and collaborative submissions are not eligible.
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Submitted artworks must be entirely original, and should not include any copyrighted logos, characters, brands, etc. Plagiarized works or copyright infringement will result in removal from the program.
Images created using Generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) are not eligible for submission.
Artworks that were created as paid corporate commission projects are not eligible for submission.
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Submitted artworks must be properly cropped & formatted to be eligible. Use the templates provided below to ensure your file meets the necessary specifications:
• 5MB maximum file size*
• Exact dimensions: 7300px wide x 2200px high, at 300DPI
• Does not include the rectangular "brand panel"*Note: If your artwork is selected for the Cities Program Class of 2025, you will be required to provide high-resolution files of your accepted artwork, both uncropped & cropped.
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Per billboard industry laws and regulations, artworks depicting smoking, nudity, or copyrighted brand images, logos, and characters cannot be selected for the program.
Cropping Your Artwork
Submitted artworks must be pre-cropped to allow each artist to craft how they would like their work to display throughout the Charlotte-metropolitan region. Uncropped submissions will not be accepted.
ArtPop’s artist billboards will also include the artist’s name and ArtPop’s logo within a rectangular “brand panel” on either the left or right side. These are included in the templates for reference, but your submission should not include this brand panel - just your cropped artwork.
Artwork with Panel
❌ Don’t Submit
Uncropped Artwork
❌ Don’t Submit
Cropped Artwork with No Brand Panel
✅ Ready to Submit
Artwork File Templates
To easily format your artwork file, download one of our provided templates & the corresponding template guide:
Use Adobe Photoshop
(Requires Adobe Photoshop software and active subscription)
Use
Canva
(In-Browser option which only requires a free Canva Account)
Need Assistance?
If you are not comfortable with editing programs or are unfamiliar with this process, we recommend you seek out a professional photographer and / or graphic designer who understands the specs so your submission looks its best!
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Eligible submissions are blind-reviewed by a jury of artists, curators, and community figures based on what will make great public art displays.
This jury will review each applicant’s submitted billboard artwork without knowledge of the artist’s name, credentials, or other identifying information.
Applicant artwork is considered both individually and as a group to curate a wide variety of artistic mediums and a collection of artwork that will make an impact through public displays within the greater Charlotte region.
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Yes, applicant artists must provide an application fee ($30 for adults, and $10 for high school seniors).
The application fees collected during our Open Call directly fuels ArtPop's use of the paid CaFÉ service for our Open Call. Any remaining amount will be put towards printing costs for the Cities Program 2025 billboards / displays.
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Applications are due on October 13th, 2024 at 11:59pm.
After the jurying process is complete, all applicants will be notified by November 11th, 2024 via email or phone of whether or not they have been selected.
It is recommended that you don't wait until the last minute to apply. See the Important Dates section to plan ahead!
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No. Artists of all stages in their artistic careers are welcome to apply.
The best fit for the Cities Program is any artist who is actively engaged in creating, connecting with the greater Charlotte-region arts community, and growing their career as an artist!
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Since 2014, ArtPop has featured Charlotte-area artists on regional billboards and public advertising displays through the Cities Program. These artists also receive additional benefits including educational opportunities, features at artist events, and a connection to a thriving creative community! Learn more about artist benefits of the Cities Program.
Because the program is ever growing, there is always potential for even more opportunities to arise (such as art displays outside of the Charlotte region) - these potential opportunities are situational and are never guaranteed.
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• High-Resolution Images - If your artwork is selected for the Cities Program Class of 2025, you will then be required to provide high-resolution image files, both uncropped & cropped, to be used for artist billboards & displays.
• Program Reveal Event - All 20 selected artists are expected to join us on Thursday, December 12th for our private Class of 2025 Reveal Event, where they will be honored and welcomed into the program.
• Social Media Participation - Each month in 2025, Cities Program artists are required to make one public social media feed post about your involvement in the ArtPop Cities Program. Artists will be provided with a Social Media Guide containing content tips and suggestions to make this easy!
• Website Acknowledgement - Selected artists will be required to to add content to your website letting visitors know about your participation in the ArtPop Cities Program, with a clickable link directing them to ArtPopStreetGallery.com.
Still have questions? Get in touch with our team using the Contact page.
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