City Brights III 2025

City Brights III
Call for Artists: Temporary Light Installations

Submit Proposal

Deadline: August 5, 2025 at 4:00 p.m.

City Brights III is an opportunity offered under the City’s In-Sight Temporary Public Art program that aims to activate Albuquerque’s downtown with light-based artworks in the winter months. Up to ten sites will be lit up with installations, architectural light interventions, light sculptures, performance, projections, and more Winter 2025-2026.

Albuquerque’s Department of Arts & Culture and the Public Art Program invites local artists to submit proposals for small and large scale site-specific, temporary public art installations that will activate downtown spaces with light. Artists may propose sites they are interested in activating, or sites may be coordinated through the Public Art Program. Artists are encouraged to challenge traditional artistic mediums and explore unconventional digital or light affects; all projects must include light as a primary element. In commemoration of the historic Route 66 Centennial projects, installations that innovatively celebrate this storied stretch of highway through downtown Albuquerque will receive special consideration. Up to ten projects will be selected.

Public Art Program staff and consultants are available throughout the project to mentor artists in making excellent proposals to the open call and supporting selected artists in the execution, documentation, and promotion of their artworks. Public Art Program staff are not part of the committee and are available to help all artists through the process.

All projects will be promoted as part of the In-Sight Temporary Public Art program and documented photographically for inclusion in the City’s permanent collection. An in-person proposal development workshop will be offered prior to the application deadlines for submission.

Project Intent/Theme

The objectives of the City Brights project is to connect artists interested in using new technologies for art-centered engagement:

• Innovatively celebrate historic Route 66 in commemoration of the Centennial.
• Develop quality public light-based artworks that exhibit a wide range of artistic styles and disciplines.
• Support diverse local artists, especially emerging artists, in the management of a small-scale public art project.
• Provide opportunities for artists to advance professional and creative skills.
• Enliven downtown sites with short-term installations of contemporary light-based public art.
• Build a program that projects radiance through form, content, and process.
• Encourage dialogue about the power of art to build community.

Project Timeline

• June 2025: Post Call for Artists
• August 5, 2025: Artist Proposals due
• August 18, 2025: Art Selection Committee Selects Artists
• August 29, 2025: Artists Notified
• November 2025 – Winter 2026: Light installations installed at downtown sites (project launch dates may vary due to complexities of installation, etc.)

Eligibility and Funding

Eligible artists must reside in Albuquerque and be 18 years of age and older. Awards are divided into small and large, based on the site and scale of the proposed project. Awards are in the amount of up to $5,000, and up to $10,000, and should be used by the artist to cover all materials, equipment, transportation, labor, engineering, and artist design fee. City Brights 2019 and City Brights II participating artists may apply with new project proposals or with significantly altered projects from previous installations.

Criteria

Artistic light experiences must be accomplished through innovative design and materials, craftsmanship, appropriateness to theme and character of the site. The artists must demonstrate their ability to successfully complete their project based on:

• Previous achievements and/or future promise in the arts
• Evidence of financial project planning through a project budget
• Technical competence and craft experience
• Feasibility of the proposed work, including:
  • Durability, public safety, and maintenance
• Artistic merit of the proposed work, including:
  • Idea to be conveyed, suitability of media to idea, visual impact and relationship to existing physical and social setting, including size and scale
• Artists are allowed to submit up to two proposals.

Site Information

Artwork must be proposed for sites in the broader downtown corridor, generally 1^st to 10^th Streets and Copper to Silver Streets. Proposals for sites not owned by the city must be accompanied by a signed letter of agreement from the landowner/tenant who will host the proposed artwork. Placement and installation of approved projects will be overseen by the Artist with support from assigned Public Art Program staff.

Project Tiers

Up to ten sites/installations projects will be funded within two project tiers as described in the attachment:

• Small Tier: up to $5,000 project budget
  • Smaller scale light project that may be ready to install within a short time frame or require additional time and funds to source lighting components and install the project.
• Large Tier: up to $10,000 project budget
  • Large scale light project will require time and funds to source lighting components and install the project.

Each award amount should be used by the artist to cover all materials, equipment, transportation, labor, engineering, and artist design fee.

Proposal Workshops

A free workshop will be made available to prospective applicants. The proposal process will be reviewed in-depth and the qualities of potential sites will be discussed. Applicants will have a chance to brainstorm ideas, ask questions, and get feedback.

Workshop – in person: Wednesday, June 25, 5:30 pm / Gallery One, 1 Civic Plaza NW, Suite 1400, Albuquerque, NM 87102

Liability and Documentation

Responsibility for the artwork, including installation, loss or damage of the artwork due to vandalism, and clean-up/de-installation, is assumed by the artist. Artists will need to sign a contract. The City will not own any materials utilized for the installations.

• Artists are required to submit (1) professional quality printed photograph of the installed/activated temporary public artwork (minimum 12” x 14”),
• (2) digital photographs of the installed/activated temporary public artwork, and
• A 1,000 word project description to the Public Art Program coordinator, within 30 days of the project’s completion.

Artists are encouraged (but not required) to submit video, drawings and/or other media documenting the project.

Notification

All selected artists will be notified by email by August 29, 2025.

Media/Press Releases

The Department of Arts & Culture and the Public Art Program will promote City Brights through various press networks, social media, and public mailing lists. The Public Art Program must be notified of any artist-initiated media releases prior to distribution. All publicity must acknowledge that the project is funded by the Albuquerque Department of Arts & Culture.

Payment

Payment will depend on the Project Tier of the site and scale of the proposed project. Payment will be made to artists in two phases: 85% of the project amount upon signature of the contract, and the remaining 15% of the project amount upon the Public Art Program’s receipt and approval of the project narrative and professional quality photographic documentation of the temporary installation and/or performance.

Submission Materials – Due by August 5, 2025, 4:00 pm via the Public Art Program online application link at CODAWorx: www.codaworx.com/rfp/rfp-detail/city-brights-iii-call-for-artists-a-temporary-art-project-of-the-city-of-albuquerque-public-art-prog

• Letter of Intent (brief project description)
  
  
• Project Proposal – Please combine information below into one PDF formatted document:
  • Project Proposal: including a description of the work, its conceptual intent, how the project engages the site; a description of the intended audience experience is required. A site-specific preliminary sketch or digital mock-up is optional but encouraged. Please note whether the proposed project currently exists or if it is a new idea. Also note whether your proposal is stationary and can be consistently viewed for a 2-3 month period or if it is a performative work that will be on view during First Friday Downtown Artwalks.
    
    
  • Resume: including relevant work history (no more than 3 pages). If an artist team is applying, additional artists' resumes may be included. 
    
    
  • Site Request: proposed site for the light installation project. Please advise if contact with a downtown space has been established and if permission has been granted to install a City Brights project in this space. If so, please include a signed letter of agreement from the landowner/tenant who will host the proposed artwork. Assistance may be available to connect and coordinate an artist with an appropriate downtown business or city building. 
  • Budget: proposed budget of anticipated expenses, not to exceed $10,000.
    
    
• 5-10 images or video of previous work (images: 1MB max each, JPG format / video 3 minute maximum, MP4 format) with image key including title, date completed, dimensions (if variable, list as 00) or duration, and up to 150 words of additional information. Renderings of the proposed project may also be included.

All submission materials should be submitted electronically and uploaded to the Public Art Program online application at CODAWorx: www.codaworx.com/rfp/rfp-detail/city-brights-iii-call-for-artists-a-temporary-art-project-of-the-city-of-albuquerque-public-art-prog

For technical questions or issues, email: [email protected]. Emails regarding technical issues received after noon the day of the deadline may not receive support or a reply before the deadline of 4:00pm that day.

Submission Deadline

The deadline for proposal application is Tuesday, August 5, 2025, 4:00 pm.

Questions

Questions about the project may be directed to the Albuquerque Public Art Program: 505-768-3804 or by email at [email protected].

For information about the Albuquerque Department of Arts & Culture

and the Public Art Program, visit

www.cabq.gov/artsculture and www.cabq.gov/publicart.