Experiments in Public Art: Community Assembly

Experiments in Public Art presents an ongoing series of temporary public interventions which serves as a city-wide laboratory expanding the potential of public art. Unlike a traditional public art commission, Experiments in Public Art projects are as much an experiment for the community as they are opportunities for artists to work within unconventional parameters. Participating artists are selected, in part, by incorporating concepts and materials that extend beyond the notion of traditional public art. 

As part of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP), the City of Boulder is issuing a call for artists to design, implement, and facilitate socially engaged projects in 2025. The artistic output will be used to memorialize the project on the public website, in presentations to community members, and to planners within the city, both in-person and in digital formats.

2025 Experiments in Public Art presents: Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP) Community Assembly 

Introduction 

Experiments in Public Art presents an ongoing series of temporary public interventions which serves as a city-wide laboratory expanding the potential of public art. Unlike a traditional public art commission, Experiments in Public Art projects are as much an experiment for the community as they are opportunities for artists to work within unconventional parameters. Participating artists are selected, in part, by incorporating concepts and materials that extend beyond the notion of traditional public art.  

The Call 

As part of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP), the City of Boulder is issuing a call for artists to design, implement, and facilitate a socially engaged project in 2025. The artistic output will be used to memorialize the project on the public website, in presentations to community members, and to planners within the city, both in-person and in digital formats. The artistic output should be appropriate for and accessible to people of all ages, cultural backgrounds, religious and political affiliations, and educational levels.  

The goal of this call is to interpret and translate the outcomes of the process to foster a deeper understanding of the Community Assembly process and what was recommended by the members. The artist will attend the community assembly meetings as an observer with the purpose of gathering content and inspiration to inform their creation. 

The Community Assembly 

The city and county will try a Community Assembly for the first time. The assembly will gather 48 randomly selected community members that broadly represent the Boulder community to find reasoned and/or common ground around complex issues and give clear recommendations to policy makers. In turn, policy makers are expected to incorporate the Assembly’s advice and recommendations into their decisions, including the adopted Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan, “to the best extent possible.” The topic of the Community Assembly will be “Fifteen-minute neighborhoods,” an urban planning concept where residents can access most of their daily needs, like work, shopping, schools, healthcare, and leisure activities, within a 15-minute safe walk, roll or bike ride from their home, aiming to create more localized, vibrant, self-sufficient neighborhoods and reduce car dependency by prioritizing walking and cycling infrastructure. The Assembly will have the opportunity to create a tailored vision and roadmap for 15-minute neighborhoods in Boulder. See more here: https://bouldercolorado.gov/news/heads-december-20-2024 and here: https://bouldercolorado.gov/community-assembly 

“These gatherings [assemblies] do what most democracies only pretend to: trust normal people to make decisions on difficult policy questions… The model reflects the striking idea that fundamental problems of politics – polarization, apathy, manipulation by special interests – can be transformed through radically direct democracy (New Yorker).” 

The Community Assembly will meet on May 3, 31, August 23, September 6, 20, October 4, 18 2025 from approximately 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the East Boulder Community Center (EBCC) unless otherwise notified.

Expected Call Process (after the call closes) 

• Artist selection will be made by a panel of representatives from the City’s planning, arts and culture, and community engagement offices using the criteria listed below.
• The City of Boulder will contract with one artist or artist team for each BVCP opportunity, and they will be required to secure General liability insurance (a template Certificate of Insurance will be supplied by the city to facilitate this process). Deliverables, payment schedule, and privacy agreements will be set-up in the contract.
• A project plan will be finalized with the community engagement team before engaging with the Community Assembly.
• Project implementation and documentation will commence based on the project plan.
• Project is completed including all deliverables, and final payment is sent.

Project proposals are scored on the following criteria. Please address these in your letter of intent: 

• Connections to Boulder
• Artistic and socially-engaged experience
• Creative and methodological approach
• Clarity of the intended artistic output and impact on raising community consciousness about the Community Assembly experience/experiment and outcomes

Please direct all questions about the project to Rachel Cain at cainr1@bouldercolorado.gov. 

Please read this section carefully. Incomplete applications will NOT be considered.  

Letter of Intent—Please submit a letter of interest outlining your proposed project scope and why it would be a good fit for this call (two-page maximum). Please name your file accordingly: Last name.First initial_LOI(i.e. Smith.J_LOI.pdf).  This statement should include: 

• Brief summary of your artistic practice and process
• Explanation of your project
• Any technical, venue, or staff support needs you have and what additional information you need for context and to prepare you for your project
• The expected artistic outcome of your project and the input it will create for the BVCP

Digital Images—In order to be considered for this project, the applicant must submit 4 images or (links to) videos of previously completed projects. Please include important information to help contextualize the images/videos. 

Résumé—Include a one to two page current résumé that highlights your professional accomplishments as an artist. Teams may submit one resume with one to two pages per team member. Please name your file accordingly: Last name.First initial_Resume(i.e. Smith.J_resume.pdf).   

Project Budget: Project proposals should include a simple budget not to exceed $20,000. The panel members will review each budget to ensure it seems reasonable. Please name your file accordingly: Last name.First initial_Budget(i.e. Smith.J_Budget.pdf). This budget should include all costs associated with the project including, but not limited to:  

• Artist’s fee
• Digital documentation fee (photography/videography)
• Material and consumable expenses
• Travel expenses
• Lodging in Boulder, if needed
• Per diem expenses
• Contingency to cover unexpected expenses
• And any other associated costs

Eligibility 

This opportunity is open regionally (the mountain west) although priority will be given to artists with connections to Boulder, Colorado. Artists working in a wide variety of media are encouraged to apply. Anticipated disciplines include poetry/spoken word, choreography/dance, film, oral history, cultural instigation/interruption, and education. Representatives from BIPOC, LGBTQAI+, multi-generational partnerships, multi-lingual, and other historically marginalized communities are highly sought after.