Un-monument Call to Artists

For the second year of Un-monument, the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture, via the Boston Art Commission, is commissioning temporary monuments from groundbreaking artists. 

Through partnerships with artists and celebrated cultural organizations, Un-monument is presented through a series of interconnected activations including public art, free public talks at The Embrace with the Hutchins Center, writing with the Boston Art Review, and hands-on workshops at Emerson Contemporary. 

The Un-monument initiative includes six curatorial approaches to commissioning temporary monuments across the City.  Some Un-monument temporary monuments will be selected through this open call to artists led by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture. Others are the result of direct commissions by five organizations serving as curatorial partners:

• Boston Public Art Triennial
• Emerson Contemporary
• National Center of Afro-American Artists
• North American Indian Center of Boston
• Pao Arts Center

This open call ensures that this opportunity is available to all artists. With multiple curators, we hope to create opportunities for more perspectives to join the conversation. Commissioning local organizations also supports Boston’s creative ecosystem and allows for participation in this dialogue at multiple levels.

In this Call to Artists, we present two distinct opportunities for artists, as well as an opportunity for writers led by Boston Art Review.

Artist Opportunity 1: Temporary Monuments

We are looking for proposals from artists or artist-led teams for new temporary monuments, as well as “un-monuments” that are socially responsive and transform public places to reflect the city’s cultural vibrancy in dialogue with Boston’s collection of existing monuments during summer and fall of 2025. All temporary monuments must all be free and accessible to the public in Boston. Projects may be proposed in any City of Boston neighborhood.

Artist Opportunity 2: Projection Mapping Artist Workshop

As part of Un-monument, Emerson Contemporary is hosting a Projection Mapping workshop designed to support artists in gaining access to the skills and technology needed to either translate previous work, or create new work by integrating projection with 2D works, sculpture, installation, performance, and public art practices. Participants should have a base knowledge of creating digital and/or moving-image works in the medium of their choice.

Writing Opportunity: Boston Art Review

Boston Art Review is pleased to be serving as an Un-monument partner through providing opportunities for writers to research, write, and publish work about the projects and ideas that are being developed through the Un-monument initiative. Boston Art Review is inviting writers to submit their interest for receiving an assignment that will be commissioned either in January or March 2025. While writers are welcome to submit pitches for specific stories, it is not a requirement. Selected writers will be invited to pitch or receive an assignment based on the materials submitted in this application. Deadlines: Saturday, November 30; Tuesday, January 7; and Wednesday, March 12. To learn more and apply, visit the Boston Art Review website.

The following criteria will be used to review all applications:

Opportunity 1: Temporary Monuments

• Project proposals must be artist-led.
• This opportunity is open to all artists, including individuals, for-profit businesses, and nonprofits. 
• All applications must be submitted through Submittable by the deadline. No late submissions will be accepted.  

Opportunity 2: Projection Mapping Artist Workshop

• This opportunity is open to all professional artists, including individuals, for-profit businesses and nonprofits.

Virtual Question and Answer Sessions:

Join us for a Virtual Question and Answer session on Monday, December 9, 2024 at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET

Join the Zoom

We also welcome written questions until Monday, December 9, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. You can email questions to unmonument@boston.gov with the subject “Un-monument: Call to Artists”. All questions and answers will be posted on this page following the written question deadline.

The deadline to apply to either opportunity is Monday, January 13, 2025, at 5 p.m. ET. Please read the full project background before applying.

Apply for Temporary Monuments

Apply for Projection Mapping Workshop