Applying for public art projects in Chattanooga just got easier

The City of Chattanooga just changed the process to apply for public art projects. Katelyn Kirnie, Director of Public Art Chattanooga, said the aim is to increase applications from local artists and boost awareness of public art opportunities in Chattanooga.

If you’re an artist interested in a commission, here’s what to know:

The new system

Public art opportunities used to sit alongside city construction contracts and other government projects in an online portal. The setup made it difficult for many artists to navigate and find what they were looking for [source said], so the city made a change.

Starting this month, artists can apply for the city’s public art projects on callforentry.org, also called CaFÉ.

CaFÉ functions almost like a social media platform. Artists can sign up to create a profile, display their resumes, and use a search tool to filter opportunities by location and other details. By attaching their portfolio to the profile, artists don’t have to upload their work for each application. And it’s not just for local projects — the site includes public art opportunities nationwide.

Your next project?

The city is accepting applications for the “City Stages” street mural project slated for next year. With all project details in one place, artists can better gauge whether their practice is a good fit for the project goals, said Kirnie. The deadline to apply is Dec. 22.

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Contact Ian-Alijah at ian-alijah@chattamatters.com