Call for artistic proposals

Dlectricity is Detroit’s festival of art + light that showcases site-specific installations by established and emerging artists from the US and around the world. DLECTRICITY is pleased to announce the 2020 open call for entries.

Up to 25 site-specific, outdoor projects for Midtown Detroit’s Woodward Corridor and DTE Beacon Park will be selected through this call. Dlectricity is looking for high-quality projects that will activate the outdoor, nighttime landscape of Midtown Detroit’s Woodward Corridor including: light installations / video art / 3d video mapping projections /  multimedia installations / interactive and community engaging technology / artificial intelligence and robotics / works that utilize mobile platforms (smart phones, tablets) / performance (art, dance, theatre, music) / talks and workshops / kid-friendly and/or educational experiences /  creative and/or interactive marketing experiences for the festival / the unexpected

The DLECTRICITY Curatorial Committee, including Detroit-based curators and arts professionals, will select the winning projects. The committee consists of:

Taylor Aldridge: Curator, writer and co-founder of ARTS.BLACK
Abir Ali: Architect and designer, Detroit
Larry Baranski: Director of Public Programs, Detroit Institute of Arts
Annmarie Borucki: Director of Arts & Culture, Midtown Detroit, Inc. and Director of DLECTRICITY
Pat Elifritz: Curator of New Media and Technology, MOCAD
Atiim J. Funchess: Assistant Director for Marketing, Detroit Public Library
Chrisstina Hamilton: Director of Visitor’s Programs, Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan
Megan Heeres: Beacon Park Manager, DTE Beacon Park
Laura Mott: Senior Curator of Contemporary Art and Design, Cranbrook Art Museum
George N’Namdi: Owner, N’Namdi Center of Contemporary Art
Scott Northrup: Assistant Professor, Entertainment Arts, College for Creative Studies
Marc Schwartz: Founder, Art Detroit Now and Curatorial Committee Chair of DLECTRICITY
Reggie Woolery: Director of Education, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

Criteria for selection will include creativity, innovation and suitability for display at DLECTRICITY. Accepted projects will be funded up to 4,000 USD. Artists will also receive a 1,000 USD honorarium.

Anyone can apply via our online Slideroom application found here. The closing date for applications is March 3, 2020 at 11:59pm EST. The selected projects will be announced in May 2020.

DLECTRICITY is a biennial Nuit Blanche festival that was last launched in the fall of 2017, transforming the iconic Midtown Detroit neighborhood into a spectacular nighttime environment of temporary public art. 150,000 people attended the 2017 festival. DLECTRICITY is produced by Midtown Detroit, Inc., a nonprofit planning and development agency charged with the revitalization of Detroit’s Midtown District.

DLECTRICITY will commission projects by local, national and international artists of acclaim to exhibit alongside projects selected from the Open Call. Over two nights, a broad and diverse audience will see Midtown Detroit’s buildings and architecture in a new light. DLECTRICITY is scheduled for September 25–26, 2020. 

More information about the DLECTRICITY open call including full application guidelines are available at DLECTRICITY.com.