neighborhood art initiative (nai) | request for applications

Release Date: April 25, 2025

Budget: $209,000 allocated for the program, with project amounts varying based on factors such as scale and location. Project budgets are designated solely for design and fabrication of the public art pieces. The selection committee will choose 3-5 neighborhoods. In addition to funding the production and installation of the artwork, UAC provides project management support throughout the process.

Deadline: June 02, 2025 at 11:59 pm

Eligibility: Any neighborhood organizations/associations, CDCs,  nonprofits and community leaders or persons with exemplary neighborhood pride - located within the City of Memphis.

program background

The UrbanArt Commission (UAC) works to create opportunities for artists and neighborhoods to connect and shape spaces through public art. Since 2002, UAC has managed the City of Memphis’s Percent-for-Art program, which allocates funds annually to develop public art in connection to capital improvement projects. UAC also manages grant-funded and privately-funded public art projects. See examples of past and in-progress UAC projects here

The Neighborhood Art Initiative was initially launched in 2019 with generous support from the Assisi Foundation. UAC believes that creative expression has the power to unlock opportunity and transform communities, and the Neighborhood Art Initiative enables community organizations and leaders to incorporate public art into their ongoing initiatives and neighborhood-level work. UAC is proud to launch the fourth round of the Neighborhood Art Initiative program to continue this work through the City's percent-for-art program. Project budgets will be determined based on the scale of the artwork during the discovery phase of the selected neighborhood projects. In addition to funding the production and installation of the artwork, UAC provides project management support throughout the process (please see Project Expectations below). 

Neighborhood Art Initiative (NAI) is a neighborhood-led collaborative program for residents, partners, organizers, and artists to shape the creation of public art in their communities and shared spaces. NAI supports neighborhood engagement and social connections throughout Memphis, as well as experiences with public art. 

program objectives (includes but not limited to)

  • Be responsive to and facilitate neighborhood’s wants, needs, and goals by creating public art that is unique to the characteristics and values of that neighborhood through committee and engagement activities

  • Promote equitable distribution of public art projects and resources throughout Memphis neighborhoods

  • Align with Memphis 3.0 goals and objectives - where appropriate. 

    • “The Memphis 3.0 Comprehensive Plan calls for redevelopment and reinvestment in anchor areas in the core city and neighborhoods, connectivity of people, jobs, businesses, and infrastructure, and expanding equity and opportunity to communities across the City.”

    •  https://www.memphis3point0.com/   


  • Encourage inclusivity by starting conversations with residents before and during the art project’s site and funding are allocated.

  • Vitalize new resident networks and strengthen existing relationships in neighborhoods 

  • Prioritize an intentional focus on cultural assets and equitable representation across Memphis neighborhoods  

Read more about the Neighborhood Art Initiative’s program goals, vision and mission.

scope of work

UAC and the NAI selection committee express an interest in applicants whose goals are to enrich public spaces by highlighting neighborhood identity and history while addressing the objectives of the neighborhoods’ residents. This application is open to:  

  • Neighborhood-invested groups/associations, Community Development Corporations (CDCs), non-profits, grassroots constituent-led organizations that are using direct-action, community organizing and base-building strategies to accomplish their goals and arts organizations.

  • Neighborhood-led programs/initiatives (community garden, after school program, etc.)

  • Individual applicants who have identified project partners at the time of application within the neighborhood.

Note: It is not necessary to submit a fully developed idea for a public art project. Applicants may choose to submit rough ideas, to be developed in detail with UAC.

UAC is committed to equity and inclusion in our work, both in the artists and neighborhoods supported through the development of public art. UAC is especially interested in applications from neighborhoods which have not recently received city public art projects. People of color, differently-abled persons, indigenous peoples, youth, LGBTQ+, seniors, and women are strongly encouraged to apply.

project expectations

Neighborhoods will be selected based on the expressed support of their partners and community members, the strength of their application and the potential added value of public art to the identity of the neighborhood. Selected applicants will work closely with UAC to develop these projects and support neighborhood organizing and engagement throughout the public art process. 

All NAI projects funded by the City of Memphis must be installed on City-owned property. Applicants may propose a site in their neighborhood or work with UAC to find an appropriate site following the acceptance of their application. The site must be publicly visible and accessible. Applicants may propose a specific artist/s to produce the project or work with UAC to identify artists or facilitate an open call.

The selected community group shall be expected to participate in a committee that will work closely with a UAC project manager on all phases of the project.

The  UAC team will support in the following ways: 

  • Host public art workshops and meetings for the selected neighborhoods

  • Provide guidance to the neighborhood groups in selecting the artwork, artist, and site

  • Organize an artist selection process (announce a competition, manage submissions, etc.) as needed

  • Manage the public art project budget as approved by PAOC including costs associated with administrative materials, site preparation, the final artwork, and maintenance 

  • Be an active UAC representative throughout the selected neighborhoods, supporting resident-centered events and learning more about unique characteristics of each neighborhood


PRELIMINARY TIMELINE

  • April 2025 - June 2025

    • Open NAI applications

    • Review Applications, Interview Finalists

    • Select Neighborhoods


  • June 2025- August 2025 

    • Creation of each neighborhood selection committee 

    • UAC works with selected neighborhoods to build calls to artists

    • Neighborhood Discovery (Confirm site location, continue the public art process)


  • September 2025- November 2025

    • Launch Neighborhood Calls to Artists

    • Commission Artists (Begin Artwork Design Phase) 

  • November 2025 - March 2026

    • Begin Art Production Phase

*Project installation and completion varies greatly depending on a number of factors including - site constraints, materials access, scheduling issues, etc.

nai program selection committee

Arlinda Cathey, Director of DEI Programs & Community Engagement-National Civil Rights Museum; Atlantis Warren, Community Engagement Manager- City of Memphis Parks Division;  Chooch Pickard- A2H Architect; Jo Ann Street: Friends of HUG Park; Judith S Brantley, East Memphis resident;  Kathy Temple, Executive Director- The Time Is Now Douglass Redevelopment Corporation;  Kirkwood Vangeli, Streets and Public Spaces Manager-  Memphis Medical District; Dr. Peter Buckley, Chancellor-UT Health Science Center; Ricky Fuller, Nutbush Berclair CDC, Executive Director- Rec Therapist of Tennessee; Sara Barrera, Economic Development Manager- Downtown Memphis Commission; Shanette Parks, Creative Consultant & Wellness Coach - The Art of Self Care, INC.

Developing public art is a collaborative process. Upon identifying project funding and/or a site, a selection committee is convened. Each project has its own distinct selection committee, consisting of at least 2 practicing visual artists or arts professionals, 2 neighborhood representatives, an architect or structural engineer, and other key stakeholders as well as a non-voting member, City of Memphis engineer. The selection committee determines a project’s ‘scope of work’, reviews artist submissions, provides feedback to the selected artist and finalists, selects artists for projects, and approves all design, fabrication and installation benchmarks. UAC is a non-voting facilitator on all projects. All decisions made by individual project selection committees on projects funded by the City’s percent-for-art program must then be approved by a City-appointed Public Art Oversight Committee (PAOC). The PAOC is a committee of seven members providing general oversight of the Percent-for-Art Program and issues that arise in conjunction with the program. 


*For more information regarding UAC’s public art process refer to: https://uacmem.org/process

application guidelines

Please submit the following materials on or before June 02, 2025:

  • Completed application form

  • Letters of support from partners or community members (up to 5)

If you have difficulty accessing the website, need additional forms, or require assistance with your submission, please contact Kayla J. Smith at kayla@uacmem.orgor 901.343.6983

Information Sessions - UAC will host an information workshop for neighborhood leaders interested in learning more about this project:

  • Wednesday, May 21, 2025 5:30-6:30 PM, RSVP Here

You may also schedule a meeting with UAC staff to review your application. Contact Kayla J. Smith-Hardy at 901.343.6983  or kayla@uacmem.org to schedule a meeting on:

  • Tuesday, May 27, 2025 and Thursday, May 29, 2025.

Applications may be submitted online OR on paper.

  • Download Application and Supporting Materials, submit with ATTN: Neighborhood Art Initiative

Urban Art Commission | 422 N. Cleveland St., Memphis TN, 38104 | kayla@uacmem.org

disclaimers

Applicants will be notified as to the status of their application. Commissioning of artists by UAC and the pursuit of all UAC activities are implemented without preference to racial or ethnic origins, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disability, or age. 

UAC reserves the right to modify this solicitation and to request additional information from participating neighborhood leaders and artists. UAC reserves the right to accept or reject, at any time prior to the commissioning of a work, any or all proposals when the acceptance, rejection, waiver or advertisement would be in the best interest of the project.


The staff of UAC will be responsible for all correspondence and communication by and between applicants and members of selection panels. Discussion regarding these projects by and between any applicant and any member of a selection panel outside of regularly scheduled meetings during the selection process may be grounds for the disqualification of the applicant. Such determination shall be at the discretion of UAC.

For more information about this project, please contact:

Kayla J. Smith-Hardy | Sr. Program Manager | 901.343.6983 | kayla@uacmem.org

Click here to download application.