PINCH DISTRICT CROSSWALKS | CALL TO ARTISTS
Release Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Budget: $25,000 (includes three finalist honoraria of $500 each)
Deadline: Friday, December 4, 2026
Eligibility: Any artist living and working within the Memphis metropolitan area. Artists are invited to submit collaborative work if desired, but may only submit one proposal per project opportunity. Artists are encouraged to identify collaboration with experienced crosswalk fabricators, if needed, prior to submitting an application. While there is no limit to the number of calls an artist may apply to at once, UAC strongly encourages artists to consider both the time and scale of each call.
BACKGROUND
About Pinch District:
The Pinch is historically significant because it was one of Memphis's earliest settled areas and the city's first commercial district. The area played an important role in Memphis's immigration history beginning in the early 19th century. Irish immigrants were among the earliest communities there, followed by significant Italian, Russian, Greek, and Jewish communities. From the 1890s through the 1930s, the Pinch was also a major center of Memphis's Jewish community. The name "Pinch" is generally connected to the earlier term "Pinch-Gut," a derogatory reference to the poverty and hunger experienced by Irish immigrants in the area. Because the term has that history, I would be careful about presenting the name simply as a colorful neighborhood nickname in the Call. The neighborhood's commercial character was particularly strong in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Much of the remaining historic commercial architecture dates from approximately 1880–1910, and the Pinch-North Main Commercial District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. After World War II, suburbanization and the movement of families and businesses toward eastern Memphis contributed to the decline of the district. Later redevelopment—including the construction of the Pyramid and downtown revitalization efforts—began changing the area again. Today, the Pinch District is home to a mix of local businesses, cultural destinations, and major institutions, including Alcenia’s, Comeback Coffee, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Renasant Convention Center, the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, and the Memphis Pyramid, home to Bass Pro Shops and Big Cypress Lodge.
About Alcenia’s:
Alcenia’s is more than a Memphis restaurant—it is a story of love, healing, family, and legacy.
The journey began after tragedy struck owner Betty Joyce “BJ” Chester-Tamayo in 1996, when her only son, Will A. “Go-Go” Tamayo III, was killed in a motorcycle accident. Faced with unimaginable grief, BJ searched for a way to heal and move forward. She turned to two things that had always brought her comfort: memories of her childhood and the recipes of her mother, Alcenia, for whom the restaurant is named.
Although BJ had not grown up cooking, she had long dreamed of manufacturing her mother’s homemade preserves. That dream became something much bigger. On November 7, 1997, Alcenia’s opened its doors in Memphis, Tennessee, built on the love, warmth, hospitality, and food traditions BJ remembered from home.
Over the years, Alcenia’s has grown from a place of personal healing into a celebrated Memphis soul-food institution. BJ’s philosophy is simple:“Feed the head, the heart and the stomach.” Guests may arrive as strangers, but the goal is for them to leave feeling like members of the Alcenia’s family.
That combination of Southern cooking and unforgettable hospitality has brought Alcenia’s national and international recognition. BJ and the restaurant have been featured by major television and media outlets, including Good Morning America, where BJ competed in a 2023 Soul Food Showdown; Food Network programming, including Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives; and numerous other television, newspaper, magazine, book, and media features.
Through decades of serving Memphis and welcoming visitors from around the world, BJ has transformed a dream born during one of the most difficult periods of her life into a lasting tribute to her son, her mother, her family, and the power of love expressed through food.
Today, Alcenia’s continues to represent what BJ envisioned from the beginning: a place where food feeds the stomach, love feeds the heart, and everyone leaves as family.
About UAC:
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 facilitates public art projects throughout the city working with various partners and clients to support artists and new experiences with art.
SITE SPECIFICS
The UrbanArt Commission (UAC), in partnership with the City of Memphis and Alcenia’s, is seeking an artist to create a crosswalk art enhancement at the intersection of Winchester Avenue and Main Street in Memphis’s Pinch District. The intersection is located near the Renasant Convention Center and Alcenia’s Restaurant, placing the project within an area frequented by residents, local business patrons, convention attendees, and visitors to downtown Memphis.
The selected artwork should respond to the surrounding environment and contribute to the visual identity of the Pinch District, creating a vibrant and welcoming pedestrian experience at this prominent intersection.
SCOPE OF WORK
The UrbanArt Commission (UAC), in partnership with the City of Memphis and Alcenia’s, is seeking an artist to create a site-specific crosswalk art enhancement at the intersection of Winchester Avenue and Main Street in Memphis’s Pinch District.
The selection committee has expressed interest in crosswalks that:
Celebrates the past, present, and future of the Pinch District.
Incorporates vibrant colors, bold patterns, and creative visual elements that contribute to the neighborhood’s identity.
Features the name “Pinch District” as a recognizable element of the design.
Reflects the neighborhood’s history, cultural character, local businesses, and community institutions.
Creates a welcoming and engaging pedestrian experience for residents, workers, and visitors.
Demonstrates a strong connection to the site and complements the surrounding streetscape.
Complies with City of Memphis crosswalk guidelines and applicable requirements for pedestrian safety, visibility, materials, and durability.
PROJECT EXPECTATIONS
A selection committee organized by UAC will review submitted portfolios, and will invite finalists to submit site-specific design proposals. All finalists will receive an honorarium of $500 for their designs. The selected artist will be expected to work closely with the Selection Committee and UAC to execute the proposed crosswalks.
SELECTION COMMITTEE
Betty Joyce Chester-Tamayo - Alcenia's Restaurant
Tonjua Brown - Alcenia's Restaurant
Martavious Carpenter - St. Jude
Makayla Plymouth - St. Jude
Kid Kardiac - Artist
PROJECT BUDGET
Total project budget is $25000, including artist honoraria - up to three finalists will receive a $500 honorarium for a site-specific proposal. Design budget $5875; Fabrication budget $17,625 all-inclusive.
PROJECT TIMELINE
November 4, 2026 RFQ released
November 17, 2026 UAC Information Session
December 4, 2026 RFQ deadline
December 11, 2026 Notify finalists of RFP invitation
January 12, 2027 Finalists Presentations & Artist Selection
October 2027 Completion celebration
APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Completed application form
A typed letter explaining your interest in the project and your general approach/concept to its design and production. Please do not submit design proposals at this point.
Up to 20 images of past work including title of work, date, medium, budget and project partners, if any.
Résumé or CV, not to exceed 2 pages.
List of three professional references, including current phone and email.
Please submit the above materials online by following the directions below:
Clicking on the Submit button below will redirect you to our Submittable page, which contains all of our current open opportunities. Click the Submit button next to the opportunity that you wish to apply for, or if you are already within an opportunity, scroll down to the Create your account / Have an account? Sign in form.
If you already have a Submittable account, click the Have an account? Sign in tab to sign in to your account.
If you don’t have an account, you must create one to apply. Create your free account by filling out the Create your account form. Fill in all information and click the Create Account and Continue button to continue with the submission process.
From there, you will be able to complete and submit your application. You can now use this account login when submitting to all future UAC opportunities. Once you have submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation email that confirms receipt of your full application.
For more information about this project, please contact:
Richard Echols | Program Manager
901.881.8205 | richard@uacmem.org
INFORMATION SESSIONS
UAC will host an information session for interested artists on Tuesday, November 17, 2026. The session will be recorded and a link made available to applicants who are unable to attend during that time. Interested artists who have not completed a public art project previously or not completed a mural at this scale are strongly encouraged to reach out to the UAC team in advance of submitting their application. Artists may also schedule a meeting with UAC staff to review their application and portfolio. Appointments are available until 1 week prior to the close of the call to artists. See project contact information in the above section. RSVP here
DISCLAIMERS
UAC is committed to equity and inclusion in our work. People of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, differently-abled and neurodiverse persons, indigenous peoples, youth, seniors, and women are strongly encouraged to apply.
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 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 UAC team 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.
