artist APPLICATIONS FOR SIDEWALK FESTIVAL ARE now closed.
Sidewalk Festival 2023, Detroit’s most colorful and unique outdoor celebration of performance and installation art returns July 29, and August 5, 2023.
Call for proposals opens Thursday, April 13, 2023, and will close on Sunday, May 14, 2023, at 11:59 pm. Applications are now closed.
2023 theme: LUSH/SANCTUARY.
We are imagining a Detroit in which we can create sanctuary within ourselves and within our communities. We are dreaming of a world in which a #softlife, a #lushlife is possible even as we work and labor together. We are investing in elevating and honoring the cultural and social wealth that thrives in our communities.
LUSH:
How can one experience a lush life in the midst of economic insecurity and systemic injustice? Can living a lush life be an act of resistance? Can we provide lush lives, or “soft” lives for ourselves and community with limited resources?
SANCTUARY:
What does sanctuary feel and look like in Detroit? What does it mean to build a sanctuary in communities? Does your artwork build upon existing sanctuaries? How can greenspace provide sanctuary for Detroiters?
SIdewalk Festival 2023 NEIGHBORHOODS include:
JOY-SOUTHFIELD:
An eclectic parking lot becomes the staging space for an innovative night market featuring installations, performances, workshops, vendors, and immersive activities for all ages. Community Partner: Joy-Southfield CDC
ACTIVATION SPACES:
Farmer’s Alley
Market Place
Center Stage
ACTIVATION TYPES:
Performances, dance, music, theatre
Alley installations include light, hanging art, or a surface mural
Interactive experiences
Site-specific performances
Care stations
Interactive activities and workshops for all ages
Health and wellness market vendors
EAST CANFIELD VILLAGE:
A beautiful greens-space and art park surrounded by luscious flower gardens and community lots transforms into a platform for powerful performances, environmental and site-specific installations, and immersive experiences for all ages. Community partner: Canfield Consortium
ACTIVATION SPACES:
Art Park
Alley Valley
Lemay Street
ACTIVATION TYPES:
Nature-based work
Performances, dance, music, theatre
Interactive experiences
Site-specific performances
Interactive activities and workshops for all ages
Environmental care demonstrations and classes
Health and wellness market vendors
See photos and specs of spaces →
SELECTION criteria:
Does the proposed work relate to the festival’s theme?
Does the proposed work respond to the festival location/s?
Does this work relate to the neighborhood/culture/audience of the site?
Does the application indicate artistic excellence?
Does this proposal align with Sidewalk’s larger values to support the voices of Detroiters, Black women, LGBTQIA, and differently-abled, or intergenerational artists?
Important Notes:
We are looking for unique ideas that are created for outdoor spaces, with a focus on engaging community members in an intimate way.
These works will occur on a neighborhood street level, there are no elevated stages, artists are encouraged to interact with community members.
We consider the Sidewalk Festival a playground for experimentation. Give us your wildest ideas! We will help you bring them to life.
project support available for approximately 20 projects to seed experimentation and new ideas
Project Support for Performances and Workshops: Project support will range per project from $350 (for example short, 1-2 person experiments) to $1,500 (for example large ensemble, new experiment) and is further determined by the complexity of the project, number of performers, stage of project’s development, premiere status, etc. 10-15 performance, and workshop proposals will be selected for project support.
Project support for Installations, Murals, and Sculpture: Project support will range per project from $1,000 - $3,000 and is determined by the scale and complexity of the project, material expenses, construction and build-out costs, etc. 2-5 projects will be selected for project support in this range.
