One WALL MOVEMENT - Centering artists VOICES & TALENTS to make a more meaningful and free SPACE.

ONE WALL MOVEMENT submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Applications Responses received after January 2, 2023, will be reviewed in the 2024 cycle.

 If you have already submitted prior to this call, there is no need to resubmit again, your application will be received and considered for the call. 

ONE WALL MOVEMENT is a joint initiative between Hi-ARTS and Curator Ayana Ayo. Recognizing the importance of art and design and their contributions to public spaces, ONE WALL MOVEMENT aims to center the voices of often marginalized and underrepresented artists by commissioning and supporting them to produce large-scale public murals.  

ONE WALL MOVEMENT is a large-scale mural initiative that centers the voices and talents of muralists, writers, and street artists who self-identify as BIPOC, PGM, women, femmes, trans, nonbinary, and/or gender non-conforming. Taking inspiration from Nas’ hit “One Mic,” ONE WALL MOVEMENT was developed to provide public visual artists with a canvas to work freely and create an organic reflection of their lived experiences rather than set restrictions on their subject matter. Artists may apply year-round, with submissions reviewed once a year. 

One Wall Movement will:

  • Empower and amplify the narratives of marginalized and/or historically underrepresented muralists, writers, and street artists; 

  • Solicit community input in the artist selection process

  • Cultivate and support emerging and established artists by providing an opportunity for development and building a professional artistic pipeline to larger institutions; and 

  • Empower artists to freely and organically reflect their lived experiences through visual storytelling

  • Pay artists a living wage

  • Engage the East Harlem and New York City communities through public art. 

  • Involve community members through participatory painting days,  workshops, artist talks, performances, and more


One Wall Movement will not:

  • Restrict the subject matter to “social issues,” an expectation historically placed on marginalized artists but not their white counterparts

  • Ask artists to relinquish artistic control to Hi-ARTS or our partners 

Working closely with Hi-ARTS and Project Curator Ayana Ayo, the initiative is artist-led and designed to support the artist’s vision, project, and career trajectory. For each production, we will collaborate with the artist to create accessible interactive programs that will engage local community members in conversation and site-specific activations unique to themes in the artist’s work.

This process allows for work that is both inherently socially relevant and creatively strong. By centering artists from these communities, we contribute to making New York City a more creatively liberated place.  

 

ONE WALL MOVEMENT submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Applications Responses received after January 2, 2023, will be reviewed in the 2024 cycle. If you have already submitted prior to this call, there is no need to resubmit again, your application will be received and considered for the call.

ELIGIBILITY

  • Emerging and established muralists, graffiti artists, writers, and street artists,

  • Artists that self-identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), People of the Global Majority (PGM), women, femmes, transgender, nonbinary, and/or gender non-conforming 

  • Demonstrated ability and technical knowledge required to execute a large-scale artwork 

  • Prior experience: work samples that demonstrate prior experience with leading or assisting with murals or other large-scale works must have painted or assisted with murals or other artwork at a significant scale

  • Priority will be given to artists based in New York City and/or the Tri-State area. However, national and international artists are invited to apply. 

  • Teams and Individuals are welcome to apply.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

ONE WALL MOVEMENT submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Responses received after January 2, 2023, will be reviewed in the next application cycle. Please note that the call is hosted on Airtable. We recommend that you draft your responses in a separate document, as the form will not save your work.

Submission Timeline:

November 30, 2023
Application Opens

December 12, 2023, 7 pm ET
Virtual Info Session

January 2, 2023
Application Closes

January 2023
Round One: Open Call Submissions are reviewed by the Hi-ARTS team and Curator Ayana Ayo. All applicants will be notified of the status of their submission in January 2023. At the time of notification, selected artists will be invited to submit proposals for review by the ONE WALL MURAL selection committee during the next round. 

January 2023 - February 2023 
Round Two: Selected artists' proposals will be reviewed by the ONE WALL MOVEMENT artist selection committee during this round. Artists will be invited for an interview with the selection committee. 

Selected artists and/or teams invited to Round Two will be paid a fee of $300 to develop a preliminary concept and proposal. They will then be interviewed virtually by the Selection Committee. 

February 2023
Round Three: ONE WALL MOVEMENT muralist will be selected and notified.

March 2023
Public announcement

FOR OUR ALLIES
To those artists and Persons who do not self-identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), People of the Global Majority (PGM), women, femmes, transgender, nonbinary, and/or gender non-conforming: 

SUPPORT ONE WALL MOVEMENT

  • Spread the news about our Open Call and reshare our posts with peers, friends, and family. #onewallmovement

  • Encourage others to learn more about, engage with, and support local public artists.

  • Volunteer! Join us for on-site workshops, installation, and unveiling days.

  • Donate to ONE WALL MOVEMENT and encourage peers, friends, and family to do the same.

  • Show up and support our muralists during their installation days. The joy of creative expression and community connection is central to our mission. Friendly faces, words of encouragement, and laughter are always welcome!