EXHIBITIONS ON MAIN

CALL FOR ARTISTS

The Blocks Arts District presents Exhibitions on Main, an opportunity for our community to exhibit stories and bodies of work on Main Street in downtown Salt Lake City. 

Exhibitions will be on display for an entire year, starting in May and running to the following May of the next year. Each year, a new call for artists will open up on the first of February for that year’s exhibition. The exhibitions will be displayed on the bottom five (5) panels in one of the four (4) kiosks along Main Street. There will also be an opportunity for the artist to create a  write up on our website and social media posts to promote the work. 

The two North kiosks are located on both the East and West side of main street between 200 and 300 S. The two South kiosks are located on the East and West side of main street between 300 and 400 S. Each kiosk will host one (1) exhibition totalling four (4) exhibitions for the 2024/2025 year. 

Here are some past examples of artwork for previous Exhibitions on Main:

The goal is to capture voices in our community through an outdoor exhibition space in a high traffic area that is free and accessible to everyone. We invite anyone with a vision, story, or artistic idea to apply to this program and share their offerings with the community, adding to the vibrancy of downtown. 

The exhibitions will look different every time – photographs or journalistic stories, physical and digital artwork with an artist statement, collections of stories from the community focused on a theme. Anything that you want to share with your community.

DETAILS 

Artists will be responsible for providing the artwork/designs for the exhibition. There are a total of six (6) panels in each of the kiosks. Panel one (1) faces the sidewalk and will be used to display The Blocks Arts District logo. Panels 2 – 6 will be for the content of your exhibition and could include, but is not limited to, photographs, narratives, artwork or other creative representations of a story or body of work. We highly recommend using one of those panels to describe your work, share your story, and/or direct viewers to learn more about you through a website or social media, etc. 

LEAD TIME & RUN TIME 

Exhibitions will be installed at the beginning of May and will run for an entire year. Artists will need to provide The Blocks Arts District with all five (5) poster designs in a print-ready PDF by April 22, 2024 if chosen. Dimensions for the artwork can be found on this template here.

Exhibition dates:                

May 2024 – May 2025 

  • Applications are due March 31, 2024 at 11:59 PM
  • Chosen Exhibitions will be made by April 8, 2024
  • Artwork is due by April 22, 2024 if chosen

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY

In one (1) PDF document please provide the following: 

  • A short narrative about why you would like to participate in Exhibitions on Main
  • Description of your vision or plan for the exhibition including details about community context and value 
  • Example images or content that represents your vision for the exhibition 

**Exhibition content should avoid elements of advertisements. Entries with profanity or inappropriate imagery will not be considered.

Please submit your entry to Merinda Christensen, merinda@downtownslc.org. Your submission must be sent as one PDF document. ​
Entries submitted in other formats will not be considered.

REVIEW PROCESS & CRITERIA 

A jury, composed of local artists, arts administrators, community members and stakeholders will review each submission and score them based on a rubric. The four (4) submissions with the highest score will be selected for Exhibitions on Main 2024/2025.

COMPENSATION 

Total compensation for selected exhibitions is $600. 

The Blocks Arts District is responsible for the costs associated with printing, installation, and promotion.

This Exhibitions on Main program is a production of The Blocks Arts District. The Blocks Arts District works to advocate for and build collaborations amongst our legacy and emerging arts and cultural organizations while fostering partnerships within our creative community, businesses and government. The goal of The Blocks Arts District is to heighten the captivating and inclusive atmosphere found in our cultural district while working closely with Salt Lake City’s creative community.