Call for artists for public art at new Boston Arts Academy building

There are two separate opportunities — one for an interior artwork and one for an exterior artwork. This international call is open to all artists. The budget for the interior site is $300,000 and the budget for the exterior site is $200,000. If an artist in interested in being considered for both opportunities, they must submit a separate application for each. 

These projects are funded by the City’s Percent for Art program, which allocates one percent of the City’s capital borrowing for the commission of public art. Over the next five years, $13.4 million has been allocated to this program. This, combined with $80,000 for temporary public art projects in the next year and several new City staff positions, is the most funding the City has ever dedicated to public art.

This is an exciting project, because BAA is Boston’s only public high school for the visual and performing arts. The school serves a diverse student body, the majority of which comes from low-income families, and its mission is to prepare a community of aspiring artist-scholars-citizens to be successful in their professional careers and to be engaged members of their communities.

BAA is currently undergoing a $125 million reconstruction, which will result in a state-of-the-art facility that features dedicated rehearsal and performance spaces, gallery space, studios for music, visual arts, and fashion design, academic classrooms, recreation areas, kitchens, and student commons.

The BAA uses four shared values as guiding principles for the teaching and learning environment, which artists/teams might consider when crafting their proposals:

• Community with Social Responsibility
• Diversity with Respect
• Passion with Balance
• Vision with Integrity

The commissioned artist(s) or team(s) must also include a robust educational component in their process. Examples of educational opportunities may include guest lectures, master classes, public art workshops, or engagement activities regarding the context and artistic process for the artworks. 

The deadline to apply is November 1. The application can be found online. To learn more about other public art projects currently underway in the City, visit the public art website.