call for artists

A roaming performance/activation moves along sidewalks, interacting directly with the urban environment and the public.

What makes roaming performances/activations distinctive is their mobility and opportunity for spontaneity. The performer adapts in real time, reacting to the crowd, the setting, and unexpected moments.

Roaming performances/activations can span the entire 20-block route or be programmed for a shorter span of blocks.

Roaming performances/activations are central to the event's creative identity.

Route walk with event producers is scheduled for Thursday, April 30, at 1 pm.

Interactive/participatory performances and art-making experiences invite the audience to actively shape what happens.

In these performances/activations, the line between “artist” and “audience” is intentionally blurred and the public becomes creator or part of the art.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Immersive theatre, where audience members interact with performers or explore environments

• Community art projects, like collaborative paintings, weaving or temporary art installations

• Pop-up art stations where people create something to take home with them

• Performances that invite crowd participation (singing, dancing, responding)

What makes these performances/activations powerful is the sense of ownership and connection the public has as a co-creator of the experience.

Discrete interventions are subtle, often unexpected artistic actions or temporary installations placed within urban environments that are designed to be discovered rather than announced.

Hiding art in plain sight might look like:

• A tiny sculpture tucked into a sidewalk crack

• A performance that blends into typical urban activities

• An altered object in a public space that shifts how you see it

The goal isn’t spectacle, it’s interruption through subtlety. These are the “easter eggs” of the event that nudge people to notice their surroundings differently or reconsider something familiar.

Street poles, including light posts, road signs, and utility poles, are highly visible elements along sidewalks and can become a compelling canvas for your work.

By activating these poles with lightweight, temporary interventions, you can turn urban infrastructure into an experience that guides the public along the route.

Window vinyl activations refer to visual artwork printed on vinyl and applied directly to the exterior window of a ground-level storefront.

This is a great opportunity for visual artists whose practice typically takes the form of painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, or digital art.

Submission of existing artwork for reproduction as window vinyl to be installed at one or more storefront locations along the route will turn empty windows into points of interest.

New this year, we’ll have designated busking locations for musicians marked with sidewalk chalk scattered throughout the route. When applying, choose “Sidwalk Stationary” as your top choice location preference.

Busking locations will not have access to power and cannot use gas-powered generators.