New Chicago Marker |  CALL TO ARTISTS

Release Date: Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026

Budget: $50,000 (including three finalist honoraria of $500 each)

Deadline: Tuesday, October 13th, 2026 at 11:59 pm

Eligibility: Any artist living and working within the Memphis metropolitan area. Artists may submit only one proposal per project opportunity, but are invited to submit as a team if desired.

BACKGROUND

New Chicago was once a thriving neighborhood from the 19th century to the 20th century filled with vibrant businesses and growing families. For nearly 50 years, 85 acres of New Chicago was dedicated to the world’s largest rubber tire manufacturing plant, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. At its peak, Firestone employed 7,000 people, and most were New Chicago residents.  The rich history of New Chicago also includes its strong political voice and home of the first accredited black high school in Shelby County, Manassas High School.  The neighborhood remains a deeply historic, majority-Black community, with a high concentration of residents with Sub-Saharan African ancestry. In January 2020, New Chicago was added to the Uptown TIF district, a redevelopment plan designed to curb blight, improve infrastructure, and bring in new manufacturing, aimed to be completed by 2031.

SCOPE OF WORK

UrbanArt Commission (UAC) is partnering with The City of Memphis to commission a series of small wayfinding street signs and a larger gateway marker for the New Chicago neighborhood. Selected artists will be commissioned to create designs and work with a fabricator to create the artwork (unless the artist has the capability to fabricate the work themselves). The designs should be bold and reflect the history and character of the community. UAC will contract directly with the artist and fabricator to print/fabricate and install the selected artwork. The fabricator will collaborate closely with the selected artist to translate their commissioned artwork. The selection committee expresses an interest in a marker that will be:

• Bold and legible font, that is not too distracting to traffic.
• Can be well lit by some type of soft lighting.
• Some types of plantings/planters  that allow for low maintenance and easy upkeep around the gateway marker.
• Larger than the current marker that is in the neighborhood. So that it may be seen by drivers entering and exiting the neighborhood.
•  Made from a combination of stone and metal.

The selection committee will select three finalists for the installation based on their portfolio, application materials, professional qualifications, and demonstrated ability to meet deadlines. The commissioned artist will be selected based on the strength of their proposals, which will be presented to the selection committee.