AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

from Franklin Furnace

Artist-in-Residence Opportunity with the Philadelphia Office of the District Attorney

Introduction

Mural Arts Philadelphia (MAP), a public art program committed to generating public impact through artistic processes, is collaborating with Fair and Just Prosecution (FJP) -- which brings together newly elected local prosecutors as part of a network of leaders committed to promoting a justice system grounded in fairness, equity, compassion, and fiscal responsibility -- to create a new artist-in-residence program at the Philadelphia Office of the District Attorney. As Philadelphia’s 26th District Attorney, Larry Krasner has garnered national acclaim for his ambitious and progressive efforts to reform Philadelphia’s criminal justice system, working fearlessly to shift the goals and dialogue around criminal justice towards a system that seeks to do justice, enhance accountability and promote alternatives to incarceration and punitive responses.

This collaborative team is seeking an artist to participate in a 6 to 9-month residency that will culminate with work(s) of art that explore the human toll of incarceration and that highlight the importance of creating alternatives to our current system. The created work(s) and programming would exist in the public sphere and/or in the DA’s office, offering the public and the members of the DA’s office the opportunity to gather and engage in direct dialogue with the art and issues in both informal and organized forums.

This groundbreaking opportunity will be one of the Marrying Art and Advocacy projects funded by Art for Justice. This multi-year initiative created by philanthropist Agnes Gund in partnership with the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors seeks to turn art into action with the intent to reform the criminal justice system.

Goals

The goals of the residency, artwork(s), and the process that leads up to them, are to:

a. Deepen the understanding between the District Attorney’s Office, justice-involved individuals, and communities impacted by incarceration

b. Center the lived experiences of justice-involved individuals and families in ongoing criminal justice reform efforts

c. Create powerful artwork that expands public awareness about criminal justice reform and the reform efforts being implemented by the Philadelphia Office of the District Attorney

d. Offer high visibility platforms to share the impact of the work and the powerful role that art and storytelling can have in shaping policy decisions

e. Help to transform the culture of prosecution both in the DA’s office and more broadly, particularly with regard to how prosecutors view their role in the community and understand the impact of their decisions

Residency Model

The model for this residency is flexible, and it will be determined by the artist working in collaboration with representatives of the DA’s Office, MAP’s Restorative Justice Program and FJP.

The artist will collaborate with this core team to develop a structure for the residency that will help achieve the goals of the project. This will include how the artist will interact with the DA’s staff, how and when the artist would be present in the DA’s office, what background resources would be available to the artist, and how the artist would interact with other stakeholders such as justice-involved individuals, their families, and their communities. The artist will also collaborate with this core team to plan engagement and education activities within the DA’s office, with the key stakeholders, at MAP and FJP gatherings, and with the public at large.

We anticipate that the residency model will be flexible enough for out of town artists to participate in this project. However, there is no additional funding for artist travel, accommodations, or living expenses while in Philadelphia. If travel by the artist to FJP gatherings is required however, then those travel costs would be covered.

Budget

The overall budget available for the residency is $25,000. This budget would be all-inclusive, including artist fees, materials and supplies, and installation of all artworks.

Schedule

Summer 2019

● RFQ deadline: August 30th

● Artist short list announced: September 13th

● Finalist interviews with concept presentation: Second half of September and early October

● Artist Selected/Informed: On or before October 18th

● Artist Publicly Announced: Week of October 21st

Late Fall 2019

● Residency begins

● Artist research and planning for engagement and immersion

● Artist concept finalization

● Public programming

Winter 2019/2020

● Continued research

● Design, fabrication, installation

● Public engagement and programming, including participation at the 2020 Mural Arts Symposium and possible participation in fall 2020 FJP gathering in Philadelphia

Background

About Mural Arts Philadelphia Mural Arts seeks to create art with others to transform places, individuals, communities and institutions. First established in 1984 as an arts-based alternative to traditional sentencing for graffiti writers, Mural Arts builds connection and understanding between justice-involved individuals, their communities, and the systems that affect their lives. Through the Guild, a reentry program for returning citizens, and the Reimaging Reentry Fellowship, another Art for Justice project giving artists the means to explore problems posed by mass incarceration, Mural Arts has pioneered groundbreaking work taking place at the intersection of public art and social justice.

About Fair and Just Prosecution Fair and Just Prosecution brings together newly elected local prosecutors as part of a network of leaders committed to promoting a justice system grounded in fairness, equity, compassion, and fiscal responsibility. These recently elected leaders – and the vision they share for safer and healthier communities – are supported by FJP’s network through ongoing information sharing, research and resource materials, opportunities for on the ground learning, in-person convenings, technical assistance, and access to national experts. FJP is enabling a new generation of leaders to move beyond past incarceration-driven approaches and develop policies that promote a smarter and more equitable justice system. As these elected prosecutors innovate and model new justice system strategies, FJP highlights their successes and promotes their accomplishments, thereby propelling broader changes in the field.

About Larry Krasner and The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Larry Krasner was elected District Attorney of Philadelphia on November 7, 2017 and was sworn in on January 2, 2018. As one of Philadelphia’s most outspoken and highly regarded progressive attorneys, for 30 years he has been fearlessly demanding fair treatment and justice for Philadelphians of all backgrounds. While re-focusing the DA’s Office on prosecuting serious crimes, he has sought alternatives to incarceration — dramatically reducing the number of prisoners held, saving millions of tax dollars, and helping wounded communities begin to heal.

About the Art for Justice Fund

Launched in 2017, The Art for Justice Fund is a five-year initiative that aims to turn art into action, investing more than $100 million into strategic efforts to reform the criminal justice system. It is a partnership between art collector and philanthropist Agnes Gund, The Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA).

Artist Responsibilities

Artists will be expected to provide the following services:

• Conduct research as necessary to understand the mission and agenda of the DA’s office, the history and culture of justice-involved individuals in Philadelphia, and other considerations as necessary to inform the artistic approach

• Develop an approach and concept for working in and with the DA’s office to create public work(s)

• Present the developed concept to Mural Arts, FJP, and the DA’s Office

• Fulfill artist responsibilities within contracted budget and schedule

• Carry insurance necessary for artist design, fabrication and installation services

• Participate in community engagement and education activities, to be determined by artist collaboratively with Mural Arts, FJP, and the Philadelphia DA’s Office

Mural Arts Responsibilities

• Assist with reviews and permissions

• Manage project budget

• Provide production support, including the provision of technical assistance, materials, supplies, equipment and labor as required

• Coordinate marketing, documentation, public engagement and evaluation

Office of the District Attorney Responsibilities

• Provide a point of contact, resources, and office space for the artist

• Share information about this project with DA’s network so that it has broader engagement and impact

Fair and Just Prosecution Responsibilities

• Provide a point of contact and resources for the artist

• Participate in the collaborative team as it conceptualizes and implements this project

• Work with MAP and the DA’s office as needed

• Share information about this project with FJP’s network so that it has broader impact and potentially spreads to other DA’s offices across the country

Artist Selection Process

Eligibility

We are seeking artists who can make a commitment to working in Philadelphia as necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of this project.

Selection Process

One artist will be selected for the residency.

This will be a two-round selection process: consideration of qualifications followed by interviews and in person presentation.

Round One

Artist qualifications / portfolios will be solicited by Mural Arts Philadelphia on behalf of FJP and the DA’s Office.

Mural Arts will review the artist submissions and identify a short list of finalists.

It is anticipated that three artists will be short-listed. Each will be invited to interview.

Round Two

Shortlisted artists will be invited to meet and interview with the collaborative team. During the interview, artists will be asked to discuss and present their preliminary vision for developing a project within the DA’s Office.

The decision for the selected artists will be based on a review of artist qualifications, the interview and the criteria that are listed below.

Qualifications and Review Criteria

The evaluation of artist qualifications will be based on a review of completed public artworks, exhibited artworks, or as otherwise described in curatorial writings, critiques, articles or other publications. We especially welcome applications from artists who have been personally impacted by the criminal justice system.

How to Apply

Preliminary Consultation

Artists who are interested in submitting their qualifications are encouraged to contact Mural Arts with any questions about the project.

Submission Requirements

Interested artists should submit:

□ An application checklist including the names and contact information for all artists on the team, and an inventory of all material that is being submitted.

□ A CV or resume for each artist (up to 2 pages).

□ A current artist statement.

□ A short written response that addresses your artistic practice, relevant past experience, social justice engaged projects, and interest in this specific project.

□ Up to 15 images of past completed work that you consider relevant to this project.

Digital images must be JPEG files and must be no more than 300dpi and no larger than 1024 x 768 pixel resolution. Each image must be unlocked and downloadable for viewing.

Each JPEG file must be titled with the artist’s name and number that corresponds to the annotated image list. File name example: JonesJane001, JonesJane002.

□ A list of images, including the following information:

Image name, Artist’s name, Title of artwork, Location, Date of Completion, Public Art Budget, Medium and Dimensions

Brief description

□ References of two or more recent clients, not to include Mural Arts Philadelphia. Include name, address, email address and telephone

Submission Instructions

Submissions will be accepted electronically by email, Drop Box or WeTransfer, sent to the email address indicated below. Mural Arts will reply with an acknowledgement of all submissions received. As noted above, submissions are due on or before August 30th.

Lindsey Boyd

Project Manager, Restorative Justice

Mural Arts Philadelphia

1729 Mt. Vernon Street

Philadelphia, PA 19130

215-680-2270

lindsey.boyd@muralarts.org

Contact for Questions and More Information

Lindsey Boyd

Project Manager, Restorative Justice

Mural Arts Philadelphia

215-680-2270

lindsey.boyd@muralarts.org