Summer 2025

Exhibition Location: Creative Philadelphia Art Gallery, Room 116 & Office of Councilmember Rue Landau, Room 592

Deadline for submissions: May 25, 2025

For Pride Month 2025, Councilmember Rue Landau and Creative Philadelphia issue a Call for Art, an invite to LGBTQ+ artists to submit work for a special Art In City Hall exhibition in Creative Philadelphia’s Art Gallery and the Councilmember's office. 

Theme

Portraits of Pride and Resilience will center on portraiture as an act of radical visibility - a direct counterpoint to historical erasure and a celebration of storytelling through self-representation. Artists are encouraged to creatively interpret the theme, exploring identity, resilience, and presence in a world that has often sought to silence and erase LGBTQ+ lives. Select works will also be displayed in the councilmember’s 5th floor office. 

 This call is open to all mediums.

Jurors:

Joining Tu Huynh, Creative Philadelphia's Curator of Exhibitions and Programs, will be:

Lauren Rinaldi, the Arts & Culture Liaison for the Office of Councilmember Rue Landau, and Guest Juror, Symone Salib.

Lauren Rinaldi (b. 1983, Brooklyn, NY) is an American artist living and working in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of Temple's Tyler School of Art and has exhibited her work in solo shows at Paradigm Gallery + Studio in Philadelphia, and extensively in group shows throughout the United States. In addition to her role in Councilmember Rue Landau's office as the Arts and Culture Liaison, she is a community activist and has served as a Democratic Ward Leader and Committee Person since 2018.

Symone Salib is a first-generation Cuban / Egyptian muralist, illustrator, and trauma-informed educator whose art centers on the storytelling of community members through large-scale public installations. Strongly rooted in portraiture, her work envisions a world of radical possibilities where equality and justice are at the center. By focusing on the voices and faces of marginalized communities, Symone uses her art to uplift and amplify those who are often overlooked.
 

 About Councilmember Rue Landau I At-Large

Rue Landau is a civil rights and housing attorney, a public school parent and the first openly LGBTQ+ member of Philadelphia City Council. She has spent her entire career fighting for social justice and equity for Philadelphia’s most vulnerable communities.  She has been an At-Large Councilmember since 2023.

For more information about Councilmember Landau, please visit: PhlCouncil.com/RueLandau. 

What is Art in City Hall

Creative Philadelphia's Art In City Hall exhibition program invites Philadelphia’s cultural community to present proposals to exhibit art in display cases in the public corridors of historic City Hall.

Art in City Hall is an exhibits program that transforms the public corridors of City Hall into a platform for the arts. It provides an opportunity for Philadelphia’s diverse cultural organizations  to present their artistic expressions and utilize the visual arts to amplify community voices, foster healing and community dialogue in the most important civic building in the city – The People’s Building. The program is committed to presenting a wide range of ideas and artistic explorations to showcase the important role the arts play in our communities.

Eligibility

Local nonprofits, art programs, and cultural organizations are invited to submit proposals. Collaborations between organizations and other partners, such as with local schools are welcomed, but one organization needs to lead the application process. Artists do not have to live in Philadelphia but including artists from the region is strongly encouraged. Artists can be self-taught or professionally trained.

At this time, we do not present solo exhibitions and encourage the organizations to select enough artists to utilize all the display cases in City Hall.

Exhibition Locations

15 exhibit display cases are located on the First through Fourth Floors of City Hall near the offices of the Mayor, City Council, and City Council Chambers.

Exhibition Dates

There are four exhibit opportunities year round. The calendar is usually booked up to six months or more in advance.

• May – July
• August – October
• November – January
• February - April

Exhibition Installation and Programming

Participating organizations are expected to deliver and install the exhibition and supply all exhibition hardware and printed materials. They are also expected to plan ONE educational program that complements the exhibition. OACCE may assist the partner organizations in the development and coordination of the exhibit programming, but the organization is responsible for all expenses for the events.

City Hall Hours

City Hall is open to the public Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., and closed on weekends and holidays. Visitors must sign in at the Northeast corner Visitor’s Entrance, have personal belongings checked, and follow COVID protocols.