Fall 2025

Exhibition Location: Creative Philadelphia Art Gallery, Room 116 & Fourth Floor Display Cases

Deadline for submissions:August 22, 2025

For Hispanic Heritage Month 2025, Creative Philadelphia, in partnership with Philadelphia City Council, issues a Call for Art to Philadelphia's Hispanic artists to submit work for a special Art In City Hall juried exhibition in Creative Philadelphia’s Art Gallery and in display cases on the fourth floor near City Council Chambers.

 Theme

From 215 Con Mucho, Mucho Amor invites Philadelphia's Hispanic artists to explore the complex meaning of "home". We seek works that amplify the voices and contributions of Philadelphia's Hispanic communities, that speak to cultural identity, history, and personal lived experiences in our beloved city. Artists are encouraged to reflect on contemporary social issues, such as immigration, public safety, housing justice, and more. How have these issues impacted your sense of home? What does home mean to you?  

This Call for Art is open to all two-dimensional and three-dimensional media.

Jurors: 

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

Gerard Silva, Director of Exhibitions and Community Outreach, Fleisher Art Memorial

Khara Garcia, Creative Services Director, Philadelphia City Council

Daniel Gallarraga, Community Organizer, Office of Councilmember Quetcy Lozada

Otoño 2025

Ubicación de la exposición: Galería de Arte de Creative Philadelphia, Sala 116 y Vitrinas del cuarto piso

Fecha límite para envíos: 15 de agosto de 2025

Para el Mes de la Herencia Hispana 2025, Creative Philadelphia, en colaboración con el Concejo Municipal de Filadelfia, lanza una convocatoria dirigida a artistas hispanos de Filadelfia para presentar obras para una exposición especial jurada de Art In City Hall en la Galería de Arte de Creative Philadelphia y en las vitrinas ubicadas en el cuarto piso, cerca de las Cámaras del Concejo Municipal.

Tema

De 215 Con Mucho, Mucho Amor invita a los artistas hispanos de Filadelfia a explorar el significado complejo de “hogar”. Buscamos obras que amplifiquen las voces y contribuciones de las comunidades hispanas de Filadelfia, que hablen de identidad cultural, historia y experiencias de vida personales en nuestra querida ciudad. Se anima a los artistas a reflexionar sobre temas sociales contemporáneos, como inmigración, seguridad pública, justicia de vivienda y más. ¿Cómo han impactado estos temas tu sentido de hogar? ¿Qué significa el hogar para ti?  

Esta convocatoria está abierta a obras en todos los medios bidimensionales y tridimensionales.

Jurados:

 Tu Huynh, Curador de Exposiciones y Programas de Creative Philadelphia, se sumarán:

 Gerard Silva, Director de Exposiciones y Alcance Comunitario, Fleisher Art Memorial

 Khara Garcia, Directora de Servicios Creativos, Concejo Municipal de Filadelfia

 Daniel Gallarraga, Organizador Comunitario, Oficina de la Concejal Quetcy Lozada

Shape Philly: Idea CoLABs

A Creativity & Culture Prize for Creatives and Leaders in Our Neighborhoods

Creative Philadelphia, the City’s office of arts and culture, is piloting a new program to support creative ideas and help expand Mayor Cherelle Parker’s plan for a safer, cleaner, and greener Philadelphia with access to economic opportunity for all. Please complete all sections of this application. Submit it by September 11, 2025. Visit our website for more information.

We will pick 12 ideas —one from each City Council District, plus two ideas from youth teams (ages 13–24). Each idea will be matched by Creative Philadelphia with another idea from a different City District to create more collaboration and continuity across Philadelphia. If selected, the lead applicant for each idea receives a $2,000 award, and their partner organization or business receives a $1,000 award.
 

If You Are Chosen, You Will:

• Represent your City District
• Be part of a 10-week program with mentors and other project teams (Oct 1 – Dec 5)
• Learn from City leaders and creative experts
• Get training in storytelling, legal help, and building a support network for your project
• Share your idea with city leaders and funders
• Be matched (by Creative Philadelphia) to work with a similar or complementary idea in another City District.

Apply between August 5 and September 11, 2025.
 

Who Can be the Lead Applicant:

• Individual creative people or community-based leaders
• People who live in the City of Philadelphia, of all ages, backgrounds, and lived experiences
• We strongly encourage youth (13–24) to apply! Two spots are saved for youth/ young adult teams.
   

Your Application Must Include:

• A Lead Applicant (the main person with the idea)
• A Partner (a neighborhood-based nonprofit or small business) in the district that will be served
• A short project description that must be a combination of creativity, culture community, AND one of the four project themes listed below
• Contact information for the lead and partner
• A letter from your Partner saying how they will be engaged and how the Lead Applicant has worked with them in the past*
• A letter of support from someone in your community who knows your work**

* Download Partner Commitment Letter Template
 ** Download Community Support Letter Template
 

Optional:

• A short video (up to 3 minutes) about you and your idea
• Up to 2 extra letters of support
   

Project Themes:

Your project should combine creativity, culture, and community, AND at least one of these themes:

• Safer - like creative youth engagement and leadership development towards violence prevention, creative community, and building, creative conflict prevention
• Cleaner - like trash cleanup, neighborhood beautification, pollution prevention 
• Greener - like ecological storytelling, sustainable art, climate resilience, and environmental justice
• Access to Economic Opportunities - like creative entrepreneurship, creative job development and training, professional development opportunities for creatives and cultural workers
   

During the 10-Week Program (Oct 1 - Dec 5) the Lead Applicant Will:

• Attend 3 in-person events (beginning, middle, end)
• Join weekly online check-ins with mentors and your team
• Take workshops (optional) on things like financial literacy, storytelling, and legal tips
• Share your plan with your community and city leaders
   

During the 10-Week Program the Partner Organization or Business Will:

• Attend at least one in-person event
• Participate in at least 3 weekly online check-in
• Support the Lead Applicant in the way described in the application
   

What You Get:

• $2,000 award for the lead applicant
• $1,000 award for the partner organization or business
• Professional development resources and mentorship
• Possibility of more funding later for pilot implementation if your idea is ready to be implemented and the funding is available
   

How We Will Choose the 12 Ideas

Each idea can earn up to 100 points (plus 10 bonus points for youth teams). Here’s what the reviewers are looking for: Selection Rubric
 

Download the Frequently Asked Questions

Riverview Wellness Village
Project Budget: $525,000

 

• Read and Download the Call for Artists
• Questions about the application should be sent to paige.phillips@phila.gov
• On August 21st from 6PM-7:00PM, Creative Philadelphia will host an Artist Informational Meeting via Zoom to provide interested applicants an opportunity to learn more about the project and application process. To Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/vj8yZFMsRh6IUKTNs3WmNw
   

Project Overview:

   Creative Philadelphia (formerly the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy) and the Capital Program Office announce a competition to commission site-responsive, permanent, public artworks to be installed at the Riverview Wellness Village (7801 State Road), which is located in the Holmesburg section of Northeast Philadelphia. Funded through the city’s Percent for Art program, this public art commission is part of Mayor Parker’s new "Wellness” initiative, which addresses a critical gap in Philadelphia’s wellness ecosystem by supporting individuals recovering from substance use disorder.

   This permanent artwork will provide an opportunity for an artist or a team of artists to create multiple complimentary outdoor sculptures (2-3 total). Strategically placed along a walking pathway, the artworks will be visible both outdoors and from key indoor gathering spaces, such as the dining hall and game room. They will be framed by buildings on one side and the Delaware River on the other. See pages 3-4 for more details about the artworks requested for the site.

   All interested artists are invited to apply for this public art commission. Priority will be given to local artists who live or work in the greater Philadelphia area.  We especially encourage artists who have personal insight into substance use disorder – whether through lived experience (Personal disclosure is welcome but not required), family roles, or professional work with affected communities. We also strongly encourage applications from artists who represent the diversity of Philadelphia and the local community. Please note that artists who currently have an active project with Creative Philadelphia will not be considered for this opportunity.

   This is a two-part competition consisting of Part 1: Submission of Qualifications and Part 2: Finalist Proposals. In Part 1, interested artists are invited to apply by submitting materials that demonstrate their qualifications only; no design proposals should be submitted at this stage. Based on these submissions, three (3) finalists will be selected to move on to Part 2 of the competition. Each finalist will receive a $2,500 stipend to develop a detailed proposal for the Riverview Wellness Village public art opportunity.

   Public input and participation will be vital to ensuring the voices of the community are strongly reflected in the development of the artwork. Community engagement opportunities will allow the finalists to hear directly from members of the public about their ideas and aspirations for this project. Finalists will be encouraged to align their proposals with input provided by the community and, if selected as the winning artist, be expected to propose artist-led engagement.  

   $525,000 has been allocated for the artwork budget for this Percent for Art Commission, which will be managed by the winning artist. Additional funds have been budgeted for site-related costs to support the artwork, such as foundations and lighting. Creative Philadelphia will manage these site costs on behalf of the City in coordination with the winning artist. The $525,000 artwork budget should include all other costs necessary to create and install the artwork: artist fees, insurance, drawings, renderings, models, fabrication, installation, structural costs, travel, and artist-led community engagement. 

View the Call for Artists for full details
View Sample Percent for Art Semi-Finalist Terms of Agreement
View Sample Public Art Contract

Technical Questions?
   Check out the Submitter Resource Center or contact Submittable Customer Support.

Application Questions?
   Contact paige.phillips@phila.gov

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.