-LowellArts Call to Artists for Visual and Literary Artwork

Creative Capital announces “Wild Futures: Art, Culture, Impact”— the one-time theme for their 2023/2024 grant cycle. Over a two-year period, the Creative Capital Awards will provide up to $5 million in grants to help realize 100 artists’ projects with awards of up to $50,000 with additional advisory services per project. They invite artists to propose experimental, risk-taking projects in the performing arts, technology, literature, visual arts and moving image, which push boundaries formally and thematically, and/or venture into wild, out-there, never-before-seen concepts and future universes real or imagined. Learn more.

$ City of Lansing Mini Pocket Grants 

$ Bridging Michigan Grants (NEW)

$ Inspire! Grants for Small Museums

$ National Endowment for the Arts--Challenge America

$ Barbara Deming Memorial Fund: Money for Women

$ Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant Program

$ The Hopper Prize

Arts Council Greater Lansing announces a call to artist members for its annual "Art in the Sky Billboard Project." This juried digital billboard project for 2021/2022 is now open. Six artist's works will be selected and featured on Adam's Outdoor Advertising digital billboards in and around the Greater Lansing region beginning in December and throughout next year. Application deadline is Oct. 18, 2020. (Watch for Jacob Erickson's art which is running on area digital billboards until Oct. 31, 2021.) Learn more.

Buckham Gallery in Flint, Michigan, announces a call to artists for a BIPOC-themed juried art exhibition, April 8 - May 14, 2022. Prizes of more than $1,500 will be awarded. In addition to the traditional cash prizes, Buckham Gallery will select artists to be featured in the 2023 - 2024 season. "BIPOC" is trendy right now. However, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) artists have traditionally been underrepresented in U.S. galleries and museums. How do we make this moment in time more than a moment? Buckham Gallery acknowledges the need to build stronger relationships with BIPOC artists and their communities. This exhibit is a launch pad to build new collaborations with BIPOC artists. A $25 entry fee is required. Application deadline is Nov. 15, 2021. Learn more.

LowellArts in Lowell, Michigan, is seeking visual and literary artwork for its juried competition, "WordView, Art Inspiring Art," to be held Jan. 8 - Feb. 19, 2022. Entries should be original work consisting of both visual and textual components, and may be submitted by an individual artist or by artists and writers in collaboration. Examples include visual works with accompanying poems/texts (ekphrastic), illustrated texts (book art), literary broadsides/posters, 2-dimensional works incorporating personal documents or 3-dimensional work with engraved text. Single entries will also be accepted. Application deadline is Nov. 9, 2021. Learn more.

Artless Bastard Gallery, Inc. in DePere, Wisconsin, announces a call to artists for a juried art exhibition, "Fantasy Land," to be held Nov. 4 - Dec. 4, 2021. Best in Show will receive a $100 prize. Original artwork both 2-D and 3-D such as photography, oil, acrylic, mixed media, ceramics, metal, etc. will be accepted. Submission fee of $20 is required for one piece. Application deadline is Oct. 16, 2021. Learn more.

Anderson Arts Center in Kenosha, Wisconsin, announces a call to artists for its annual "Winter Juried Art Exhibition," to be held Nov. 21, 2021 - Jan. 9, 2022. Awards totaling $450 will be given, and five artists will be awarded solo shows. Artists must be 18 or older and can be at any stage in their career. All media produced within the last three years is accepted. Two works per artist may be submitted. Drop off dates (in-person only) are between Oct. 19 - 22 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Entry fee is $20 for up to two works. Application deadline is Oct. 22, 2021. Learn more.

Black Box Gallery in Portland, Oregon, seeks entries for its juried photography exhibition, "Trees and Water," being held Nov. 1 - 20, 2021. A total of 24 photographs will be selected for exhibition at the gallery. An additional 30 photographs will be displayed online. Open to all photographers. A $40 entry fee is required. Application deadline is Oct. 8, 2021. Learn more.

Decode Gallery in Tucson, Arizona, seeks entries for its juried "Black and White Photography Exhibition," Oct. 23 - Nov. 13, 2021. Black and white is how photography began--it's the deep unending shades of grey. Decode is looking for photographers best black and white works. The exhibition is open to photographers of all ages and levels of experience. A $35 entry fee is required. Application deadline is Oct. 16, 2021. Learn more.

The Woodlands Arts Council seeks artists for "The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival," held April 9 - 10, 2022, at The Woodlands Town Center, Waterway and Town Green Park in The Woodlands, Texas.

This call is open to artists all over the world. All work must be original work made by the applying artist. No mass produced reproductions are allowed. Applications are juried (blind jury process) by category and there are 14 categories. Jury fee of $40 is required. Application deadline is Oct. 17, 2021. Learn more.

Arts Council Greater Lansing registration for the 2021 Creative Placemaking Summit 7: REconnect is now open! We are working hard behind the scenes to create an amazing hybrid event for all the creative placemaking curious folks in Greater Lansing and beyond. We are devoting two days for this year's event and are including more speakers, more in-person, interactive art experiences in Downtown Lansing and much more! Register today.

Arts Council Greater Lansing presents its City of Lansing Arts Impact Project Pitch Panel Workshop. Come learn how to make the best pitch for your Arts Impact project idea! This workshop will be facilitated by Arts Council membership and program manager Taylor Haslett, who manages the City of Lansing Arts and Culture Grants, and lead by Michigan Small Business Development Center regional director, Laurie Lonsdorf. Laurie has presented "Perfect Your Pitch" to numerous audiences and coached one-on-one hopeful participants of The Hatching, LCC's Star Tank, Start Garden's 5x5 Night, Michigan Women Forward's Women Up & Pitch and other local and regional business pitch competitions. Join us at MICA on Oct. 25, 2021, from 5 - 7 p.m. Contact Taylor at taylor@lansingarts.org for details and to register. Learn more.

Artwork Archive blog: "9 Things You Should Give Up to Be a Successful Artist," Excerpt: "Here’s the thing about comparisons: you are always going to be better at some things than other people, and worse at other things. Dwelling on either isn’t going to get you anywhere. It can stifle your creativity as an emerging artist to compare yourself to someone who is twenty years into their career, and it can stunt your growth to compare your work to someone who is just starting out. Instead of focusing on how you stack up next to someone else, invest that energy into comparing your recent work with the work you made six months ago, a year ago and five years ago. Have you grown? And where do you want to see yourself six months, a year, and five years in the future?" Read more.

Arts Night Out November

City of Lansing Arts Impact Project Pitch Panel (Coming in December.)

Here are some podcasts you might like. Have a listen and stretch your brain!

Artistic Heart presents "Cause and Effect is Your Friend." Hosts Anna Meade and Jack Wallen, discuss the ways in which cause and effect is the artist's best friend. Not only can it help you create in the moment, it can help you discover those "happy accidents" that your muse most certainly intended for you all along. Listen in on how our hosts discovered this style of creativity and how it can be used to make you a better artist. Listen in.

Arts for the Health of It presents "Advocating for the Arts With Ann Graham." Ann is the executive director of Texans for the Arts, who seek to secure, protect and grow the public investment in the arts and ensure that the arts, culture and creativity sector have a voice at the political, fiscal and social justice tables of our democracy. Listen in.

If you have a call to artists, a position or internship opening or are looking for volunteers, please let us know. Email the Arts Council at dawn@lansingarts.org to list your opportunity in our next Creative Connection. And please SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with us! We are always looking for photos of creative connections to add to this newsletter. Share with us and let everyone know what you are up to.