Chicago Artists Month 2014 Call for Participan​ts

Call for Participants The 18th annual Chicago Artists Month (CAM) will take place in October 2014. Artists, arts organizations and community organizations in all creative genres are encouraged to participate by producing events that fulfill the criteria and respond to the theme, "Crossing Borders." Application deadline: June 16, 2014.   About Chicago Artists Month Chicago Artists Month (CAM) is a month-long festival that showcases the creativity in every Chicago neighborhood during the month of October. Now in its 18th year, CAM offers a platform for Chicago-based artists and performers working in all media to promote and showcase their work, initiate collaborations and engage new audiences. CAM is a program of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, in partnership with the Chicago Park District and hundreds of community partners.   In previous years, CAM events have included exhibitions and performances, behind-the-scenes studio tours and neighborhood art walks, theater and dance productions, films, markets, classes, parades and conversations. Presenters include museums and artist collaboratives, galleries, theaters, film clubs, yoga studios, cultural centers, coffee houses and other organizations throughout the city. CAM 2013 highlights included the EdgeUp Festival in Uptown and Edgewater, a fashion show and restaurant crawl in South Chicago, theater performances in Pilsen, community arts conversations in Little Village and mural painting in Portage Park.   Theme: Crossing Borders The CAM 2014 theme is Crossing Borders. Proposal are encouraged, but not required, to engage the theme. Crossing Borders - actual physical borders, or conceptual, genre or societal borders - can be liberating, creative, transgressive, stimulating, hazardous, affirmative or all of the above. Often, crossing borders is life-changing. CAM encourages participants to plan their program as a mash-up, crossing borders literally and figuratively - between neighborhoods and nations, within artistic genres, media and social scenes.   Criteria   CAM 2014 is an open call for submissions, from which up to 300 events will be selected and 12 will be featured. Programs must feature two or more Chicago-based artists, take place in a public venue, between September 27 and October 31, 2014. Private homes and studios must be part of a larger event, such as an open studio or neighborhood art walk. Selection criteria include quality of work and diversity of artists/ media/neighborhood/demographics. Preference will be given to cross-neighborhood or cross-genre collaborations.   Selected programs will be listed on the CAM website, www.chicagoartistsmonth.org, and in a print guide produced by Newcity, with additional marketing and publicity to be determined.   Featured Programs / Featured Artists   Twelve CAM submissions will be selected as Featured Programs, based on the following criteria:   Artistic Excellence Diversity (artistic genre, media, discipline, geographic, demographic) Preference to Multi-Arts Collaboration (between neighborhoods, genres, demographically, or other) Scheduling considerations Embodying the theme, Crossing Borders   Featured Programs will be invited to nominate participating Chicago-based artists as the 2014 Featured Artists will be selected.   How to Participate To apply, go to www.chicagoartistsmonth.org/partner to create an account or log in to your existing account   Go to YOUR DASHBOARD, click on the type of event you plan to submit.   Event choices are: Art Walk, Exhibition, Learning/Making, Performance, Studio Tour/Open House.   Complete the fields and submit your preliminary information.   When you submit your information, be careful to spell and punctuate everything correctly. Once approved, you will be able to edit your listing, add graphics and links. This is the information that will be used for press and media.   Submission Deadline is June 16, 2014   Meet & Greet, Cross Borders All those interested in participating in CAM are invited to a Meet & Greet on June 4 4-6pm at the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.). The vision and logistics for CAM 2014 will be discussed and collaborations and "border crossing" will be facilitated. Click here to RSVP by June 1.   If you are new to CAM and have questions about presenting an exhibition or event this year, contact us for more information.