Avondale, Chandler, Glendale, Peoria, Scottsdale and Tempe fund local artists

Six cities across the Phoenix metropolitan area have issued a collective call for artists as part of the IN FLUX public art project. The partner cities — Avondale, Chandler, Glendale, Peoria, Scottsdale, and Tempe — invite artists or artist teams across all disciplines to create temporary public artworks in a wide variety of locations throughout the Valley, where the public can enjoy them free of charge. A portfolio of previous works, a resume and a statement of intent are due by November 15, 2021 (5 p.m. MST). The details of the call and the online submission portal can be found at INFLUXAZ.com.

IN FLUX, which is now on its 10th Cycle, is targeting emerging artists—those with two years or less experience in public art. It will provide these artists a chance to expand their skills, challenge their creativity, and garner public recognition for their work. Selected artists will receive between $5,000-$10,000 for the creation of a temporary work to be displayed for up to one year, from May 2022- May 2023/24 (per commissioning organization).

Artlink, a promotion partner of IN FLUX Cycle 10, is a Valley nonprofit that supports Arizona artists by providing programs and resources for them to develop their career. Artlink shares IN FLUX’s mission to provide unique project opportunities for artists to expand their skills, innovatively apply their creativity and garner public recognition for their work.

Dozens of artists have created work for IN FLUX through the years, with works ranging in size from dramatically oversized to medium. Previous Cycles have featured murals, steel and wood sculptures, interactive digital environments, massive vinyl-on-glass visuals and installations activated by participatory performances. The most recent Cycle 9 featured works by Matthew Baral, Cherie Buck-Hutchison & Curtis Hutchison, Daniel Mariotti, John Randall Nelson, Nick Rascona, Eli Richard, Ryan Shea, Joan Waters and John David Yanke. Selected performing artists include Csaba Jevtic-Somlai and Dylan Findley, Bill Kane and Central AZ Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, Nicole Olson and Patricia Sannit, Katharine Leigh Simpson, Erin V. Sotak, and Phile Weaver-Stoesz and Catalyst Creative, with some of these performances yet to be scheduled due the past year of COVID restrictions.

Each partner city will hold their own selection panel for their site(s). The selection panelists will make recommendations based on the specific nature of each site. Once these recommendations have been made, the IN FLUX partners will meet to determine final locations for selected artists to ensure placement is feasible and there is diversity within the IN FLUX collection for Cycle 10. Members of each panel will include artists, arts professionals, and community members.

IN FLUX demonstrates a holistic approach to temporary public art through a showcase of site-specific projects by visual artists working in various mediums. These opportunities provide artists a chance to expand their skills, challenge their creativity and garner public recognition for their work. Presented simultaneously by six partner cities, IN FLUX fosters the notion of the Valley as one art community. IN FLUX creates connections between community organizations, city governments, local businesses, artists and audiences. To see previous IN FLUX artworks and learn more visit INFLUXAZ.com.

About IN FLUX:
IN FLUX 10 is a strategic partnership of seven organizations: Avondale Public Art, Chandler Arts Commission, City of Glendale Public Art Program, City of Peoria Arts & Culture, Scottsdale Public Art, and City of Tempe Public Art. The intentions of this multi-city partnership are to create connections between community organizations, city governments, local businesses, artists, and audiences, while providing creatives a chance to expand their skills, challenge their creativity, and garner public recognition for their work. It was launched in 2010 by Scottsdale Public Art as an initiative for temporary installations in vacant storefronts. Cycle 10 is supported by Artlink Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit organization. For more information on IN FLUX, its artists, past projects and current opportunities, follow IN FLUX on Instagram and Facebook or visit: INFLUXAZ.com.

About Artlink
Artlink keeps the arts integral to our development by connecting artists, businesses and the community. Founded as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization by artists in 1989, the Artlink name is a guiding principle for the organization, as it supports stakeholders of the arts and culture community, amplifying its collective strength. For more information about Artlink, please visit artlinkphx.org/. Connect socially with Artlink on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.