CALL FOR ARTISTS
Join a nonprofit speculative future initiative marking the US’s 250th anniversary by celebrating the public’s visions for what could be.
ILLUSTRATORS • GRAPHIC DESIGNERS • DIGITAL ARTISTS
THE PLENARY, CO. X JONNY WANFor the past year, we’ve been touring the US to collect community visions of what could be.
You’re invited to illustrate them.
NEED TO KNOWS
REQUIREMENTSMay 15 Deadline. This opportunity requires artists to complete four pieces by May 15. We will provide guidance prior to project commencement, and anticipate no more than 2-3 revisions per piece, which should be accounted for in your assessment of whether this timeline is feasible for you.
US-Based. Given this initiative's focus on the US's 250th, artists should be based in the US, or have a strong connection to the US (e.g. expat, previously lived here, etc.).
Creative Commons. This is a 501(c)3 initiative designed to serve the public. All works created for it will be part of a larger storytelling whole. To ensure they remain accessible and acknowledge the multiple contributing parties, the final exhibits will be considered joint work and released under a Creative Commons License, with attribution to the artist required.
Values-Aligned. This is a nonpartisan initiative. All pieces must abide by the values and mission of Future of Us. For more information, please read more about the initiative’s commitments and values here.
Human-made. This initiative intends to support artists for their craft and to celebrate their work as creative sensemakers. While we recognize that many artists use AI as part of their process, we require the completed pieces to be primarily human-made. If AI is used, it should be secondary to the artist's craft.
OPPORTUNITYCompensation. Flat rate of $2500 for 4 distinct digital pieces. Pieces should use a 3:4 ratio and must be delivered in two formats: (1) hi-res print-ready, with the ability to scale up to 60" high, and (2) web size format.
Capturing Community Visions. Invited artists will be given stories, concepts, and sketches from community members across the US, each envisioning a speculative story about a hopeful possible future. Artists will create the cover art for each story, based on the authoring community's concepts (e.g. translating a rough sketch of a cover idea into an imaginative, original piece). Artists will be matched with geographically meaningful communities when possible and desired.
4 Future Worlds. Each set of four includes one speculative story from each of our initiative’s themes: Social Futures, Green Futures, Media Futures & Science & Tech Futures.
US 250th Exhibition & Public Archive. All final works will be exhibited as part of the Future of Us festival, launching in San Francisco and online for the US’s 250th anniversary this summer. Materials will also be shared via toolkits, partners, and a digital public archive, marking the public’s visions of what could be at this generational moment.
Various Styles Welcome. We welcome all creative formats – collage, sketch, digital painting, vector, etc. – so long as it can be rendered digitally and scaled in line with the required formats and dimensions.