Neighborhood Arts: Next Up is a youth-focused, creative place-keeping and workforce development program that teams young artists (16-21) with an experienced, professional artist in a co-leadership, mentor-apprentice relationship. This program continues to center community voices, especially young voices, to bring arts experiences and beautification projects close to home in Greensboro neighborhoods.

The program goals are for youth artist to:

• Express themselves positively and constructively through the arts;
• Have real-life experiential training in creative entrepreneurship.

Creative Greensboro seeks applications from professional artists, youth artists (aged 16-21) OR artist teams that partner an experienced professional artist with a youth artist, to create digital designs for bus shelter art to be installed in the Dudley Heights, Glenwood and Kings Forest neighborhoods. 

All applications will be reviewed and ranked by a community stakeholders committee. For professional artists who apply individually, if chosen for the program, Creative Greenboro will pair you with a youth artist. For youth artists who apply individually, if chosen, Creative Greensboro will team you with a professional artist.

Each artist team will host two (2) family-friendly community engagement events at a designated neighborhood-based elementary school, rec center or library to get input for a community-informed digital design for one bus shelter.

The youth artist and professional artist should collaborate and co-lead on all aspects of the community engagement and artwork design, with the professional artist offering mentorship to the youth artist to help them develop skills in creative leadership, design, teamwork, presentation skills and community engagement.

Each team will have a budget of $2,800 to co-lead the two arts community engagement events,  and produce a digital design, including artists fees and materials. The team budget is allocated as follows:

• $1,700 to the professional/mentor artist 
• $700 to the apprentice/youth artist
• $325 materials budget for community engagement sessions
• $75 honorarium to youth artist to present the final design proposal to the community stakeholders committee

The teams will have an additional budget of up to $1,500 per shelter for the production and installation of their digital artwork by a vendor chosen by the City of Greensboro. Creative Greensboro staff will work with the vendor and artist teams to complete the installation process and ensure the digital designs can be reproduced within budget and technical specifications. Creative Greensboro will directly pay the vendor for materials and installation. 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES and INFORMATION

Applications are due by April 30 at 5 p.m.

• Eligibility: Professional artists and youth artists who are Guilford County residents are eligible to apply. Please note: City of Greensboro employees or their immediate family members are not eligible to apply.

• Professional Artists: Your application should include:
  • Your name, address and contact information;
  • A resume that demonstrates at least three years professional work as artist/arts entrepreneur and lists two professional references with contact information;
  • A PDF document with 3-5 artwork examples. Work samples should include at least one example of an art project that had a community engagement aspect to inform the design and one example of digitally-produced art;
  • A description of your idea for the arts activity/community engagement event to get community input for the bus shelter design;
  • A brief narrative that describes your experience working with youth.

• Youth Artists: Your application should inlcude:
  • Your name, address and contact information; 
  • Name, contact information and signature of parent or legal guardian, if under 18 years of age;
  • A PDF document that lists of your art classes, workshops, awards, and/or exhibits; and 3-5 examples of your artwork;
  • A Statement of Interest: Tell us why you are interested in the program;
  • A recommendation letter from an art class teacher or art workshop instructor.

PROGRAM TIMELINE

• Artists or Artist Teams will be notified of their selection by mid-May. Creative Greensboro will partner professional artists with youth artists who apply individually.
• Professional artist will be on contract beginning early June; Teams will have until mid-August to do community engagement and create a digital design.
• Youth artist will present final design to the stakeholders committee in late August.
• Installation will occur in early Fall after design is approved.

**PLEASE READ THE OVERVIEW, GUIDELINES AND EXPECTATIONS**

Questions? Contact Karen Archia, Coordinator of Community Partnerships, Creative Greensboro at 336-433-7362, email: karen.archia@greensboro-nc.gov or, set up a 15-minute virtual pre-application information session here.