AIP 26 - Art Installations Entry Form

Call for Art Installations, 2026

Art in the Park is a fine arts and fine crafts festival that heralds the start of summer in Columbia, MO - an arts-focused college town, home to the University of Missouri and the recipient of the Missouri Arts Council's first ever Creative Community Award. The event features 110 fine artists each year from across the country, and attracts 12-14,000 visitors over the 2-day event. Set amidst the parkland and lakeside of the picturesque Stephens Lake Park. Admission to the festival is free of charge!

The 2026 Art in the Park will include entertainment for children, local musicians, a children's art area, a Young Artist Pavilion showing work by local high school and undergraduate students, a Young Collector's Tent, a Veterans’ Art Pavilion featuring artwork from veteran artists, art installations, and a food court.

Art in the Park seeks proposals for interactive or immersive art installations or sculptures for temporary install the weekend of June 6-7, 2026 as part of the annual Art in the Park event. This year’s event aims to cultivate a more immersive experience, offering guests spaces throughout the event to interact with large-scale experiential and/or participatory works.

This year's theme is The Water's Edge.

We are looking for nature inspired installations with bright colors & botanical & animal references that you'd see at the water's edge. See images for inspiration.

GUIDELINES:
Interested artists should fill out the online application form and be prepared to provide basic information including: contact information, bio, CV, and website. As well as: 3-5 examples of previous work; 2-3 sketches/samples of work proposed for Art in the Park; brief description of the project clearly stating the site, how it will be installed, and what materials are needed to create the project (if any) that CAL can help secure.

All installations must be firmly secured to the site, weather proof, available to be installed on June 5th, and remain on site June 6th & 7th, de-installed on the evening of June 7th. No balloons please.

TIMELINE:

March 6th- Deadline
March 15th- Artists notified/contracts distributed
March 15th-May 31st - Artists work with coordinator to ensure they have everything they need to create/install their work
June 5th - Installation Day
June 7th - De-installation in evening

PAYMENT:
Selected artists will be offered an honorarium between $500 - $1500 depending on the scoop of their work, we encourage artists to submit proposals for existing work to be placed at the festival, for new work to be created in advance for installation, or for work to be created on-site as part of a participatory project.

Questions?
Mary Sandbothe- mary@columbiaartleague.org

Artist Name (Primary Contact)*

First NameLast Name

Collaborator #1

First NameLast Name

Collaborator #2

First NameLast Name

Collaborator #3

First NameLast Name

Primary Contact Phone Number*

Area CodePhone Number

Primary Contact Email*

example@example.com

Primary Contact / Project Website

Bio (3-5 sentences max)*

Artist CV

Browse Files

If multiple collaborators, please combine CV's into a single PDF.

Installation Title

Installation Description*

Give a detailed description of your proposed installation including scale, materials, color palette, interactivity, how it is installed, and any other important information.

Sketches of Proposed Installation*

Browse Files

Please submit 2-3 Images of sketches/samples for proposed installation. If the work is already complete, submit images of the finished work, preferably installed.

Image List for Previous Work

Please provide image information for previous work - label files with artwork title and use that title to clarify in numbered image list. ie File name: colorfulinstallation.jpg Image List: 1. Colorful Installation: 22' x 30' installation of colored glass objects.

Samples of Past Work

Browse Files

Please submit 3-5 examples of previous work, similar to proposed installation.

Other considerations?

Please provide any information about how Columbia Art League can help gather materials or provide any additional support. Or any other aspects of your project that you would like us to consider in making our decision.