20 Works Will Be on Display in Temporary Exhibition
Words and Images courtesy of Downtown Norfolk Council.
The NEON District is hosting an open call for artists to show their work as part of an outdoor installation. With construction fencing now surrounding the former Greyhound Bus Station, the NEON District will install 20 vinyl mesh panels along Granby Street and Brambleton Avenue.
“We see this as an opportunity to activate this area of the NEON District,” said Rachel McCall, director of strategic initiatives for Downtown Norfolk Council. “The City of Norfolk is currently assessing future uses of the site, and we thought it would be an ideal opportunity to showcase even more local artists in this very visible location.”
Artists are encouraged to submit artwork reflecting the changes and history of Downtown Norfolk and its neighborhoods. The NEON District, like many areas of Norfolk, was built on old waterways filled in for urban growth. The NEON District is also designated Auto Row Historic District for its defining role in the sales and production of Norfolk's automobile industry. How do these two histories shape the neighborhood, physically and metaphorically?
Artists are encouraged to reflect on questions like, as neighborhoods in Norfolk evolve, what do you see? What do you miss? What do you think of when you envision the NEON District? Artists should explore themes of memory, history, time, future, community, evolution and creativity. There is a $10 fee for up to eight submissions.
Open Call Details:
· Submissions can be photography, digitally-produced artworks or photographs of 2D or 3D works of art.
· Landscape or portrait works can be submitted. Landscape artworks will be sized to 40” H x 60” W. Portrait artworks will be sized to 48” H x 36” W.
· If selected, artists will work with the printer to produce large-scale, high resolution files to be printed on mesh banners. Artists are not required for installation.
· Artists should provide name, title of work, year, medium and a short description to be printed on a 6” x 12” panel next to the work.
· $100 honorarium will be awarded to selected artists.
The installation is sponsored by Downtown Norfolk Council and City of Norfolk Department of Economic Development.
For exact location and images click: https://www.downtownnorfolk.org/_files/docs/your-art-here.pdf
The open call went live on February 26, and submissions are due by March 21 at 11:59 pm. Selections will be made by the NEON District Public Art Committee, a diverse team of artists, cultural partners and neighborhood residents. Selected works will be installed in April 2021 and will be on display for six months with the potential to remain on view longer. For more information and to apply, visit https://neondistrict.submittable.com/submit.
A bus station has stood at the corner of Brambleton Avenue and Granby Street since 1942. Built in the height of World War II, the first station was an art deco marvel with air conditioning and modern amenities in service of the thousands of sailors traveling to and from Norfolk's busy port. It was razed in the early 1960s to widen Brambleton Avenue, and a new station was built to complement the jet set-era Golden Triangle Hotel. At the time, massive redevelopment was changing the face of Downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods. Now again, the site's future is in flux, as it sits vacant at the threshold of Downtown and the NEON District. In a nod to Greyhound's original rotating sign, the NEON cube sits atop the historic pedestal and spins, welcoming all to the District.
Norfolk’s first official arts district, NEON (New Energy of Norfolk), is home to long-time cultural institutions like the Chrysler Museum of Art and Harrison Opera House as well as studio-based ventures like d’Art Center and the Rutter Family Art Foundation, all providing artists a place to make, create and show. Within a few short blocks you can see a muralist at work, take in an improv comedy performance at Push Comedy Theater, watch a live glass-working demonstration, shop for unique home goods, get a tattoo or dine out at an eclectic restaurant. Learn more at www.NEONNFK.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @neonnfk.