• Applicants must live in the Omaha Metro Area, including Washington, Douglas, Sarpy, and Saunders counties in Nebraska, and Pottawattamie, Mills, and Harrison counties in Iowa.

• Limit one submission per artist, artist collective, or collaborative group.

• Applicants must be at least 18 years old.

Artwork will be integrated throughout the interior and exterior of the building, with opportunities in the following categories:

Wall Work: The Central Library has flat wall surfaces that can accommodate individual works or series. Some examples of Wall Work include: photography, printmaking, painting, fiber art, ceramics, murals, mosaics, etc.

Free-Standing Work: The Central Library has floor space and space on the exterior of the building that allows Free-Standing Work to be experienced in the round. Some examples of Free-Standing Work include: sculpture, installation, assemblage, etc, and floor and/or ceiling video projection.

Integrated Work: The Central Library has a children’s play space and a calming station that includes sound and digital imagery. Integrated Work that enhances these spaces might include: calming sound and/or field recordings, calming moving and/or still digital imagery, kid-friendly play sculpture and/or soft sculpture, etc.

Applicants with meaningful relationships to libraries as spaces for learning, connection, and community building will be favored.

The design of OPL’s Central Library is a result of public input, feedback from OPL and Do Space staff and partners, library trends and best practices, and visits to some of the world’s best libraries.

As artists consider their designs, it may be helpful to consult some of these materials:

• The Design section of this website, which gives an overview of the plans for the building.

• The full Schematic Design Book, which includes a look at the design process including community engagement.

• The 2023 Library Facilities Plan, which maps out a future vision of growth and investment for all Omaha Public Library branches.

• A pdf of the slideshow presented at the May 8, 2024, Call for Art Info Session.

• Watch a video presentation about how to apply and hear from one of the building’s designers about possible art placements in the new building.

Applications will be reviewed in a four-phase selection process.

1. Amplify Arts staff will review to ensure applicants meet eligibility requirements and have submitted a complete application.

2. All eligible applications will be reviewed and scored by an external panel of arts professionals.

3. Top ranking applications will be reviewed by a panel of representatives from Central Library stakeholder groups to be considered for interviews.

4. Applicants selected for interviews will meet with representatives from Central Library stakeholder groups who will make final selections.

• APRIL 25: Applications open

• MAY 8, 6:30PM - 8PM: In-person info session at Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture (1516 Cuming Street in Omaha)

• MAY 13, 6PM - 8PM: Virtual application office hours

• MAY 23, 11AM - 1 PM: Virtual application office hours

• JUNE 9, 11:59PM: Applications close

• JUNE 10 - JULY: Application review

• AUGUST: Initial application status updates will be delivered and interviews for selected applicants will be coordinated

• SEPTEMBER: Final application status updates will be delivered.

• 2026: Installation/Central Library opens

• Artist Statement that talks about your work and your relationship to libraries as spaces for learning, creative growth, community building, or resource sharing.

• Project Description that talks about the conceptual and material aspects of the work you’d like to make and how it will invite people to engage with Omaha Public Library and the Central Library on a deeper level.

• Budget Tier that estimates costs associated with prep work, preliminary research, supplies, labor, and artist and organizer fees.

• Work Sample including documentation of past and/or current work that supports your statements and illustrates your capacity to complete new work for the Central Library building.

• Works Cited Page that gives selection panelists more information about your work sample(s).

• Application (English)

• Application (Spanish)

• Read aloud in English

• Read aloud in Spanish

• Download a pdf of the application

• Email Peter Fankhauser (peter@amplifyarts.org) if Amplify Arts can assist you as you complete your application, including a paper application form, a computer or internet connection, a quiet space to work on your application, or any other assistance.

How do I apply?

All applications for this call are managed in Submittable, an online application submission platform. If you haven’t used Submittable before, you’ll be asked to make an account and create a username and password. After your account is set up, you’ll be able to start the application and save your progress, so if you need to take a break, you can come back to your application later. You can also download a PDF of the full application here.

What materials will I need to submit?

A complete application includes an Artist Statement, a Project Description, a Budget Tier selection, a Work Sample, and a Works Cited Page. You can find more information about each of the application components in the application itself.

What information should I include in my Artist Statement and Project Description?

In your Artist Statement, you’ll talk more about what you do, why you do it, and your connection to library spaces.

In the Project Description, you’ll talk in general terms about what you’d make and why you’d like to make it. For example, if you’d like to make a large-scale mural that maps the flight paths of migratory birds over the Central Library building because libraries are spaces where you’ve cultivated a deeper understanding of bird species, then talk about that concept broadly and include a discussion of the materials you might use.

If your application is selected, you’ll work with the building design team to refine the ideas you talk about in your project description and determine exact dimensions and where it will be situated in the building’s interior or exterior spaces.

There are prompts in the application that can help you organize your thoughts and guide your responses to both the Artist Statement and the Project Description.

Do I need to submit sketches or mockups of my ideas as part of my application?

No, you don’t need to submit sketches or mockups. There are multiple sites in the library building that can accommodate different types of work. This application process has been designed to allow for flexibility and collaboration with the building design team.

If your application is selected based on the ideas you offer in this application, you’ll have more than a year in between selection and installation to work with the building design team to refine your ideas, identify specific sites in the building where your work will be situated, and determine exact dimensions.

What should I include in my Work Sample?

Your Work Sample should include documentation of past or recent work that reflects your capability to realize work in line with the ideas you’re dreaming up.

If you have an idea for new work using materials or processes that you haven’t used before or not represented in your work sample, talk about why this opportunity has inspired you to experiment in your Project Description and discuss the steps you’ll take to research, test, and incorporate new materials or processes into your practice.

How do I know which Budget Tier to select?

You can select one of five budget tiers. Each one encompasses a range of dollar values. The budget tier you select is just a general estimate of what costs you anticipate might be associated with the work you’re dreaming up. For example, you could think about costs associated with artist fees, research, fabrication, production, installation, contingency, and setting aside money for taxes.

Keep in mind, this is just an estimate. If your application is selected, you’ll create a more detailed budget with support from Amplify staff and the building design team.

Where can I learn more about the building?

The design of Omaha Public Library’s Central Library is a result of public input, feedback from library and Do Space staff and partners, library trends and best practices, and visits to some of the world’s best libraries.

As artists consider their designs, it may be helpful to consult some of these materials:

The Design section of the project website, which gives an overview of the plans for the building.

The full Schematic Design Book, which includes a look at the design process including community engagement.

The 2023 Citywide Library Facilities Plan, which maps out a future vision of growth and investment for all Omaha Public Library branches.

If you’re interested in making work for a specific interior or exterior space in the building, feel free to talk about that in your Project Description, but please keep in mind that selected applicants will make final decisions about where their work will be located in collaboration with the building design team.

Can I submit more than one application?

Only one submission per applicant is allowed.

If you have more than one idea for work you might contribute to the space, please talk about that in your project description and select a budget tier that would cover costs associated with the most expansive version of the work you’d like to complete.

If you work as an individual artist and are also part of a collective or collaborative, separate applications may be submitted, however the individual submitting the application must be different for each submission.

If I work as part of a collective that includes people who are under 18 or living outside of Omaha, are we eligible to apply?

Yes. As long as at least one member of the collective resides in the Omaha metro area and is at least 18 years old, the collective is eligible to apply.

How many applicants will be selected?

The total number and amount of project awards has not yet been decided and will depend on the artists’ submissions and their plans for utilizing the space inside and outside the new building in collaboration with the design team. We anticipate the number may be in the range of 10-20 awardees.