Open Call for Art on the Parkway, co-organized by the Association for Public Art (aPA) and the Parkway Council, in partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR), invites artists, designers, and other creatives to propose a temporary public art installation in Maja Park on Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway as part of the annual summer Oval festival. Proposals are asked to explore the ways in which art can help create and define a sense of place.

While the Benjamin Franklin Parkway is one of Philadelphia’s grandest civic spaces with a rich array of art and architecture—including many sculptures commissioned and maintained by the Association for Public Art—it has not reached its full potential as a public space. This year a coalition of organizations led by the Parkway Council along with city partners at Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability are advancing a conceptual master plan for the Parkway that envisions its future as a great urban park. 

This competition invites proposals that both celebrate the Parkway’s historic built environment and explore its future as a more inclusive and vibrant public space for all Philadelphians. Proposals must be durable and suitable for display in a public park open to the elements. The temporary installation will open on approximately August 1st and be on view through October 28, 2024. 

Visit the site and come to an information session with aPA and the Parkway Council on April 9, 2024 from 5:30pm-6:30pm at Maja Park. For more information on the information session and to register, click here. 

Award

The selected proposal recipient will receive an all-inclusive award of $15,000.

Jurors

Julie Bush
Landscape Architect, Ground Reconsidered

Joyce Chung
Curator, Asian Arts Initiative

Ginger Rudolph
Curator

Questions
For more information, read Open Call for Art on the Parkway FAQs and explore the conceptual master plan for the Parkway’s future. If your question is still not answered, email opencall@associationforpublicart.org.

Co-organized by the Association for Public Art (aPA) and the Parkway Council, in partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) and AIR Communities and Park Towne Place

About Association for Public Art
The Association for Public Art (aPA) is a non-profit organization that commissions and preserves public art in Philadelphia, while advancing the pivotal role art can play in creating and enhancing public space and civic life. For more information, visit associationforpublicart.org.

About the Parkway Council
The Parkway Council, a not-for-profit organization, works to accelerate the transformation of Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway into a great urban park for all. For more information, visit parkwaycouncil.org.