RFP - Shipping Container Art Installations at Artscape 2027

Create Baltimore is seeking proposals from Maryland-based artists and artist teams for creative, immersive, and unexpected ideas that transform ordinary shipping containers into extraordinary works of art for the 2027 Artscape festival.

This year's theme, Inside Out, is about subverting expectations, embracing contradiction, revealing whats underneath, and highlighting the beauty in what makes us different. 

With numerous larger-than-life installations, the festival invites artists to dream big, get weird, and create experiences that stop people in their tracks. We're looking for bold, temporary installations that transform shipping containers into immersive worlds and interactive experiences. 

We’re looking for creative temporary installations that transform ordinary shipping containers into immersive, unforgettable experiences for festival-goers to walk through, interact with, and experience art in a new way.

Project Overview

Artscape 2027 will take place Memorial Day Weekend, May 29-30, in downtown Baltimore near City Hall. Create Baltimore will provide funding to selected artists and artist teams to design, fabricate, and install temporary public art installations using shipping containers as the foundation for their work.

We are especially interested in projects that:

• Transform the ordinary and reimagine shipping containers in new, inventive ways;
• Invite participation and interaction;
• Tell a story reflecting the theme "Inside Out"; and
• Utilize recycled or repurposed materials.

Shipping Container Specs

Each shipping container is upfitted with HVAC and electrical plug-ins and measure 20' long x 8' wide x 8'6" tall. 

Goals & Objectives

Large-scale installations have long been a hallmark of Artscape, giving festival-goers opportunities to encounter art in unexpected places. The community tunnel will serve as both a functional passageway and an artistic destination - creating a moment of awe and wonder for visitors as they move through the festival.

Through this call for proposals, Create Baltimore hopes to showcase a wide range of bold, inventive, and distinctly Baltimore ideas from Maryland artists and artist teams. Together, the selected installations will create a mini-neighborhood of immersive art experiences that invite visitors to step inside and experience art in new ways.

Header Image: Copyright: © Photoville NYC

Eligibility 

This request for proposals is open to all professional artists over the age of 18, legally living or working within the State of Maryland. Baltimore-based artists will be given preference in the instance of identical scoring.

Artists can apply individually or as an artist team. 

Current employees of Create Baltimore and the Mayor's Office of Arts, Culture, & Entertainment (MOACE) are not eligible to apply.

Requested Qualifications 

Artists must submit all of the items below. Applicants who fail to submit all of these items will not be considered. 

• Artist’s Statement (100 words or less)
• Resume/CV (PDF; 5 MB or less)
• Project Description
• Proposed Budget 
• Inspiration Images (optional)

Selection Process 

A panel of professional creatives and community stakeholders will join Create Baltimore and MOACE representatives in evaluating and choosing the selected artists.

In considering some applications, we may ask for additional information. The email address you provide is the email address we will use to contact you if more details are needed. 

All artists will receive a decision no later than January 15, 2027. 

Budget

Budgets of up to $20,000 will be considered. The final project budget must include an artist contingency of 10% and an artist fee of at least 15%. 

Timeline

• The application deadline is January 15, 2027, at 5:00 PM
• Artists will receive a decision by February 12, 2027. 
• Installation will begin the week of May 24, 2027. 
• Artscape is Memorial Day Weekend, May 29-30, 2027. Festival hours are 11AM–9PM.