The partners collaborating to build Omaha Public Library’s new Central Library are teaming up with Amplify to open a call for permanent public artwork that will be installed in the interior and exterior spaces of the Central Library.
Artists, artist collectives, and collaborative groups from the Omaha metro area will be selected and awarded project budgets in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 to realize new work. Selected artists will collaborate with the project team throughout the design and installation process prior to the library’s opening in 2026.
The call is open through June 9, 2024.
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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.
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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 the following in any media: sculpture, assemblage, installation, 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.
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Applications will be reviewed in a four-phase selection process.
Amplify Arts staff will review to ensure applicants meet eligibility requirements and have submitted a complete application.
All eligible applications will be reviewed and scored by an external panel of arts professionals.
Top ranking applications will be reviewed by a panel of representatives from Central Library stakeholder groups to be considered for interviews.
Applicants selected for interviews will meet with representatives from Central Library stakeholder groups who will make final selections.
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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.
EARLY 2026: Installation/Central Library Opens
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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 associate 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).
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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. Item description
About Omaha Public Library’s Central Library
Omaha Public Library’s new Central Library will be a hub for creativity, collaboration, education, innovation, and workforce development. The library is currently under construction at the intersection of 72nd and Dodge streets and scheduled to open in 2026. Launched by Omaha Public Library and the City of Omaha in partnership with three nonprofit organizations - Omaha Public Library Foundation, Heritage Omaha, and Do Space - this new library is an important financial and cultural investment in literacy, digital equity, and community. The building is designed with accessibility in mind and includes spaces to learn, spaces to gather, and spaces to create for people of all ages.
About Amplify Arts
Amplify Arts provides resources for artists, organizers, and cultural workers to incubate liberatory ideas that move our community forward.