North Omaha Trail & Chambers Court Call for Artists
Applications Open August 24 - October 4, 2026
Amplify, Spark, and Hoppe Development have teamed up to open a call for artists to create 13 new public artworks along the North Omaha Trail and at Chambers Court.
If you have strong connections to North Omaha and are passionate about the stories, history, culture, and future of its neighborhoods, this could be the perfect opportunity for you. Artists, artist collectives, and collaborative groups working in any discipline are encouraged to apply. Whether you’re just getting started or are more established in your practice, we want to hear from you. You do not need a formal arts education or previous public art experience.
We’re especially interested in work that explores North Omaha’s personal and collective history while honoring the community's leadership, creativity, resilience, culture, and abundance. We welcome work that celebrates the past, reflects the present, and looks to the future.
The call is open August 24 - October 4, 2026. Follow the link below to apply in Submittable.
Questions about the application process?
Register below to attend an in-person Info Session at the North Omaha Visitor’s Center on September 3rd at 6 pm.
The project team will walk through the application process and offer advice and tips.
Looking for focused one-on-one support? Sign up for Office Hours to get feedback on your application materials, like your artist statement or work sample.
Office Hours are open:
Sept 10, 6 pm - 8 pm, Culxr House
Sept 18, 11 am - 1 pm, Culxr House
Sept 26, 10 am - 12 pm, Fabric Lab
Both in-person and virtual meetings are available. Click here to register in Eventbrite for a 20-minute slot. If you choose an in-person meeting, show up on the date and time you select at the location listed. If you choose a virtual meeting, you’ll get a confirmation email after registering that includes a link to join on Zoom.
Project team members are happy to review your artist statement and/or work sample before your appointment. Just email them as attachments at least 24 hours before your office hours appointment to info@amplifyarts.org. Please include “North Omaha Trail and Chambers Court - Call for Artists” in the subject line.
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The North Omaha Trail is not your average trail. It is a community-led effort to reconnect neighborhoods while celebrating the people, places, and history that make North Omaha what it is.
The first phase of the trail stretches nearly two miles from North 31st and Sprague Streets to North 24th and Ohio Streets. A second phase connects 24th and Ohio to downtown, creating new opportunities for people to move through and experience North Omaha.
This opportunity also includes an independent public art project at Chambers Court, a historic North Omaha apartment complex named for longtime Nebraska State Senator and civil rights leader Ernie Chambers.
Together, these locations offer artists an opportunity to create work that connects North Omaha's past, present, and future.
We're especially interested in work that can:
Unearth personal and family history
Honor the resilience, leadership, creativity, and triumphs of previous generations
Celebrate North Omaha's cultural abundance and artistic traditions
Reflect the experiences and perspectives of people who live here today
Boldly envision the future and collective joy of North Omaha
Create moments of joy, connection, reflection, healing, and discovery
Contribute a meaningful, long-lasting legacy to the community
If your work, family, relationships, history, or community ties connect you to North Omaha, we want to hear from you.
Applicants must be at least 19 years old. Preference will be given to applicants in or adjacent to zip codes the North Omaha Trail passes through, including 68102, 68104, 68110, 68111, 68112, 68131, 68152, and 68178.
The call is open to artists working across many different disciplines and materials, including:
Painting and murals
Mosaics
Sculpture and metalwork
Photography and digital media
Sound and interactive work
Poetry and storytelling
This list isn't exhaustive. If you have an idea for how your practice could become part of the public realm, we encourage you to apply.
You can be an emerging artist or an established artist. You do not need a formal arts education or previous public art experience.
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This is a Call for Aritsts, not a request for a finished proposal.
For this first stage, we want to understand who you are as an artist, what your work is about, and your relationship to North Omaha.
Your application will include:
An Artist Statement describing your work and connection to North Omaha
A Work Sample showing examples of completed work
A Works Cited Page providing context for your work samples
Do not submit sketches, mock-ups, or proposed designs at this stage. Artists selected through the RFQ will be invited to develop a specific concept with the project team, and artists will be compensated for their concept development.
Selected artists will receive information about a specific location, budget, and timeline and will work with Amplify Arts and project partners to develop their artwork. Community input will be an important part of that process.
Applications are open from August 24 to October 4, 2026.
Click here to download a copy of the full application to reference while you prepare your application materials in English or in Spanish.
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For this RFQ, applications will be reviewed in a phased review 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 a panel of arts professionals external to Omaha to share applicants' work with national arts professionals.
Top-ranking applications will then be reviewed by a panel of community stakeholders and members of the project team.
Finalists will be invited to participate in an interview with the project team. This interview is a collaborative conversation to discuss the project vision, community engagement approaches, and specific location opportunities along the North Omaha Trail and/or within Ernie Chambers Court.
After interviews, project partners will make final artist selections.
Application Evaluation
All eligible applications will be evaluated on the following criteria:
Artist Statement aligns with the goals of the North Omaha Trail as described in the Project Background section.
Artist Statement articulates a strong connection to North Omaha, its history, and the well-being of its residents.
The Work Sample illustrates a history of past work that inspires confidence in the artist’s capacity to realize the proposed work.
Overall, the application is compelling and thought-provoking.
Click here to view the full evaluation rubric.
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Below, you’ll find a timeline for the application review process:
August 24: Applications Open
September 3, 6:00 pm: Info Session, North Omaha Visitor’s Center
September 10, 6 pm - 8 pm: Virtual and in-person at Culxr House
September 18, 11 am - 1 pm: Virtual and in-person at Culxr House
September 26, 10 am - 12 pm: Virtual and in-person at Fabric Lab
October 4, 11:59 pm: Application Closes
October 5 - December 11: Application Review Period
December 14-18: Applicant Notifications Sent
December 21, 2026 - January 3, 2027: Holiday Break
January 11 - 15: Interviews with Finalists
No later than February 5: Notification of Selection
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Locations for artwork integrations generally include public infrastructure and some facades located along the North Omaha Trail (along North 27th Street extending south to Ohio Street, along 26th Street, east down Franklin Street and connecting with 24th Street) and within Chambers Court.
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Yes! Selected artists will be matched with a location that fits the materials and media represented in their application. From there, artists will work alongside Amplify Arts and project partners to develop an artwork concept that responds to the specific site and fits within an established budget. Artists will have the opportunity to shape and refine their ideas before the final concept is approved and production begins. You’ll be compensated for your time and creative work during the concept development phase.
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Register to attend an in-person info session at the North Omaha Visitor’s Center on September 3 at 6 pm. The project team will walk through the application process and offer advice and tips. Register here.
Looking for focused one-on-one support? Sign up for office hours to get feedback on your application materials, like your artist statement or work sample.
Office hours are open:
September 10, 6 pm - 8 pm: Office Hours, Virtual and in-person at Culxr House
September 18, 11 am - 1 pm: Office Hours, Virtual and in-person at Culxr House
September 26, 10 am - 12 pm: Office Hours, Virtual and in-person at Fabric Lab
Both in-person and virtual meetings are available. Click below to register in Eventbrite for a 20-minute slot.
If you choose an in-person meeting, show up on the date and time you select at the location listed.
If you choose a virtual meeting, you’ll get a confirmation email after registering that includes a link to join on Zoom.
Project team members are happy to review your artist statement and/or work sample before your appointment. Just email them as attachments at least 24 hours before your office hours appointment to info@amplifyarts.org. Please include “North Omaha Trail and Chambers Court - Call for Artists” in the subject line.
This application is available in:
Email info@amplifyarts.org with questions, or if you need:
Help navigating Submittable, the application submission software.
Access to a reliable wireless connection.
A quiet space to work on your application.
About Spark
Spark's mission is to help profoundly transform disinvested neighborhoods into thriving and prosperous communities. Spark promotes Holistic Community Development. This applies rigorous real estate development methods while considering all the foundational assets- social, political, economic, and physical- that are necessary for communities to thrive and prosper. They support and supplement the work of existing organizations, build upon existing community assets, provide funding, leverage resources to close financing gaps, and to help educate and minimize the risk for developers who would otherwise not invest in these neighborhoods.
About Hoppe Development
Hoppe Development is a mission-driven real estate development firm focused on delivering high-quality, sustainable housing and catalytic mixed-use projects across the Midwest. Their pipeline includes Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) affordable housing, workforce housing, mixed-income communities, and community-oriented developments that integrate supportive services, placemaking, and long-term neighborhood revitalization. We partner with public agencies, nonprofits, lenders, investors, and municipalities to create lasting impact.
About Amplify Arts
Amplify Arts works to build communities where arts and culture are valued as essential to how we belong, relate, and collectively imagine what’s possible. Amplify’s Public Art program makes creative work visible and accessible in the rhythms of daily life. We partner with artists, nonprofits, developers, businesses, and community stakeholders to develop public art projects that create spaces where people feel inspired to live, work, and stay.
Amplify serves as a central pivot between project stakeholders and artists. Amplify organizes application and selection processes, but does not evaluate applications or make selections. Post-selection, Amplify works closely with artists and project stakeholders to coordinate communication, conduct regular check-ins, handle installation, and manage project close-out.