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Common Ground Proposals


A call for artists, designers and interdisciplinary practitioners to reimagine a historic sacred site in Woodlawn through activating space, responding to historic architecture and collaborating through design. 

Presented by The Arts Program at The First Presbyterian Church of Chicago (Arts at First) and the Chicago Architecture Center as part of their Built on Belief initiative, this project invites artists and designers to explore the intersections of architecture, sacred space and community on Chicago’s South Side.

Photo by Eric Allix Rogers.

summary

Contact: Gazhe Max Li & Arts at First Team, arts@chicagofirstchurch.org or 619-792-8171.

Call Overview:

  • Application Opens: Feb. 28, 2026 at 8 a.m. CST
  • Application Closes: April 3, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CST

Worksample Requirements: 10 media files (limited to 3 projects, media files open to images, PDF, videos or audios)

Other information:

  • Call Type: Architectural Design & Build, Public Art, Performance
  • Neighborhood: Woodlawn, Chicago
  • Artist Honorarium: $3,000
  • Budget: $3,000 - $9,000 (based on proposed budget)

Applications are now closed.

ABOUT

The Chicago Architecture Center, supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, is launching a series of place-based activations through its multi-year Built on Belief initiative. These projects engage communities by exploring how architecture and the built environment intersect with religion, spirituality and ideas of sacred space.

This year, CAC is partnering with Arts at First — the community-centered arts program at The First Presbyterian Church of Chicago (First Church) — to realize a site-specific initiative on church grounds that will open to the public in October in conjunction with Open House Chicago 2026. 

Other Built on Belief collaborators include the Narrow Bridge Arts Club, which is hosting a season of community-centered programming at their Chaplain Ave site in Woodlawn.

This open call invites artists, designers and interdisciplinary practitioners to propose site-responsive works that explore the intersections of architecture, religion and spirituality. Selected projects will animate the historic First Church campus at 6400 S Kimbark in Woodlawn through outdoor installations and interior activations that reimagine sacred and public spaces through the lenses of architecture, community and spiritual resilience.

Selected proposals will receive honoraria and fabrication funds. Selected partners will work closely with Arts at First, Chicago Architecture Center staff and an advisory team to finalize project budget, design specifications, fabrication schedule, marketing and other areas to ensure the project’s success. 

PROJECT GOALS

  • Commission local South Side and BIPOC creatives to create public activations that engage communities by exploring how architecture and the built environment intersect with religion, spirituality and ideas of sacred space.
  • Celebrate the architectural legacy of The First Presbyterian Church site and advance the ongoing, century-long conversation about how this building and surrounding grounds embody the values and needs of its communities.
  • Interpret contemporary issues related to how diverse communities engage with religious architecture, sacred space and the built environment.
  • Bridge personal, public and faith-based narratives through site-responsive works that reflect lived stories and collective memory.

SITE INFORMATION 

Click here for specific information for each of the proposed sites. Artists may propose for one of the following locations:

Interior:

First Church’s sanctuary is the architectural and spiritual heart of the campus — a soaring neo-gothic space shaped by light, material, memory and worship. The sanctuary functions as an active site of worship while also holding layered histories of refuge, resilience and community gathering. This interior activation invites artists to engage directly with the spatial, symbolic and luminous qualities of this sacred environment.

  • Temporary installation with a primary focus on light. 
  • Proposals may incorporate sound or minimal built elements, provided all components are freestanding, fully removable and do not permanently alter the architecture or finishes of the sanctuary.
  • We encourage applicants to explore how light shapes sacred architecture and spiritual experience. 
  • Projects may consider “sanctuary” as both a physical structure and an evolving social action — reflecting on who seeks refuge, how protection is embodied and how meanings of sanctuary shift over time.
  • The sanctuary’s stained and transparent glass — including areas marked by historic bullet damage — offers a powerful lens through which light, memory and protection intersect. Artists are invited to respond thoughtfully to this history and the church’s longstanding role as a site of refuge for multiple communities.

Proposed projects may not involve permanent modifications to the space. First Church’s clergy and session will play an active role in the review and selection process to ensure alignment with the sanctuary’s ongoing worship and spiritual life.


Exterior:

First Church's iconic building is set on several blocks of outdoor space owned by the congregation. The church grounds include the "God's Little Acre" garden across the street, community gardens and several open lots. These exterior spaces frame how the community engages with and experiences the church itself.

Proposed locations: Greenhouse Garden area and God’s Little Acre area.

  • Multiple media can be employed including, but not limited to, sculpture, painting, audio and or/ visual projection, built elements and more.
  • We encourage applicants to explore the physical elements and design languages used to create sacred space.
  • Projects may consider the ideas of “sanctuary” and “fort” as containing elements that support a community in both sacred and secular needs.
  • Situated surrounding the church, these spaces invite exploration of the contrast between the permanent (such as the large, purpose-built structure of the First Presbyterian Church and its faith tradition) and the changing (such as the built environment of a neighborhood that evolves over time). 

Process + Criteria

After the RFP deadline, a selection jury composed of arts professionals, church elders, community members, designers and project stakeholders will review all eligible submissions. The jury will select two or three exterior installation proposals and one interior activation to receive production funding and programming support. Selected works will be developed for presentation on the church campus, with a public launch planned for October 2026.

Criteria: 
  • Excellence and Vision: Demonstrates originality, craftsmanship and a strong body of past work that aligns with the project's ambitions.
  • Relevance and Responsiveness: Thoughtfully engages the site, community and themes of architecture, sacred space, spirituality and public life with cultural sensitivity and contextual awareness.
  • Feasibility and Impact: Clearly executable within the project’s budget, timeline and site conditions, with potential for meaningful community engagement and lasting resonance.
  • Thematic alignment: All selected projects must explore intersections of architecture, built environment, religion, spirituality and sacred space.

  • budget + schedule

    Up to four selected proposals (two to three exterior works and one interior intervention) will receive between $3,000-$9,000, depending on the proposed budget and project needs. Each selected artist or team will receive production funding and a $3,000 honorarium. The budget is inclusive of all costs, including design, engineering, fabrication, site preparation, transportation, insurance and installation.

    The production funding budget for each project will be determined based on the scope, design and fabrication needs of that project.

    • Open Call Opens: Feb. 27, 2026
    • Selection Notification: May 15, 2026
    • Site Visit & Orientation: May 25 - 29, 2026
    • Design & Fabrication: June 1 - Sep. 30, 2026
    • Installation Opening Event: Oct. 10, 2026
    • 2026 Open House Chicago: Oct. 17-18, 2026
    • Installations anticipated to close: April 1, 2027

    Weekly open office hours: 2 p.m. CST on March 5, 12, 19, 26 and April 2, 2026.

    Zoom link for office hours can be found here.

Eligibility

This opportunity is open to both emerging and established professional artists, creatives, designers or creative teams currently based in Chicago. We strongly encourage applications from South Side-based artists, particularly those with meaningful ties to the Woodlawn neighborhood. Priority will be given to BIPOC practitioners and to those whose work engages deeply with community, place and cultural storytelling — especially work that intersects with sacred space, spirituality, religion and the built environment.

Proposal planning

Proposals should include:
  • Project Title
  • Selected Site
  • Lead Applicant’s CV and brief bio 
  • Artist Statement 
  • Statement of Interest & Project Concept (2-4 pages): Please describe your practice and creative medium, your connection to the project’s themes, your relevant experience and your conceptual approach. Please provide a narrative description about the project, materials choice, interested site and the project track.  
  • Initial sketches and other supplemental materials (no more than 10 pages) (optional): Please provide any initial sketches, research materials and inspiration or other documentation that will provide a clearer sense of your project concept and vision.
  • Team Role & Budget: A brief outline of involved team members and a rough budget breakdown.
  • Work Samples (10 items): Images of past relevant & public art projects.
  • Optional Video
Your project concept should clearly address the following questions:
  • How will your work explore the intersection of architecture, the built environment, religion and spirituality?
  • How will it respond to the proposed site and the church?
  • How will it respond (if at all) to Woodlawn or surrounding neighborhoods?
  • Please describe any supplemental materials or programming beyond the installation itself (written texts, audience engagement events, community artmaking activities, performance elements, digital or interactive elements, etc.)?
  • If you are proposing an outdoor installation, briefly discuss any ideas you have about ensuring that the activation can withstand the elements through a Chicago winter?

Applications are now closed.

FAQ

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If you have any additional questions, please contact Max Li at arts@chicagofirstchurch.org. All questions must be submitted via email. Responses will be shared in an FAQ if multiple applicants have similar questions. No phone calls.