Project Overview
Arts New Orleans and the City of New Orleans, seeks to commission an artist or artist team to design, fabricate, and install 1 permanent, site-specific public artwork at Canal St. and S. Norman C. Francis Parkway in Mid-City.
New Orleans is a city defined by water. The history, culture, and landscape shape our relationship to how we engage with and are surrounded by waterways. Funded by the City of New Orleans, Water Connects Us invites artists to explore and celebrate this connection through a new public artwork honoring the people, land, and stories shaped by water across generations. The permanent artwork will be sited on the neutral ground at Canal Street and S. Norman C. Francis Parkway in Mid-City. A historically significant and highly visible intersection, on the former location of a Confederate monument to Jefferson Davis. The selected artist(s) will develop sculptural artwork that reflects the focus of this call, neighborhood’s identity, and foster a sense of belonging, visibility, and dialogue in the public realm.
All interested artists are invited to apply for this public art commission. Priority will be given to local artists who live in Orleans Parish or the Greater New Orleans metro area. We also strongly encourage applications from artists who represent the diversity of New Orleans and the local community. Please note that artists who currently have an active Percent for Art contract with Arts New Orleans will not be considered for this opportunity.
This opportunity will be conducted as a two-part competition. In Part 1: Request for Qualifications (RFQ), interested artists are invited to submit materials demonstrating their qualifications. From this pool, three finalists will be selected to advance. In Part 2: Request for Proposals (RFP), each selected finalist will receive a $1,000 stipend to develop a detailed proposal for the Water Connects Us Public Art Commission.
Eligibility
To qualify, applicants must:
- Be 18+ and legally authorized to work in the U.S.
- Reside in Orleans Parish or the greater New Orleans metro area
- Meet all contractual obligations and adhere to the timeline provided.
To support a broad range of artists over time, applicants are not eligible to apply if they are currently under contract for another Percent for Art project. However, artists with an active contract dated and signed prior to December 2023 remain eligible to apply for this opportunity.
All interested artists are invited to apply to this public art commission. Arts New Orleans is committed to centering racial equity in the selection of artists and artworks. Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and other artists of color are highly encouraged to apply.
Information Sessions
Two information sessions will be held while the RFQ is live. These information sessions are to learn more about the project and the application process. There will be time for Q&A at the end.
Session #1: Tuesday, August 11th, 2026 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Zoom
Register to receive the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/cml79rE6R9OMgVISFIemMA
Session #2: Thursday, August 20th, 4:00-5:00pm, Arts New Orleans Office at 1474 N. Broad Street
Questions outside these sessions? Contact paris cian: paris@artsneworleans.org by Monday, August 24 at 4pm.
How to Apply
Application Opens: July 29th, 2026
Application Closes: September 9, 2026 @ 11:59 pm CST
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