An outdoor sculpture of large cattails with a black bird with red and yellow patches on its wings balanced atop. The statue sits in a green grassy area on a Burlington city street with a blue sky above.

Art in Public Places - Call to Artists

BCA partners frequently with departments of the City of Burlington to issue Calls to Artists to integrate permanent works of art into the city's streets, buildings, parks and public places. Open BCA calls can be found on the Current Projects page.

See the Vermont Arts Council for more state-wide artist opportunities.

A photograph of an outdoor concert. A band with serveral light skinned men and women wear black jumpsuits and play guitar and bass under a white tent that says burlingtoncityarts.org. A dark skinned man with dreadlocks that go all the way down his back, also wears a black jump suit and sings into a microphone out in the crowd, who dance on green grass.

City Hall Park Summer Programming Submission

All musicians are welcome to submit their work to BCA for consideration. For our Summer City Hall Park programming, BCA strives to program a mix of both new and returning artists as well as a diverse lineup across all genres, experience levels, genders, and ethnicities. See below for a short description of each of our series’ and our general submission guidelines.

The Summer Concert Series brings fresh programming to City Hall Park during the lunch hour on Wednesdays and Fridays. This series takes place outdoors on the BCA Patio in City Hall Park from June through the end of August. Each performance is a paid opportunity and lasts 60 minutes.

The TwilightBlock Party takes place in City Hall Park on alternating Saturday evenings from June through mid-September. Each performance is a paid opportunity and lasts 90 minutes. We have a 45-minute opener slot on Saturdays only. Artists receive a light dinner between sound check and their performance. These bands are generally larger than those in the Summer Concert Series, and we present a greater range of regional as well as local performers. Openers should be one to three people.

There's also a Block Party Market featuring local artists, makers, and food vendors directly in touch with consumers, supporting Vermont's creative economy while bringing vibrancy and a unique shopping experience to downtown Burlington.

Splash Dance is a DJ set that takes place in City Hall Park every Friday from June through August, and Saturdays during the BTV Market. This is a family-friendly celebration of music and joy alongside the interactive Splash Pad. All DJ sets are paid. Friday Splash Dance DJs perform for 90 minutes and Saturday DJs perform for 120 minutes for a slightly higher fee.

Sunday Classical takes place outdoors on the BCA Patio in City Hall Park on Sunday mornings in July and August. Each performance is a paid opportunity and lasts 60 minutes. These concerts can be solo performers, chamber ensembles, or a full orchestra. There is complimentary coffee provided for performers and audience members.

Submission Guidelines

Rolling bookings take place in January and February for concerts the following summer.
Musicians and musical groups should email Festival and Event Director (zwilliamson@burlingtoncityarts.org) with their interest, links to their website, audio recordings, and any available videos. It is difficult for us to know what you can do if you do not submit any material to listen to or watch.
Once received, applicants will hear back within 1-2 weeks, and performance dates and fees will be discussed (if applicable).
Not every applicant will get a slot in that calendar year’s schedule, but every submission is saved for future programming possibilities.
Since bookings happen in a rolling style, people are encouraged to apply early.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW & SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Gallery Submission

The BCA Center is Vermont’s premiere showcase for contemporary artists working in all media including but not limited to painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation and performance. Thoughtful consideration and equal representation is given to artists with strong connections to Vermont and the region. The BCA Center is equally dedicated to exhibiting artists of national and international scope so as to foster dialogue, promote an exchange of ideas, and to highlight current tendencies in contemporary art between the local art community and those residing elsewhere. BCA presents six to eight Main Gallery exhibitions each year, which range from thematic, group exhibitions to single artist exhibitions.

Please submit all submissions through email. All submissions can be sent to: Heather Ferrell, Curator and Director of Exhibitions, hferrell@burlingtoncityarts.org. Please include the following as attachments:
- A resume, bio, or curriculum vitae.
- An artist statement about your practice and/or proposed body of work or installation.
- PDF files of exhibition catalogues, press or other pertinent bibliographic material
- 5-10 JPEG images, sized to be viewed at a screen resolution of 72 dpi (file names should begin with the artist’s name and be numbered in the order in which you wish them to be viewed (i.e. “vanessagerman01.jpg, vanessagermon02.jpg,…”).

2. Submissions may reference websites for additional information.

3. If submitting time-based media, please include a web link to Vimeo or YouTube.

4. If your submission is project-based, please take into account the size and parameters of the gallery space and include a projected, itemized budget as well as any technical or equipment requirements.

5. The BCA will notify you of the status of your submission within 6-8 weeks of its receipt.

6. Please do not submit original works of art or physical portfolio submissions. Burlington City Arts cannot be responsible for returning unsolicited works of art or physical submissions.

Thank you for your interest in the BCA Center.

Submission Guidelines (Expand/Collapse)

A band dressed in colorful clothing performs in front of a former auto repair shop.

Community Fund

The BCA Community Fund was created to foster a robust, healthy, creative community, to encourage social innovation through the arts, and to support artists and organizations that contribute to the public good through a competitive grant process.

The 2024 BCA Community Fund has support from Tito's Handmade Vodka and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

FUNDED PROJECTS

The BTV Winter Market

The BTV Market puts local artists, makers, and entrepreneurs directly in touch with consumers, supporting Vermont's creative economy while bringing vibrancy and a unique shopping experience to downtown Burlington.

The BTV Winter Market, an outdoor market experience in the heart of downtown Burlington, brings together an eclectic collection of local artists and makers in City Hall Park. The BTV Winter Market runs Fridays - Sundays in late November and December.

Winter BTV Market (expand / collapse)

Art Sales and Leasing Program

BCA’s Art Sales & Leasing program provides Vermont artists with opportunities for increased exposure and sales through external exhibitions in public and private locations. BCA handles all aspects of installation and receives a 40% commission on work sold. Clients may purchase or choose to lease artwork for their public spaces using our non-juried, online artist database to explore participating artists. All artwork is insured for the duration of the exhibition by the hosting venue. Participation in this program is non-exclusive, and we encourage artists to explore and foster many options for exhibition, representation, and sales.

Image: Sandy Sokoloff, Archangel Haniel, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 60

Joining our database may connect you to your next exhibition or sale! To get started, please submit the following forms: Application; W-9 Form. Our art services coordinator will be in touch make sure you have everything you need to get up and running! For more information, please contact Kate Ashman at kashman@burlingtoncityarts.org.

Join Our Database (expand / collapse)

An image divided in three sections. To the left a woman plays a cello on stage while purple and orange lights project an image of an arch and tree lined lane over her. In the center two people reach up to touch a glowing yellow orb. To the right an illustration of a navy blue hand pointing up to a hot pink light bulb and The Bright Ideas Project Powered by VSECU

The Bright Ideas Project

Are you an artist, musician, creator, or small business with a big idea? Bring your brilliance to Highlight, Burlington’s official New Year’s Eve celebration, by submitting a proposal to the Bright Ideas Project! The Bright Ideas Project is Highlight’s engine for crowdsourcing concepts for one-of-a-kind NYE events. We select the best ideas from our community and support them with up to $8,000 in funding. Events may have elements of music, art, technology, food, literature, theater, and just about anything else you can think of. The more complete and inclusive your idea is, the better. We aim to create unique experiences that people won’t find anywhere else! The 2024 Bright Ideas Project application period will open in the summer. Learn more and stay tuned for more information at highlight.community.

The Herb Lockwood Prize

The Herb Lockwood Prize was created to reward the pinnacle of arts leadership in the state of Vermont. The prize recognizes artists who produce significant work in the areas of visual arts, music, writing, drama, dance, film, and fine woodworking, while also having a beneficent influence on the Vermont community. An anonymous committee selects one recipient each year; there is no application process. Herb Lockwood was an inspirational figure in the Burlington arts and music scene in the 1980s. Learn more: herblockwoodprize.org.

A monotype of a necklace composed of long, brown leather fringe with a beaded collar on a mottled beige background.

Diane Gabriel Visual Artist Award

The Diane Gabriel Visual Artist Award was established in 2021 by the family of Diane Gabriel (1947-2017), one of Vermont’s most celebrated artists and educators. This award is given on an annual basis to emerging Vermont-based artists. The award encourages experimentation and supports an artist’s creative development, especially those artists interested in initiating innovative ideas, exploring new media, or better establishing their art-making practice. The award is valued at $6,000 and includes a cash stipend, complimentary class registration, and/or use of the BCA Studio. The Diane Gabriel Visual Artist Award is made possible by Eben Cahan, Lorraine Gabriel Sherman, Robert Sherman, and Mark Stoler.

Please visit Diane Gabriel’s website to learn more and view her work. All proceeds from sales benefit this award. Contact Curatorial Assistant and Gallery Coordinator, Jacquie O'Brien at jobrien@burlingtoncityarts.org with questions.

Image: Diane Gabriel, Untitled (Necklace)

2025, Corrine Yonce

Corrine Yonce’s multimedia artwork addresses themes of home, memory, human-services advocation, and identity. The artist combines painting, assemblage, and sound to explore the intersections between visual art and housing justice. As a community activist, Yonce seeks to deconstruct traditional ideas about what home and housing insecurity looks like in Vermont through her use of home objects and materials within her paintings.

2024, Lydia Kern
Kern’s sculptural artwork explores themes of care, preservation, and connection through found or reclaimed materials, to which she grants a ceremonial significance. Focused on relationships with those who have passed on, Kern creates ambiguous forms and symbols that evoke the fragile nature of life. Her framing devices, such as tombstones and windows, point toward threshold experiences. Her use of unique materials, such as embalming thread, resin-bound plants, and colorful vinyl, enhances her themes.

2023, Luna Shen
As a first-generation American, Luna Shen’s explorations of identity are shaped by home, place, and authenticity. They work in diverse materials and gestures that articulate their personal navigation between locations and culturally accepted binaries such as here/there or native/alien. Shen’s multimedia work seeks to build visual worlds that act as a bridge between everyday life and dreamscapes.

2022, Misuk Weaver

Misuk Weaver constructs three-dimensional multi-media artworks from discarded, found, or upcycled materials and ceramics. Focusing on the essence of the materials, Weaver challenges perceptions to address themes of scarcity, culture, and gender, informed by her identity as a first-generation Korean-American immigrant.

2021, Crystal Stokes

Based in central Vermont, Crystal Stokes works primarily in portraiture as she explores the intersection of photography and painting. Capturing moments that may otherwise go unnoticed, Stokes combines keen observation with dramatic contrasts of light and dark to investigate the beauty of the world.

Awardees (Expand/Collapse)

Sarah Amos acrylic, yarn and felt artwork.

The Vermont Prize

The Vermont Prize accepts submissions from artists living and working in Vermont. Artists working in any medium may apply. There is no submission fee.

"Saddle Milk".Acrylic and yarn on felt, 66 x 78,2024

The Vermont Prize is awarded to one artist annually. The winner receives a monetary prize of $5,000, and their work is showcased and archived on vermontprize.org and on social media.

Applications for The Vermont Prize are accepted from visual artists currently living and working in Vermont. There is no fee to apply.

Each prize cycle is juried by a team consisting of one representative from each of the four partner organizations, as well as a fifth independent and unaffiliated juror. The prize winner will be selected on the basis of artistic excellence, regardless of career stage.

More Info (Expand/Collapse)