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ELITIST. POWER. CORRUPTION. HYPOCRISY. DELUSION.
AiOP 2021: NORMAL
OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Art in Odd Places invites proposals for its sixteenth annual public art and performance festival taking place along 14th Street in Manhattan, NY – from Avenue C to the Hudson River this fall.

The Viral and Racial Pandemic confirms that the structures established for collective order in the United States of America failed. Colleges are run like companies and the criminal justice system like corporations. Corporations are bailed out with trillions of tax-payer’s dollars while citizens are made homeless by eviction. At our nation's border desperate families are separated, and children caged. Hospitals struggle with depleted resources during a global pandemic, and police continue to brutalize black citizens. All this while the U.S. elected President orders the use of clubs and tear gas on peaceful protesters to enable a quick photo shoot with a bible.

Many in the United States of America clearly do not have the inalienable rights promised to them by the Constitution. The ‘Great American Dream’– championed as the right of every citizen– is a sham. Hard work does not guarantee success for all. Racism, classism, xenophobia, islamophobia, and homophobia are deeply rooted in our democracy. The American Normal is a culture steeped in severe inequities and greed.

Art in Odd Places (AiOP) 2021: NORMAL, curated by Furusho von Puttkammer, along 14th Street from Avenue C to the Hudson River will present artists from diverse backgrounds who seek to critique the mythos of the American Dream and the history of American politics. The festival encourages artists to showcase installations and performances along the entire 2.2-mile length of 14th Street from May 14-16. The festival will follow social distance guidelines.

Proposals should be artistic projects or performances that actively engage the public on 14th Street NYC. Selected artists will address the focus of NORMAL in an imaginative way. Why should Normalcy be challenged? What is the hypocrisy & toxicity of normal, especially in America? How has “normal” affected you?

Artists can propose an individual performance or visual artwork in an odd place on 14th Street during the festival. AiOP welcomes a mosaic of art disciplines: Performative Pedestrians, Rambling Poets, Roaming Jugglers, Hands on Puppeteers, Cartwheeling Clowns, Marching Musicians, Roving Video.

HOW TO APPLY: Applicants should fill out the AiOP2021: NORMAL application through the link provided here

Open Call, Festival, and Exhibition Timeline:

When preparing your application, please keep in mind this timeline for the festival and exhibition.

July 24th – December 1st 11:59 PM EST: Open Call live
December 21st: Applicants notified of decision
May 14th – May 16th, 2021: AiOP: NORMAL festival along 14th Street, NYC

ABOUT THE CURATOR: Furusho von Puttkammer is a multimedia artist, independent curator, and music video director whose practice highlights the lives and work of marginalized people. She has worked with artists such as Gavin Rayna Russom (Black Meteoric Star, LCD Sound System), Lanee Bird, Albert Diaz (SAMOS), Zachery Allan Starkey, The Lesbian Herstory Museum, and Bernard Sumner (New Order). von Puttkammer is also the founder of the nomadic performance art night No Material, which showcases emerging artists of all genres in NYC. She graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a BFA and Honors in Fine Arts. This will be her third year working with Art in Odd Places, her first as a curator. Visit her website at www.anchovyart.com for more information.

Visit artinoddplaces.org for PDFs of the Open Call and the FAQs.

Art in Odd Places, established and directed by NYC artist Ed Woodham, aims to stretch the boundaries of communication in the public realm by presenting artworks in all disciplines outside the confines of traditional public space regulations. AiOP reminds us that public spaces function as the epicenter for diverse social interactions and the unfettered exchange of ideas.