Paint Brushes and Used Palette

Opportunities

MetroLines 2019 – Call for Poets

Poetry Competition: $200 Use Fee Paid to Poets

Contest Description: Please Read Carefully. This has been updated since last year’s competition.

MetroLines, an Arts in Transit, Inc., program, is a poetry contest open to residents of all ages living within a 50-mile radius of the City of St. Louis. Up to 15 poems will be selected for publication and will be reproduced on posters that will include visual imagery. The posters will be displayed on MetroLink trains and MetroBus vehicles for up to one year. The winners will each receive a $200 award, a poster featuring their poem, and will be invited to read at a reception in early 2020. If the artist would like to receive more than one poster, they must order them via email ($25 each) before December 15, 2019. Posters of the published poems will be offered for sale through the Metro Store, at 8th and Pine streets, with all proceeds going to Arts in Transit, Inc., a non-profit organization providing support for Metro’s art programs. A committee of literary professionals from the St. Louis region will serve as judges.

Eligibility: MetroLines is open to all ages. Both published and unpublished work will be accepted. Entrants must reside within a 50-mile radius of the City of St. Louis and must provide a valid address.

Submission Guidelines: Please Read Carefully. Submissions are open August 1, 2019.

  • All submissions should be sent via Submittable. No hard copy or emailed submissions will be accepted.
  • Send up to three poems per submission.
  • Poems cannot be longer than 15 lines (stanza breaks count as one line).
  • Please include all poems in a single document with only one poem per page. Poem(s) are judged blind, so do not include your name or contact information in this document or in the file name.
  • If the author of the poem(s) is younger than 18 years old, the author’s parent or guardian must check the appropriate permission box on Submittable.
  • Previously published poems will be accepted provided the author has rights to the submitted poems and properly credits the original publication.
  • Any poem submitted must be suitable for public display, to be determined at the sole discretion of Arts in Transit, Inc.
  • You will receive a confirmation email after your submission. If you do not receive one, please check your spam folder. No phone calls please.
  • The list of winners will be released to the public and listed on the Arts in Transit website, artsintransit.org, on or by November 4, 2019. All entrants will be notified of the results by email.
  • Bi-State Development and Metro employees are not eligible to enter the contest.

Please note that if the Eligibility or Submission Guidelines are not followed, the poem(s) will be disqualified. The deadline for receipt of submissions is September 30, 2019, by 5:00 p.m.

Selection Process: Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of literary professionals who will recommend up to fifteen poems. The criteria for selection are:

  • Poem length (cannot be longer than 15 lines)
  • Appropriateness for public display
  • Artistic merit

Poets whose work is selected for reproduction/publication will be required to enter into a letter of agreement with Arts in Transit, Inc., for the limited copyright use of the poem for public display in MetroLink and MetroBus vehicles for up to one year, rights to the poem for reproduction in a limited edition of prints, and attest that the poet is the sole author of the work. In addition to the selected poem, each poster will include the poem’s title, the name of the poet, and complementary visual imagery. Credits on the poster will also include: Arts in Transit, Inc., and financial supporters: the Missouri Arts Council and the Regional Arts Commission. Selected poems will be announced on our website, artsintransit.org, on or by November 4, 2019.

For More Information: Paulette Koons, at (314) 982-1400, ext. 1711, or [email protected]

Submit Now

Major funding for MetroLines is generously provided by the Missouri Arts Council and the Regional Arts Commission.


MetroScapes 2019 – Call for Artists

Artwork Image Competition: $1,000 Use Fee Paid to Artists  

Contest Description: Please Read Carefully. This has been updated since last year’s competition.

MetroScapes, an Arts in Transit, Inc., program, is a two-dimensional  arts competition open to residents of all ages living within a 50-mile radius of the City of St. Louis. The program is a way to support the local arts community while adding color and beauty to the neighborhoods Metro Transit serves by featuring winning designs on bus shelters.

Up to ten two-dimensional images will be selected for reproduction as large-scale posters that will be installed in 100 bus shelters throughout the St. Louis region. Local artists (residing within 50 miles of the City of St. Louis) are invited to submit up to three images for consideration. The bus shelter posters will be 69” x 48” in size and will be displayed for one year at various locations. The images will also be produced in a 30” x 24” (vertical) poster format as a limited edition of prints offered for individual sale to support Arts in Transit, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3). Each artist will receive one copy of the limited edition poster and be paid $1,000 for use of their original image.  Additionally, postcards depicting the winning images will be available for sale at the Metro Store in downtown St. Louis. Original artworks should have been created within the last three years. Images derived through two-dimensional media will be considered, including but not limited to: photography, painting, printmaking, illustration, collage and computer-generated graphics.

Submission Guidelines: Please Read Carefully. Submissions open on June 19, 2019.

  • All submissions should be sent via Submittable. No hard copy or emailed submissions will be accepted.
  • Send up to three high-resolution (minimum 300 dpi) images in one submission. Keep in mind the selected images will be blown up to almost 6’ x 4’.
  • Images should not exceed 400 MB in size.
  • Please include all images in a single submission. Images are juried blind by the selection panel, so please do not include your name or contact information with the images or in the file name.
  • In the Artwork Statement field, please enter the title of the work(s), date the work was completed, medium of the work, and a very short statement of the work (this statement will be included on Shelter Posters).
  • If the author of the images is younger than 18 years old, the author’s parent or guardian must check the appropriate permission box on Submittable.
  • Any image submitted must be suitable for public display, to be determined at the sole discretion of Arts in Transit, Inc.
  • Bi-State Development and Metro employees are not eligible to enter the contest.

Please note that if the Eligibility or Submission Guidelines are not followed, the entry will be disqualified. The deadline for receipt of submissions is September 13, 2019, by 11:59 p.m.

Selection Process: Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of artists/art professionals who will recommend up to ten images. The criteria for selection are:

  • Quality of the work
  • Appropriateness for public display
  • Intriguing, thought provoking, inspiring, entertaining, or have an enduring image/content
  • Image clarity

Artists whose work is selected for reproduction/publication will be required to enter into a letter of agreement with Arts in Transit, Inc., for the limited copyright use of the image for public display in bus shelters for up to one year, rights to the image for reproduction in a limited edition of prints, and attest that the artist is the sole creator of the work. In addition to the selected image, each poster will include the artwork’s title, the name of the artist, and a brief statement from the artist.  Bus shelter posters will contain a quick response (QR) code that will connect viewers to more information about the featured artist or artwork.  Selected images will be announced on our website, www.artsintransit.org, later this fall.

For More Information: Paulette Koons, at (314) 982-1400, ext. 1711, or [email protected]

Submit Now

Major funding for MetroScapes is generously provided by the Gateway Foundation.

MetroScapes Sponsors

Art in Motion

Bus Painting Opportunity

Show the St. Louis region your organization’s support of the arts and let the arts support you. Let art be the centerpiece for your next festival, corporate party, team building exercise or celebration. Art in Motion is a fun activity that develops right before your eyes, creating a traveling mural that promotes your organization’s mission.

Arts in Transit, a program of Metro and Bi-State Development, has created these rolling murals for organizations large and small over many years.

Art in Motion starts with a family friendly event that encourages the creative spirit in all of us. No special skills are required. Aspiring artists of all ages take turns painting a Metro bus that later travels throughout major areas of St. Louis City and St. Louis County. Art in Transit (AIT) works with you and a local artist to create a design for the bus, and then you, your employees, friends, customers, patrons and, if you wish, the general public, complete the mural.

Arts in Transit will work with your organization to find the right local artist for your project. The artist will create specially designed imagery that speaks to the mission, vision or purpose of your organization.

Arts in Transit will promote your Art in Motion event through social media, news releases, media advisories, and our website, (artsintransit.org). Bi-State Development’s Marketing and Communications professionals are experts at providing support for Art in Motion events.

PARTICIPANTS

Not-for-Profits – our clients are primarily service organizations, arts organizations, ecological and environmental organizations, museums, schools, and festivals.

Underwriters – Businesses large and small have worked with many of these Not-for-Profit organizations to show their commitment to the community by underwriting the fee that pays to create the rolling work of art.

Participants’ names and logos are prominently displayed on the back of each Art in Motion bus, as well as the name of the artist or designer.

CREATING THE EVENT

Design – AIT works with the client organization and/or sponsor to select the artist for the project. We have worked with many regional artists and expand our pool of qualified artists regularly. Each artist is contracted to AIT to work with all participating parties to create a design that complements the goal of the project.

Bus Preparation – The selected artist submits complete digital images of all logos and artwork and/or text required for graphic display on the bus. AIT works with a local printer to transform the artwork into a vinyl wrap that will be applied to a bus in the Metro Transit fleet. The bus is prepped and then coded in accordance with a paint-by-number system.

The Event – AIT works with each organization to craft an event that is enjoyable for everyone: individuals and families, students, and folks who have wandered into the action by happenstance. Depending on the number of painting participants, the event typically lasts two hours. By then, most of the bus design has been completed.

Seen All Around Town – After the event, AIT puts the finishing touches on the bus and within a few days, Metro sends it out into service for a full year. Your organization’s mission and commitment to the arts is highlighted in bold graphics for everyone to view.

Your Investment – Includes the artist fee, the preparation of the bus, finished graphics, paint, brushes, aprons, and any other materials required for the project. The design will include acknowledgements, on the back of the bus, for the not-for-profit organization, any underwriters, and the artist. Contact us for fees and scheduling. Additional appearances or photo sessions for the bus can be arranged and will be negotiated separately.

For more information or to book your Art in Motion event, contact Paulette Koons, CMP, Brand Engagement Manager, at [email protected] or (314) 982-1400, x1711.