2026 Call for Artists: Isle View Park

Public Art Opportunity

County of Erie (New York) Art in Public Places (AIPP)
Call Open: March 16, 2026
Deadline for Submissions: April 20, 2026, 12PM NOON
Please Note: Only Erie County residents are eligible to apply

PROJECT OVERVIEW: 

The Erie County Art in Public Places Committee in partnership with Submerse NY, seeks professional artists or artist-led teams to design, fabricate, and install public art at Erie County’s Isle View Park along the Shoreline Trail. This project will focus on local experiences of flooding, erosion, and seiche events along the Lake Erie and Niagara River shoreline, and reimagine how we live with water in a changing climate. Artists and artist-led teams are invited to submit public art proposals. Proposals should include and consider the location, the history, and future of the site. 

This project seeks to illuminate the connections between flooding, erosion, and human systems, while inspiring citizens to take regenerative actions in their daily lives to help restore balance to our environment. 

Western New York’s shoreline—where lake, river, and city converge—is a living system, one that reflects both natural rhythms and human impact.

THEME AND MESSAGING:

The project theme is: “Living Systems: Water, Land, and the Regenerative Future.” 

Artists are encouraged to explore the broader narrative of climate, community, and care how water connects all living things and how our relationship to it must evolve. While seiches, flooding, erosion and other shoreline dynamics may serve as entry points, the focus should extend to raising awareness of the interconnected nature of these dynamics: lakes and rivers, sewers and drains, wetlands and storm systems that together shape risk, resilience and our shared future. 

Projects should consider: 

• The ways flooding, erosion and seiches along Lake Erie affect communities and mirror the health of our ecosystems. 
• How human infrastructure can adapt to work with natural processes rather than against them. 
• Our responsibility as stewards of water grounded in reciprocal care, including how residents can observe, document, and contribute to resilience efforts.
• The Haudenosaunee principles of balance, gratitude, and living in harmony with all beings as a guide to coexistence and restoration. 
• Everyday regenerative actions that residents can take to support shoreline resilience and healing. 

This initiative calls for art that cultivates awareness on vulnerability and resilience that leads to meaningful action and deeper connection to place. The installation should balance artistic impact with educational clarity, encouraging reflection and engagement.

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

In 2023, the Erie County Legislature passed a Local Law that provides ongoing financial support for public art. The law seeks to make art more accessible to county residents and visitors and foster a sense of community connection and civic pride. The Art in Public Places Committee was established to support the initiative by commissioning, selecting, placing, and preserving public art in a variety of media throughout the county.

The Art in Public Places Committee is committed to enhancing Erie County’s public spaces with the inclusion of artwork that reflects the diversity and creativity of the local community. This initiative provides local artists with an opportunity to contribute to the aesthetic and cultural landscape of the region while promoting public engagement with the arts.

PROJECT LOCATION: 

Isle View Park, along the Erie County Shoreline Trail

Address: 796 Niagara Street, Tonawanda, NY 14150

Details:   This location provides a synergistic opportunity between the AIPP Committee, Erie County Department of Environment and Planning, Division of Environmental Compliance Services (ECS) and Erie County Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department. Fueled by a grant from the Submerse NY Initiative, the project will leverage AIPP’s proven expertise in sourcing public art alongside ECS’s educational outreach focused on environmental challenges related to flooding, watershed dynamics, and seiches along the publicly accessible Shoreline Trail at Isle View Park. Together, these efforts position public art to serve as a catalyst for awareness, resilience, and dialogue, merging creativity with sustainability to inspire a community-wide conversation about our shared environmental future. 

Erie County Resiliency Art Committee, comprised of Submerse NY members, is composed of environmental professionals and community stakeholders. The selected theme will serve as a foundation for artists to explore the intersection of art, science, and community resilience. The organizations represented on this committee are: 

• Black Rock Riverside Alliance and Erie County Management Council
• Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper
• Community Outreach Specialist at Roswell Park and Green Together WNY Coalition
• Erie County Department of Environment and Planning – Art in Public Places Committee
• Erie County Department of Environment and Planning – ECS Division
• Erie County Department of Environment and Planning – Planning Division and Arts & Cultural Funding
• NYS Water Resources Institute through Cornell University
• Niagara River Greenway
• Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation, & Forestry
• RERUN

Please see Schedule A depicting potential sites for installing public art at Isle View Park, along the Erie County Shoreline Trail. Note that at the time the images were taken, Isle View Park was under construction. The selected artist may work across all sites or a subset of the identified sites or propose alternative locations along the trail if better suited to their concept.

Proposals must account for routine site maintenance considerations, including access for mowing and snow removal. 

FORMAT:

The steering committee encourages proposals that combine creative form and public engagement, such as: 

• Interactive or kinetic sculptures that respond to water, wind, or human touch. 
• Interpretive signage or digital extensions (QR codes) linking to: 
• MyCoast NY (public flood photo documentation platform) 
• Real-time Lake Erie water-level or buoy data 
• Erie County climate or shoreline resilience resources 

Augmented reality or digital media components are welcome if anchored by a physical, visible element accessible to trail visitors. 

Example projects for inspiration: 

• With One Ear Toward the River, With One Eye to the Land – Austen Camille 
• Remembrance of Climate Futures – Untold Possibilities  

ARTWORK BUDGET:

Artists may submit budgets up to $75,000, including $65,000 from the Erie County Public Art Fund and $10,000 from the Submerse NY Grant awarded to and administered through the Erie County Public Art Fund for the public art project. The funding provided by the Submerse NY Initiative has been implemented by the New York State Water Resources Institute (NYSWRI) at Cornell University and funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Cooperating Technical Partners (CTP) program. 

Proposed budgets must include artist fees and any and all other project expenses including but not limited to the design, engineering, fabrication, equipment and rentals, travel, transportation, delivery, insurance, and installation of the artwork. The award will be paid over the course of the commission with milestones at design, fabrication, installation, and closing. 

Selected artists must be insured (and provide a Certificate of Insurance as evidence of such coverage) before entering into a contract with Erie County. Further details on Erie County’s insurance requirements will be provided to finalists.

ELIGIBILITY:

The project is open to professional artists and artist-led teams residing in Erie County with an additional focus and priority for artists who are racially and ethnically diverse. Erie County artists who have completed an Art in Public Places public art project within the past five (5) years are not eligible to apply. Artists who live outside of Erie County are not eligible.

Applicants should have experience completing projects of a similar size and budget, experience in completing projects on time and on budget, experience in public art, and experience working with other professionals including fabricators, landscape architects, engineers and government officials. Artists should also have experience creating permanent artwork in materials suitable for the climate of Erie County. 

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

1. Artist proposal including:
   1. Description of proposed artwork: concept, dimensions, materials, colors, themes.
   2. Sketches or renderings of the proposed artwork.
   3. Description of the durability of the materials and maintenance requirements for the artwork to remain in optimal condition.
   4. Description of installation requirements: Indicate if a subterranean preparation such as a concrete footing is required. Indicate if a special surround is required such as gravel, plantings or alteration of the terrain.
   5. Please define your team if you know it at this time, include contact information.
   6. A project budget including design, engineering, fabrication, equipment and rentals, transportation, installation, insurance, artist’s fees and any and all costs associated with the project. Artists and contractors must be insured. Contractors should be licensed as necessary.
   7. A rough timeline outlining the estimated time from design through fabrication and installation. (Note: The committee will require photographs of various stages of completion to release payments.)
2. Resume or CV (2 pages maximum) 
3. Five (5) photographic examples of work, each to include the title, dimensions, medium, year produced, commission dollar amount (if produced as a commission), and 1-2 sentences describing the project and commissioning agency/client, if applicable. 
4. Three professional references (please include phone numbers and email addresses)
5. Short responses to the following questions (100-300 words per question)
   1. Describe your artistic practice and how you are a good candidate for this particular opportunity.
   2. As an artist approaching public art, how do you design works that respond to a particular site?

Submit applications via: https://www4.erie.gov/publicart

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: April 20, 2026, 12PM NOON

SUBMISSION PROCESS

Applications may be submitted online: erie.gov/publicart

Applications may be mailed or hand-delivered* to the following address:

Erie County Dept. of Environment & Planning

c/o Colette Balisteri

95 Franklin Street, 10th floor

Buffalo, NY 14202

*Mailed or hand delivered applications must be received before the deadline, no exceptions. 

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: April 20, 2026, 12PM NOON (Late submissions will not be accepted).

We strongly encourage applicants to apply BEFORE the deadline. If you encounter any issues submitting your application, please email publicart@erie.gov or call Erie County Dept. of Environment & Planning at (716) 858-1572 before the submission deadline. Late submissions will not be accepted. 

SELECTION COMMITTEE AND CRITERIA

The Erie County Art in Public Places Committee, comprised of visual arts professionals and community representatives, will review eligible submissions. The Committee will ensure that the Works align with the County’s goals of cultural representation, diversity, and public engagement.

The Committee reserves the right to select one, multiple, or no works arising from this Call for Art. Works are subject to approval by the County Executive and the County Legislature. Approved artists will work with County officials and AIPP committee members to finalize a contract, produce final designs, and oversee the fabrication and installation of artwork.

SELECTION CRITERIA

• Dedicated and consistent artistic practice (20 pts)
• Experience with public art projects of a relatively similar size and scope (20pts)
• Authenticity, creativity, and innovation of proposed artwork (10pts) 
• Connection of proposed artwork with the site and surrounding environment and community (20 pts)
• Maintenance requirements (20 pts)
• Overall quality of submission (10 pts)

PROJECT SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) 

March 16, 2026	Call for Artists Open Date
March 23, 2026	Deadline for questions on Call for Artists (submit questions to publicart@erie.gov)
March 24, 2026	Virtual Information Session for Artists (no registration required)
March 27, 2026	Erie County releases Q&A document with answers to frequently asked questions and informational session recording
April 20, 2026 12PM NOON	Deadline for submissions We strongly encourage applicants to apply BEFORE the deadline. If you encounter any issues submitting your application, please email publicart@erie.gov or call Erie County Dept. of Environment & Planning at (716) 858-1572 before the submission deadline. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Mid May 2026	Artist Call Backs to discuss proposals (either in-person or via video conference)
Mid May 2026	Finalist(s) notified
May 22, 2026	Artist selection submitted to Erie County Legislature for approval
Summer 2026	Selected Artist(s) under contract
Summer – Ongoing	Construction and Installation

Projects are funded by Erie County. Per 2023 Erie County Local Law #4, ownership and title of all works of public art acquired by the County shall be vested in the County of Erie.

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION:

COPYRIGHT Information included in Artist Contract: The Artist expressly reserves every right available to him / her in common law or under the Federal Copyright Act to control the making and dissemination of copies or reproductions of the Work, except as those rights are limited by the Agreement: The Artist expressly permits the County to reproduce the Work graphically for purposes strictly for the sole use and benefit of the public. All reproductions of the Work shall contain a credit to the Artist-Sculptor and copyright notice substantially in the following form: "Copyright, Artist's name, year of publication," in such a manner and location as shall comply with the U.S. Copyright laws. The Artist owns the design, and the County owns the physical Work.

INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS:

1. At all times during the duration of the Project, the Artist will maintain workers' compensation and appropriate employers' liability insurance covering any employee of the Artist engaged in activities relating to the Project in an amount acceptable to the County. 
2. The artist acknowledges that the County is not required to maintain insurance against damage or theft of the Work or personal property used in connection with the production or installation of the Work.
3. The Artist will provide general liability insurance covering the Project with a combined single limit per occurrence of One Million dollars ($1,000,000) for bodily injury, death, and for property damage, Three Million dollars ($3,000,000) annual aggregate. The Artist’s liability policy should name the County as additional insured.

QUESTIONS AND CONTACT INFORMATION

For questions, please contact publicart@erie.gov 

Schedule A: Isle View Park