Norwich seeks artists for downtown public art project

ShareAdd Us On GoogleAdd as a preferred source on GoogleNORWICH, N.Y. (WBNG) —The City of Norwich is seeking submissions from artists for public art projects funded by the Downtown Revitalization Initiative.The project will include five sculptures and one mural in downtown Norwich, with a total budget of $600,000, or $100,000 per artwork. The funding will cover all of the artist’s expenses, including transportation, materials, equipment rental, assistants, food/lodging, artists’ fee, and costs incurred to prepare for and execute the installation.Artists have until July 31, 2026, to submit their work. Eric Larson, a member of the Norwich Public Art Initiative Committee, said the selection process will take several weeks.After the July 31 deadline, the committee will take a few weeks to evaluate submissions and notify finalists, who will then have another six or seven weeks to prepare their proposals.The project has attracted interest from artists around the world, including from countries like England and Argentina.“We’re expecting interest to be strong because we have been able to put together a pretty competitive budget that we think will be attractive to artists from New York State and from well beyond. I’ve already gotten inquiries from international artists,” Larson said.Larson said the project represents an unusual opportunity for a rural community.“I think people are very enthusiastic about the opportunity. Again, these are national and international caliber artworks that we’re going to be able to bring to our community. And it’s really an unprecedented opportunity for a rural area like us to be able to do something like this. So I know our group is very excited about it,” he said.Artists can submit their work online here. The following sculptures will be located at:49 South Broad St. on the sidewalk at the entrance to the NBT Bank Operations Center.32 South Broad Street on the sidewalk adjacent to the crosswalk on South Broad Street (in general proximity to Nina’s Restaurant)34 South Broad St. on the sidewalk adjacent to the crosswalk on South Broad Street (in general proximity to Colonia Theater)West Park Place at the corner of West Park near the CourthouseEast Park Place at the northwest area of the park A mural will also be located at 19 East Main Street on the west-facing wall of the building that houses Commerce Chenango. Interested artists can submit an application here. Copyright 2026 WBNG. All rights reserved.