NJ Climate Resilience Community-Based Arts Projects: 2026

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts are seeking proposals from four site-specific visual, performance, or time-based projects from artists who live in or near New Jersey for community-focused arts engagements. These opportunities are ideal for teaching artists and those with socially-engaged and/or environmentally-focused artmaking practices.

Project Budgets of $24,000 per artist are provided, with some community partners potentially providing additional and/or in-kind project support. The budget should cover all costs, including artists’ time and fees, materials, travel, documentation, etc.

We have four community partners (Community-Based Organizations or “CBOs”) that are focused on ensuring the artists selected will work closely with their local community. The ideal project proposals are site-specific and community-engaged. For instance, a performance proposal should indicate how the artist intends to work with the community on the development of the piece, and how the project will engage community members during the execution of the piece.

A visual artist needs to ensure that projects proposed include community engagement, rather than merely showing the community the finished artwork. Time-based works, likewise, must engage the community in the development of the work, and ideally, also during presentation(s) of the work.

Community engagement can take a variety of approaches: talks, tours, a workshop series, hands-on artmaking activities, surveys, materials collections, meetings, performances, and more. This program is not intended to only provide exhibition or performance opportunities; its goal is to support artists working with communities to communicate climate resilience and coastal flooding information through arts engagement.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts are pleased to present this call for artists as part of the Coastal Risk Communications Campaign. This exciting opportunity is open for submissions from artists who are 18 years of age or older, not enrolled in an educational institution, and who are current residents of the State of New Jersey, or living within 100 miles of the New Jersey state border as measured here: https://distancecalculator.globefeed.com/US_Distance_Calculator.asp

This exciting opportunity pairs selected Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) with qualified artists to collaborate on an art project and community activities that communicate the risks of coastal hazard impacts - in particular, coastal flooding - to the public, and to increase awareness of action steps for mitigation of those risks.

Learn about these topics at njcoastalrisk.com and nj.gov/dep/cmp/czm_hazards.html

Any art form (visual, performing, time-based) that meets the needs of the CBOs as identified may be considered if no new environmental disturbance results from the project and no harm occurs in environmentally sensitive areas. Note: The CBOs have expressed their preferences for the art forms to be selected for their locations. See the Site Plan document included in this call.

The intent of this program is to engage with the community; successful proposals will be those that center community engagement as part of the artmaking process.

The New Jersey DEP Coastal Management Program (CMP) was awarded a Project of Special Merit (PSM) grant by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through their annual Coastal Zone Management Enhancement Program. The PSM award is to support development of a risk communication campaign for coastal hazards, including a Community-Based Art Grant Program (Grant Program) in partnership with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (Arts Council). The Grant Program, along with the other components of the risk communications campaign, will address the need to involve and inform the public about the coastal hazards their communities face, and what actions they can take to reduce their risk.

The Grant Program has selected four New Jersey CBOs to be paired with artists/artist teams to create art installations in specific locations within New Jersey’s coastal zone. The CBOs were selected through a separate and competitive process, and this call for artists is to select the artists who will be paired with the CBOs to develop and implement an art project that is artistically excellent, interacts with the communities of the CBO they are paired with, and communicates to the public coastal hazard impacts and risks, as well as actions that can be taken to mitigate coastal hazards. In particular, this program is seeking community art projects communicating coastal flooding risks and preparedness strategies.

The grants to the CBOs are made with the intention that they will result in a community-based art engagement in each organization’s region, as well as an in-person community event(s) centered around the artwork. The intent of each artwork project commissioned is to bring public awareness to the risk of flooding, either from sea-level rise or coastal storms. Each CBO will provide at least $24,000 to the artist for reimbursement of materials and artist fees, including travel, development, and presentation of the art engagement selected.

Projects:

Artists who work collaboratively may apply as a team, but will need to submit one application for the team and accept the stipend amount of $24,000 as total funds for the project, including artist fees for all team members.

Qualified artists are encouraged to submit examples of their previously completed artwork through the CaFÉ online system, along with a brief written description of their project proposal. Artists should submit work samples that are clear, concise, and considerate of the community, as well as the public nature of temporary art in public spaces. Because the CBO hosts’ spaces are comprised of a variety of public, restricted, and regulated areas, some proposals may require changes in order to be approved. Artists should understand that their proposal will be a starting point, and that those selected will work collaboratively with the CBOs. The work ultimately undertaken will be developed and approved in coordination with the CBO host site, which will contract directly with the selected artist/s.

Art installations are to be in existing public spaces located in the coastal zone. The installations can be located on the CBO’s property, or other public land agreed to by the CMP. The location of installations cannot result in any new environmental disturbance, and installations will not be located in, or cause impact to, environmentally sensitive areas such as, but not limited to, wetlands, sand dunes, habitats of endangered species and marine mammals, and historic preservation sites.

Community engagement is key to this project, and artists are reminded to consider how the community will engage with the artist and with the art. Describing the intended community engagement will be central to a successful proposal.

Submissions must be able to be realized within a project budget of $24,000, inclusive of all known costs and required resources. The CBOs will provide a stipend to the artist of $24,000, which can be used toward project costs, supplies, travel, and artistic fees as needed. Some CBOs may, at their discretion, provide additional supplies, equipment, and in-kind services for the project. For instance, chairs for audiences, marketing and promotional costs, access to a projector, speakers, podium, microphone, etc. Please be as thorough as possible when listing out resources required for the project. There is no guarantee that submissions will be able to be implemented as described. The CBOs may offer you alternative options or solutions to proposed resources, and we encourage you to be flexible in thinking about strategies for working with CBOs on community-engaged art projects in public spaces.

CBOs and artists will begin conversations immediately after notification of selection, and it is anticipated that art installations and public programs will be underway between the Spring and Fall of 2027. CBOs will work with selected artists to schedule, plan, implement, document, and promote the selected projects between October 2026 and Fall of 2027. 

The Goals of this Program are:

1. To increase public awareness of how individuals will be impacted by coastal hazards and what they can do about it.

2. To use innovative approaches and outreach methods and materials that are tailored to the needs of local communities throughout the coastal zone.

3. To elevate awareness in New Jersey of the risks of flooding caused by sea-level rise and coastal storms.

4. To increase knowledge of local decision-makers on innovative approaches and the best ways to effectively communicate risk through available tools and resources.

5. To advance resilience planning efforts in New Jersey through effective risk communication methods, materials, and actions.

6. To create effective communications that facilitate the necessary behavior change to make New Jersey more resilient to coastal hazards such as sea-level rise and coastal storms.

These goals will be realized, in part, by connecting people with new, stimulating art experiences in their communities.

In addition, this program will provide regional artists with both exhibition opportunities and a supportive experience in creating public art in new and different public spaces.

Register for the Question and Answer meeting scheduled for July 8, 2026 here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nscqzfovSnypIEAGRyPRYg