Cleveland Print Room (CPR) is pleased to announce a year-long photography and data visualization project centered on Cleveland's built environment, partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. We invite photographers/artists to bring voice and narrative to a photographic inventory of Cleveland’s evolving urban landscape.
Background:
Deindustrialization, discriminatory lending practices, and white flight, and varied other challenges have left Cleveland shrinking, disinvested, and littered with abandonment and blight. Neighborhoods have suffered greatly. Residents and leadership continue working to find a clear path forward. As part of those efforts, the City’s Building & Housing Department partnered with Western Reserve Land Conservancy in an initiative to inventory 160,000 Cleveland properties to assess conditions, collect other critical data, and raise awareness.
Observing that property inventory, CPR, with the support of the other organizations and the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative will facilitate an alternative property inventory centering photography to create an artful and empirical orientation for the data. Complemented by a journal elevating a range of voices, the project is positioned for significant impact.
Participation:
CPR will commission a group of art and documentary photographers to conduct this inventory. Their charge will be to document the same parcels and neighborhoods represented in the previous inventory.
Selected photographers will participate in group critiques and workshops throughout the year, fostering growth and collective learning. Each selected photographer will receive approximately $8,000.
Application:
This opportunity is available to all individuals 18+ years old.
Photographers will be selected by a review committee.
Submit a unified PDF containing:
• Resume/CV
• Comprehensive letter of intent (max. 2 pages)
• 10 relevant images reflecting the project’s spirit. Individual file sizes for images must remain under 4MB.
• Format document/file name like so: “FirstNameLastName_PropertyInventory”.
• Include answers to the core questions below:
Core Questions:
How does your work align with the goals of this project, particularly in relation to the built environment and human-centered narratives?
How do you ensure ethical representation in your work, especially with sensitive topics or vulnerable communities?
How do you imagine this project impacting both Cleveland and your creative practice?
Timeline:
Open Call Begins - July 1st
Open Call Ends - August 15th
Applicants will be notified shortly after decision by jury.
Send submissions to:
propertyinventory@clevelandprintroom.com
Or, mail to 4730 Lexington Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44103.
