2025 Art in the Loop Project: Wonder – Call for Visual & Performing Artists Announced

Art in the Loop Announces 2025 Calls for Visual & Performing Artists

The Art in the Loop Foundation (AILF) is in search of both visual and performing artists to bring their creativity to Downtown Kansas City for the 12th Annual Art in the Loop Project. Through a competitive, open-call process, AILF selects local artists to exhibit their artwork, create site-specific artwork, or perform along and near the KC Streetcar route and at other sites in Downtown Kansas City from May – October. 

2025 Theme: Wonder

This year’s theme, Wonder, invites artists to explore the depth of curiosity within our community and the ways in which we relate to one another. We encourage artists to reflect on the complexities of connection, discovery, and the shared experiences that shape us.

Consider the following prompts: How do we navigate our differences and still build meaningful relationships? What’s the next step in your personal journey, and how does it intersect with the larger community? What values or causes are most important to you, and how do they align with the needs of those around you? What is your focus—what are you paying attention to, and what deserves more of our collective attention? What serves you, and what serves the community? What does true north mean to you—what is your guiding principle?

Wonder is also sparked by the unexpected and the unfamiliar—the moments that catch us off guard and make us pause. What are the exciting, surprising, or even strange things in the world around you that inspire you to embrace the power of community? We encourage you to dive into this sense of wonder and let it guide your creative expression.  

Application Process

The application requires a written description of your proposal, a concept, and a short narrative about your goals for public engagement. Stipends range from $750-$2,500 depending on the category. The deadline for submissions is Monday, February 17, 11:59 p.m. CST. Applications must be made online via the application portals.

Visual Artists

AILF asks local artists to exhibit their artwork along and near the KC Streetcar route in Downtown Kansas City. Your artwork will be viewed by thousands of KC Streetcar riders and Downtowners daily! Selected artists will receive funds and project support to bring their artwork alive for a 6-month outdoor program. Click here for the call for visual artists.

This year visual artists may submit proposals in 4 categories:

• KC Streetcar Wrap 
• KC Streetcar Shelter (Within the Frame)
• KC Streetcar Shelter OR Oppenstein Park Mural
• ArtWall
  

For information about eligibility, the selection process, evaluation criteria, and important dates, review the application guidelines. Applicants are also encouraged to learn about artist projects from previous years. Annual catalogs from past years’ programs can be found here. Questions may be directed to Visual Art Director, Khyneesha Edwards, neesha_edwards@yahoo.com.

Performance Artists

This performance series will feature multi-sensory performances such as spoken word, dance, music, improv, social practice, etc., while also highlighting the visual artworks installed along the KC Streetcar route. Click here for the call for performance artists. 

Artists will receive a stipend for their work and selected artists will perform at one of five Art in the Loop events including: 

• Kick-off Ceremony at the Central Library, June 5 (5:30 pm)
• Onboard KC Streetcar, July 16 (6 pm)
• 816 Day at City Market, August 16 (6 pm)
• Evening concert at Oppenstein Park, September 11 (5:30 pm)
• Closing Reception at the Kansas City Public Library Central Library, October 2 (5:30 pm) 

For information about eligibility, the selection process, evaluation criteria, and important dates, review the application guidelines. Applicants are also encouraged to learn about artist projects from previous years. Annual catalogs from past years’ programs can be found here. Questions may be directed to Performance Art Director, Jade Osborne, jadeosborneart@gmail.com.

Information Sessions

Learn more about the calls at an information session:

• Thursday, January 23, 6-7 p.m. at Charlotte Street Foundation, Register Here
• Thursday, January 30, 10:30 -11:30 a.m. at Kemper Museum of Art, Register Here
• Thursday, January 30, 6-7 p.m., Virtual – AIGA Kansas City, Register Here
• Saturday, February 1, 1-2 p.m., Kansas City Artists Coalition, Register Here
• Thursday, February 6, 6-7 p.m. at InterUrban ArtHouse, Register Here

Community, Sponsors & Supporters

Artists have played a key role in the revitalization of Downtown Kansas City over the past few decades and this will continue. In the words of renowned local artist Michael Toombs,  “Through projects like Art in the Loop, Downtown KC is becoming part of a highly visible cultural landscape that reminds us of who we are, as well as inspires us in who we are yet to become.” We have unique opportunities for your organization to connect with the community and support local artists through sponsorships and charitable donations. 

We appreciate the generous support of the KC Streetcar Authority, Henderson Engineers, Stinson LLP, Copaken Brooks, and the Kansas City Art Institute. This project is funded in part by the City of Kansas City, Missouri Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund, as well as by awards from the Missouri Arts Council, ArtsKC, the Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts – Commerce Bank Trustee, the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation, and the Francis Family Foundation. 

For more information contact: Ann Holliday, ann@downtownkc.org, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the Downtown Council and Executive Director of the Art in the Loop Foundation. 

For more information about the project and the artists, visit www.artintheloop.com, www.facebook.com/artintheloop, or www.instagram.com/artintheloop.