Proposals sought for arts commission project

Submission deadline Sept. 13 for fourth annual New Works program; four winning entries to receive $2,500 awards

Indiana-based artists and arts organizations are invited to submit proposals for New Works, an annual commission program now in its fourth season at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel.

New Works is an initiative to promote and sustain local artists and arts communities by supporting the creation of new works in various disciplines. A panel of judges will select one winner in the visual arts and three winners in the performing arts, which can include music, dance, theater, and other fields. The four winning proposals will receive $2,500 each to create and premiere the works during a livestreamed public event May 31 in the Center’s Tarkington theater. The winning visual arts piece, which can be 2D or 3D, will be displayed for one year in the main lobby of the Palladium concert hall.

The theme of any proposed work must align with one or more of the Center’s organizational Core Values: excellence, innovation, integrity, collaboration, and inclusion. The work cannot have been created prior to September 2024 and must not be performed publicly prior to the May 31 premiere. Artists of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. There is no application fee.

The submission deadline is 11:59 p.m. Sept. 13. Further details and application instructions are available at TheCenterPresents.org/NewWorks. Questions can be emailed to NewWorks@TheCenterPresents.org. Awards will be announced in February.

Last season’s New Works commissions were awarded to painter Valerie Eickmeier, choreographer Iris Rosa Santiago and composers Hippocrates Cheng and Jared Thompson. Video of the June 1 premiere event at the Tarkington is viewable on the Center’s YouTube channel.

About the Center for the Performing Arts
The mission of the nonprofit Center for the Performing Arts is to engage and inspire the central Indiana community through enriching arts experiences. Its campus in Carmel includes the 1,500-seat Palladium concert hall, the 500-seat Tarkington proscenium theater and the black-box Studio Theater. The Center presents and hosts hundreds of events each year, including the Center Presents performance series, featuring the best in classical, jazz, pop, rock, country, comedy and other genres. Educational and experiential programming for all ages includes children’s concerts and camps, book clubs, lectures and music classes. The Center is home to the affiliated Great American Songbook Foundation and provides space and support services for six resident arts companies. More information is available at TheCenterPresents.org.