West Hollywood Opens Applications For Artist Qualifications For Temporary Art Installations

Press release from the City of West Hollywood:

January 4, 2021

The City of West Hollywood, through its Arts Division, requests qualifications from professional artists to establish a pre-qualified list for a temporary art exhibition in empty storefronts, Windows of WeHo (WoW). The exhibition will include artists with experience creating inventive installations or full-scale window installations that engage people in an innovative or dynamic way.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the arts and on the business community in West Hollywood. Some traditional brick-and-mortar stores have faced challenges for years in competing against the rise of online shopping. But, in 2020, as shoppers across the nation have moved further online as a safeguard against the spread of COVID-19, some of West Hollywood’s brick-and-mortar retail locations have closed and property owners are facing unprecedented vacancies. The WoW exhibition is intended to partner artists with property owners to reimagine vacant storefronts as opportunities for safe, socially distanced, outdoor community engagement sites as the City navigates the COVID-19 pandemic and sets its sights on economic recovery for the business community.

With the Windows of WeHo (WoW) initiative, the City of West Hollywood will maintain a pre-qualified list of artists for the WoW exhibition. West Hollywood property owners will be invited to engage with artists on the list to display their artworks. It is anticipated that 8 to 10 artists will be selected through the pre-qualified list established by this application, and each selected artist will receive an award of one thousand dollars ($1,000). Admittance onto the pre-qualified list is not a guarantee that an artist will be selected for an award. Artists who live in the City of West Hollywood are especially encouraged to apply. Interested artists must apply online by Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 5 p.m. PST: www.weho.org/home/showpublisheddocument?id=48693.

Placing art in vacant storefronts is a way to safely energize and activate empty spaces in West Hollywood’s commercial zones. The art installations will bring increased attention to vacant commercial properties, will deter graffiti and vandalism, and will contribute to the preservation of the City’s business community. The collection of the reimagined spaces will become an outdoor gallery exhibition where art will act as a mechanism to keep the City’s commercial corridors visually engaging, while simultaneously showcasing retail spaces to the next wave of commercial tenants.

For more information about the City of West Hollywood’s Windows of WeHo (WoW) opportunity, please contact Rebecca Ehemann, the City of West Hollywood’s Acting Arts Manager, at (323) 848-6846 or at rehemann@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.

The City of West Hollywood has declared a local emergency in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Individuals are advised, at this time, to stay at home as much as possible and limit close interactions to those in your household. When in public for essential needs, community members should maintain your space with social (physical) distancing of at least six feet, and cover your face. Public Health officials recommend that everyone continue to follow physical distancing and infection control directives and wear a clean face covering that securely covers both your nose and mouth when in in public. Additionally, people 65 years old or older and all people of any age with underlying health conditions should remain at home whenever possible; people in these categories should only leave their residences to seek medical care, exercise, or obtain food or other necessities.

West Hollywood City Hall is currently closed to the public and has suspended all in-person transactions. Most public City buildings and facilities remain closed. City Hall remains accessible for business and essential services with transactions to be conducted by phone (323) 848-6400 and via the City’s website at www.weho.org.

City of West Hollywood coronavirus updates are available at www.weho.org/coronavirus and the City encourages community members to follow @wehocity on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and turn on notifications. For up-to-date news and events, follow the City of West Hollywood on social media @WeHoCity, sign up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City’s calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or slunn@weho.org.

This press release was produced by the City of West Hollywood. The views expressed here are the author’s own.