Request for Proposals: 2026 Rosenthal Education Center (REC) Artist in Residence

The Cincinnati Art Museum requests proposals from an artist or a team of artists for the 2026 Rosenthal Education Center (REC) Artist in Residence. The selected artist or artists will have the opportunity to create an interactive installation on view in the REC from May 23 through November 9, 2026.

Get the RFP (PDF)

Eligibility

This RFP is open to all artists and artist teams age 18 or over who currently reside in the Greater Cincinnati/Tri-State region.

Application Deadline

Monday, November 3, 2025, 5 p.m. EST

Project Budget

$2,700 payment ($1500 artist honorarium + $1200 total payment for artist drop-in sessions)
$5,000  for design, fabrication, engineering, and installation

Project Background

The Rosenthal Education Center (REC) is a drop-in interactive gallery and maker space in the Cincinnati Art Museum designed to teach families about the museum’s permanent collection through art making, hands-on educational stations, and programming. From May through October of each year, the REC features an immersive and interactive art installation developed and created by a local artist inspired by artwork in the museum’s collection.

Through the run of the residency, art-making opportunities developed by the artist and REC staff will be available for visitors to create in the space or take home. The artist will also participate in a series of six (one per month) drop-in “meet the artist” programs in the REC throughout the duration of their residency. The artist is also responsible for repairing or replacing any damaged elements in the installation. Past REC Artists in Residence include Pam Kravetz, Terence Hammonds, Christian Schmit, Jim Tucker, Michael Thompson, Julia Lipovsky, John Lanzador and Karen Saunders.

Specifications

• Applicant(s) must identify a minimum of one and a maximum of five artworks in the Cincinnati Art Museum’s collection serving as primary inspiration(s) for the proposed installation.
• The proposed artwork/installation must include interactive elements geared towards children aged 3–12 and withstand touching and continuous hands-on interaction for six months.
• The proposed artwork/installation must be accessible to all levels of ability and mobility.
• The proposed artwork/installation must encompass a space of approximately 350 square feet (27 feet long by 13 feet deep or about the length and width of two parallel parking spaces) with a mural wall space of 27 feet wide by 11 feet tall.
• Artists and artist teams interested in submitting proposals are strongly encouraged to visit the Rosenthal Education Center to see the space.

Estimated Timeline

Selection Criteria

Artist(s) will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Originality, creativity, and uniqueness of proposal
• Creative connection to the theme of "What inspires you?” and links to the museum’s collection
• Imagination, creativity, and uniqueness demonstrated in previous projects
• Quality and craftsmanship evidenced by past work
• Prior experience with public art
• Appropriateness of art materials used and scale relative to the site
• Maintainability, structural and surface soundness, durability, maintenance and upkeep requirements
• Appropriateness for placement in the Cincinnati Art Museum setting, including the ability for artwork to withstand public interaction

Selection Process

A Design Review Committee, consisting of Cincinnati Art Museum staff, will review qualifications and designs for the project and select one artist or artist team to implement their design. Artists not selected will be notified by email.

Terms

• Cincinnati Art Museum accepts no responsibility for the loss or damage of artist’s submission materials.
• Cincinnati Art Museum retains artist’s information for future reference only.
• Submitted examples of artist’s past work may only be used as a qualification reference for this project. Any further use by the Cincinnati Art Museum must be with the explicit permission of the artist.
• The Cincinnati Art Museum accepts no responsibility for costs incurred by the artist in responding to this Call to Artists.
• Artists and artist collaborations selected for this project will be required to meet contract terms and budgets. No additional and/or contingency funds will be available.
• The artist(s) must live in the Dayton/Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area.
• Each entrant must be over 18 years of age to be eligible.
• Entrants must certify that their Entry (as defined below) is wholly original and that they are the sole and exclusive owner and right holder of the submitted Entry and that they have the right to submit the Entry in the competition. 
• Entries must not infringe on any third-party proprietary, intellectual property, personal rights or other rights, including without limitation, copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret or confidentiality obligation. 
• Cincinnati Art Museum reserves the right to verify and confirm entrants’ ages and compliance with other eligibility requirements.
• Only one entry per artist will be accepted. 
• Any artwork created by the Rosenthal Education Center Artist in Residence will be returned to the artist at the end of the exhibition, to the best of the museum’s abilities.

Submission Instructions

All proposal materials must be in electronic format. You may submit the required material in the following ways: email files directly to [email protected] or send a link to a Google Drive or Dropbox folder. Paper applications will not be accepted. Emailed submissions must contain in the email subject line: <Artist Name> 2026 Rosenthal Education Center Artist in Residency Proposal Submission

All submissions must include the following digital files:

1. Cover letter explaining interest in project and highlighting relevant experience
2. Current résumé (two-page limit)
3. Artist’s proposal and design drawings/renderings/images/video/visual examples (maximum two pages, single-spaced):
4. A clear description of ideas and inspiration for the installation
5. Design drawings of the proposed installation
6. Process and timeline for completion
7. List of professional references (at least three) including name, address, phone number, and email address for each individual.
8. Up to ten digital images of previous work.
9. File Format: JPG. You may embed images in .doc, .pdf, or .ppt files.
10. Annotated image list (two-page limit): Please include the artist’s name as a heading, and a brief description of each image, including title, date, medium, dimensions, and budget or price. 

Materials not requested will not be reviewed. If submissions are incomplete or incorrectly filed, the Cincinnati Art Museum reserves the right to disqualify the submission.

Applications must be submitted in digital format and received by Monday, November 3, 2025, 5 p.m. EST. Submission after this date will not be considered.

Email all submissions and/or link to Google Drive folders to:
Alex Otte Callon, Manager of the Rosenthal Education Center – [email protected]

Email [email protected] or call 513-639-2345 with any questions.