Call for Art

In response to graffiti tagging in their neighborhood in south Minneapolis, the Corcoran Neighborhood  Organization (CNO) formed the Call for Art Project. This project, the great idea of using art and murals to discourage graffiti tags, was the product of a neighborhood the neighborhood’s National Night Out which was a brainstorming event funded by a $10,000 CNO grant to generate unique ideas to discourage graffiti. The event, held in August of 2009, featured food, games, sidewalk drawing, prizes and a cash  payout of $250 to artist participants with the most unique idea.



Description
CNO's 2011 public art projects were funded, in part, by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature. The City of Minneapolis helped support CNO's 2011 graffiti prevention murals and landscaping work, and the Valspar Foundation continues to provide paint for all of CNO's public art and graffiti prevention projects. Additional support is provided by the McKnight Foundation, the Neighborhood Revitalization Program, and individual donations.

The Call for Art Project that arose from this event ultimately generated other events under the Call for Art umbrella including Paint the Pavement, Boulevard Art Project, Painting Murals, Painting Portraits and artistic attention to the local farmers’ market. These projects vary in complexity from annual pavement painting events to projects that focus on permanent installation on chain link fences and walls. These projects are funded by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, the City of Minneapolis, the Valspar Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Neighborhood Revitalization Program and other individual gifts. In 2011, direct expenses were $22,040, and dozens of improvements have been made.



