Call For Community Venue Partners:
All venues with and without art
February 3 - 11, 2023
Apply to be a Community Venue Partner
Are you a venue that would like to be paired with a PDXWLF Artist? Click Venue Seeking Artist below. Are you a venue with an art piece you'd like to show? Click Venue with Art.
Have questions about becoming a PDXWLF Community Venue Partner? Download our guide for prospective partners below.
Limited Community Venue Partner sites will be available, so apply early to get involved!
Deadline to apply to host art at your venue or show your work at your own venue is 5 PM PST, Friday, September 23, 2022.
If you have any questions, please email art@pdxwlf.com.
Download this information as PDF here.
The Portland Winter Light Festival (PDXWLF) will take place February 3 - 11, 2023 and will feature pop-up art installations in windows, storefronts, and public spaces throughout the city of Portland. Each year, the event hosts upwards of 200,000 visitors and guests who come out to explore light-art installations throughout the city, visit local businesses, and celebrate art and community during the darkest time of year. The nonprofit event is family-friendly and is presented to the public for free. The mission of PDXWLF is to build community by bringing digital art to inclusive audiences while invigorating Portland in the winter.
This call is for Community Venue Partners - local businesses, design firms, retail locations, organizations, art collectives, makerspaces, and more - that have a location or venue to host an artist and artists that have a location for their installation. One installation per application, multiple applications are ok. One designated contact per application.
As in previous years, installations can take the form of light based art installations or sculptures in windows, colorful and creative outdoor lighting, installations in your own yard or neighborhood, video projections, and more.
We encourage artists to find their own venue to show their installations. Light up your buildings, exteriors, houses and yards. Find a local business that would like to showcase your work. Ask your neighbors to be involved and create a community of light around your PDXWLF exhibition.
PDXWLF will work to match artists to available venues. It is possible that we may not be able to match an artist with your venue.
The festival takes place over nine days. We request that when possible, all art in pop-up locations be on throughout the duration of the festival. Much of the outdoor art placed at anchor sites (World Trade Center, Pioneer Courthouse Square & The Electric Blocks) will be on only during the weekends.
Don't Be So Hard on Yourself by Black & Gifted. Photo by Ralph Daub.
Fees
New this year, we are charging a minimum $250 participation fee for our business partners and venues wishing to participate as a venue in the festival. Please see the outline of fees below. The festival is a community-supported event presented for free to the public each year. The fees cover a portion of the costs associated with planning, organizing, and promoting the festival as a whole, and represent a financial commitment on the part of the venue. The festival drives tens of thousands of guests out each night to explore the city and view art in local business windows, and provides critical economic and cultural stimulation during the slow winter months.
There will be fee waivers available for non-profits, artist collectives, small for-profit businesses, BIPOC-owned businesses, and artists that have experienced hardship during the pandemic or otherwise have a compelling reason to request a waiver. If you would like to request a fee waiver for festival participation, please check “requesting fee waiver” on the application form. We do not wish to exclude any enthusiastic participants because of financial reasons, so please email art@pdxwlf.com with the subject line “requesting fee waiver” and the reason you are requesting the waiver. We will review the requests on a case by case basis and plan to be generous with waiver offerings.
Community Partner
$250
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Provide your own Art and Location to display the art.
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You will be listed as an official site on festival maps and directories, and on pdxwlf.com, driving guest traffic to visit your site throughout the festival.
Community Venue Partner
$500
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Artist Pairing.
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An artist will be selected to display their work at your site based on availability and logistics.
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You will be listed as an official site on festival maps and directories, and on pdxwlf.com, driving guest traffic to visit your site throughout the festival.
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Your business will receive social media recognition as a participating Community Venue Partner.
Luminary Community Partner Sponsorship
$1000
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Artist Pairing.
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Tax-deductible donation of $500.
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An artist will be selected to display their work at your site based on availability and logistics.
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You will be listed as an official site on festival maps and directories, and on pdxwlf.com, driving guest traffic to visit your site throughout the festival.
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Your business will receive social media recognition as a Luminary Community Partner.
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Sponsorship recognition as a Luminary Circle Partner.
Note: for businesses that wish to sponsor at a higher recognition level, opportunities are available at our sponsorship page.
Sithmas in February. By Order of the Emperor. Art by Plastrom. Photo by Brett Nemecek.
Apply to be a Community Partner
Are you a venue that would like to be paired with a PDXWLF Artist? Complete this application by September 23, 2022:
Are you a venue that already has an art piece you would like to show?
Complete this application by September 23, 2022:
Limited Community Venue Partner sites will be available, so apply early to get involved!
Metalworks Salvage. Photo by Remaining Light Photography.
PDXWLF 2023 TIMELINE FOR VENUES
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Deadline to apply to be a Community Venue Partner is 5pm PST, Friday, September 23rd.
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Deadline to apply to be a Community Venue Partner with your own art to show is 5pm PST Friday, September 23rd.
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Venues notified of acceptance: Rolling acceptance notices until November 1st
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Deadline for submittal of vision/ installation plan: Mid - November
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Approval from art dept on vision/installation plan: Late November
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Deadline for promotional information: Early December
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*Accepted venues and artists will receive an updated timeline with their acceptance.
The Vortex by Christopher Condrat at Earth Space PDX. Photo by Hamid Shibata Bennett.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I choose the PDXWLF Artist that will show at my venue?
No, our art team will be selecting artists for placement in potential venues. Artists will be selected for venues that do not already have their own artists on a case by case basis based on availability, logistics, and visibility from the street. Artwork is family-friendly. It is likely we will not be able to place artists in every venue that applies.
Q: Can I choose to show my own artist at my venue?
Yes, we encourage venues to show their own artists! Please fill out the “Art with Location” application form.
Q: Will the piece be a large video projection on my building?
No, we wish! Large projection pieces cost tens of thousands of dollars and we do not have the resources to do this scale of work in multiple venues. We’d love to see these pieces all over Portland, but we’ll need a lot more support to make that happen. If you are set on something like this we can pair you with a local projection company and artist that can make your dreams come true.
Q: If I want to pay the artist directly to commission a bigger piece, can I do that?
Yes, absolutely! Please let us know ASAP what you are looking for and your budget. If possible, we will connect you with an artist.
Q: Why does it take you so long to choose the artists and place the artists?
We receive hundreds of submissions and need to review them all very carefully to determine if the proposals are sound and what best fits where. We ask lots of questions of the venues and the artists to figure out the flow and how the pieces work together.
Q: When is my fee due?
Once we accept a location and/or have an artist to place in that location we will send you an invoice and link for the participation fee.
Q: I have an art piece I’d like to show at a confirmed location, (like my business, a local coffee shop, or my back yard) what form should I fill out?
Great! You should fill out this form: Fill out this form; Location with Art.
Q: I am an artist and would like to show my work at PDXWLF, what form should I fill out?
Stay tuned! Please fill out the Call For Art form when it is released on July 11, 2022.
Q: I have a question that isn’t addressed here.
Please reach out to Chris Herring and Misty Post at art@pdxwlf.com before September 16h in order for the art team to have time to respond.