Public Art
Call for Community Panelists 

Call for Community Panelists Guidelines

Nashville Youth Campus for Empowerment (NYCE)

Metro Arts is seeking engaged community members to participate in the artist selection panel for an upcoming public art project. Selected panelists will evaluate and score artist applications and interviews during three required rounds. The scoring process is facilitated by Metro Arts staff and monitored by the Metro Purchasing Agent. The artists selection panel includes a member of the Arts Commission or Public Art Committee (panel chair, non-voting) and Metro site sponsor(s) (voting). This is a paid opportunity for community members to be a part of Metro's Public Art process.

PANELISTS PARTICIPATION/COMMITMENT
The selection panelists will be required to engage in three distinct rounds during the overall selection process for the artist or artist team. Please note that this is a closed procurement process. In order to prevent outside interference with the process and maintain an environment of objectivity, panelists may not discuss the process with those outside of the panel. Panelists will be required to sign a panelist agreement and complete a conflict of interest form. 

TIMELINE
Round 1 - Online scoring, July - August 2025*

Round 2 - In-person scoring (one full, 8-hour day between 8am - 4pm), August 2025*

Round 3 - In-person scoring and selection of final artist (one full, 8-hour day between 8am - 4pm), September -                             October 2025*

*Specific dates, times, and location are to be determined. Lunch will be provided for in-person scoring rounds. We will attempt to accommodate individual dietary requests. 

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STIPEND

A total stipend of $840.00 will be awarded to each community panelist after the completions of all three rounds of scoring. Panelists will be required to register with Metro Finance

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PANELIST ELIGIBILITY/REQUIREMENTS

- At least 18 years of age

- Resident of Nashville-Davidson County

- Available and committed to the entire panel selection process

- Complete all of the application questions

- Register with Metro Finance

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CONFLICT OF INTEREST

- Employees of the Metro Nashville Arts Commission are ineligible to apply to be a community panelist. Their family and household members are also ineligible to apply.

- Members of the Metro Nashville Arts Commission and the Public Art Committee are ineligible to apply to be a community panelist. Their family and household members are also ineligible to apply.

- Employees of the Metro Nashville Government and Metro Nashville Public Schools are ineligible to apply to be a community panelist. 

- An artist is precluded from having his/her work considered for a public art commission or project once selected for or while serving on a selection panel.

- Family or household members of an artist applying for this public art project are ineligible to apply to be a community panelist. 

- Those who have a business relationship with an artists applying for this public art project is ineligible to apply to be a community panelist. Business relationships include but are not limited to gallery owners, brokers, artist representatives, agents, fabricators, suppliers, and employers. 

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PANELIST SELECTION

Each panelist application will be reviewed by the internal staff of Metro Arts. Applicants will be selected based on the answers given in the questionnaire. Items of interest, but not limited to, are past experiences, skill sets, connection to the related themes of the NYCE project, and panel composition need. If you're not selected this time, we encourage you to apply for future opportunities. 

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PANEL COMPOSITION

The selection panel for this project will have between five and eleven members including at least one visual artist, and may include a design professional, a project/architect/landscape architect, community representatives, and one member representing the site sponsor.

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The chairperson of the selection panel will be the Public Art Committee chair or designee, serving as an ex-officio, non-voting panel member. The Metro Purchasing Agent will assign a Contract Specialist to the project who will serve as a non-voting advisory member of the selection panel and is charged with the responsibility of monitoring the Procurement process. 

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SUBMISSION INFORMATION 

Full submission instructions are available HERE,

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Please read through carefully before submitting. Incomplete submissions will not be reviewed. No submissions will be accepted beyond the specified deadline. Individuals may submit only one entry. Technical questions about the online submission process (Submittable account set-up, etc.) should be directed to www.submittable.com/help/submitter 

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RESOURCES FOR QUESTIONS

Direct all non-technical questions related to the call for community panelists to atilio.murga@nashville.gov with NYCE Lobby Public Art Selection Panel in the subject line or call Atilio Murga at 615-862-6733.

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DEADLINE

All submissions must be submitted via Submittable and are due on Monday, July 7, 2025, by 11:59pm (CST).

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To Apply, please click HERE 

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