The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville (ABC) and the Nashville Soccer Club (NSC) are thrilled to announce the launch of a partnership connecting the local creative community with the Team’s brand-new stadium. This partnership will include several art initiatives in the coming months, designed to seamlessly weave NSC into the fabric of the city and its vibrant creative community with high-visibility opportunities for local artists to create dynamic, experiential activations for soccer fans as part of the NSC Stadium experience. The partnership kicks off with the launch of two Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) — one for a large, signature mural inside the new Stadium’s east concourse, and the other for local artists to display works for the inaugural exhibition, “Nashville Voices” inside the Stadium’s Soundwaves Gallery.
The ABC x NSC East Entry Concourse Mural RFQ seeks an artist to create a mural that will bring to life how soccer – the beautiful game – is making Nashville a more beautiful city. The selected mural will be a vibrant, signature installation that will be the catalyst for iconic “social media moments” for fans inside the stadium. The selected mural will be installed for a minimum of one season.
To be considered for the East Entry Concourse Mural, interested artists must submit 3–10 representative works from their existing portfolio, an artist statement, and a narrative proposal regarding their idea(s) for the mural and its significance and relation to the theme. Interested artists must be local to Nashville, and/or reside in the Greater Nashville area. 3-5 finalists will be selected to expand upon and create their submitted proposal for final review. Upon completion and submission of the “Final Proposal,” each artist will be awarded a stipend for their work. The final mural design will be selected from the 3-5 “Final Proposals” and the winning artist will receive an additional stipend for their design and the labor to paint the mural.
The ABC x NSC Soundwaves Gallery RFQ offers an unprecedented opportunity for artists to display their art inside the new Stadium. The Soundwaves Gallery, located in the VIP Suites Corridor, will showcase a variety of Nashville’s finest visual art all season long, elevating the Suite experience for guests while also providing a high-visibility exhibition and sales opportunity for artists. The Soundwaves Gallery will also be shown to all guests as a feature during future Stadium tours. Pieces will be displayed in the gallery for the entirety of the season with the option for any Stadium guest to purchase the artwork, with pick-up/delivery of the work to the purchaser happening after the conclusion of the season.
The inaugural exhibition theme for the gallery in the 2022 season is “Nashville Voices.” Artists may submit up to five works to be considered for the exhibition. Most 2D and 3D mediums are acceptable, including but not limited to painting, photography, mixed media, wood, block and screen printing, some types of sculpture, etc. The application must include image(s) of the work, an artist statement, as well as a narrative explaining the submitted works’ significance and relation to the theme. Works may be pre-existing or created for the purpose of this exhibition.
Applications for both opportunities will be evaluated by a diverse Community Art Committee, including stakeholders from NSC as well as Nashville’s broader creative community. The deadline to apply for both RFQs is December 31, 2021. Complete details can be found at www.abcnashville.org/opportunities.