Raleigh Markers
Ends on
Raleigh Markers | DESIGN ONLY CALL TO ARTISTS
Release Date: Thursday, October 23rd, 2025
Design Stipend: $4,000 (in addition to four finalist honoraria of $500 each)
Deadline: Wednesday , December 3rd, 2025 at 11:59 pm
Eligibility: Any artist living and working within the Memphis metropolitan area. Artists may submit only one proposal per project opportunity, but are invited to submit as a team if desirable.
BACKGROUND
Once the county seat of Shelby County, Raleigh, Tennessee, was established in 1824 and named by Joseph Graham after his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. First settled around 1816, the area flourished in its early years but declined after the county courts were relocated to Memphis in 1866. Raleigh eventually surrendered its city charter in 1912, becoming part of unincorporated Shelby County.
Despite this transition, Raleigh experienced a brief renaissance in the late 1800s as a popular resort destination. Known for its pure, medicinal springs—discovered by Dr. David Coleman in 1842—the area attracted visitors from Memphis by train and electric rail. The centerpiece of this era was the grand Raleigh Inn, built in 1892 by the Duke family of North Carolina. With more than 100 rooms, elegant ballrooms, and modern amenities like electric lights and long-distance telephones, the Inn became a thriving hub for recreation, concerts, and dances until its closure in 1903, following the decline of the springs.
Beyond its natural springs, Raleigh remains home to meaningful community landmarks such as For the Kingdom Camp and Event Center and numerous churches that continue to shape its cultural and spiritual identity. Even before becoming a camp and event space, For the Kingdom nurtured creativity and artistry, with ties to local legends like Isaac Hayes. Raleigh’s church community reflects a rich, multi-denominational heritage—Pentecostal, Catholic, United Methodist, Non-denominational, and Church of Christ—all contributing to the area’s resilience and community life. In 2016, the City of Memphis bought up the Raleigh Mall to build the Raleigh Springs Civic Center. The Civic Center houses a public library, police station, traffic and special operations station, and skatepark.
Geographically, Raleigh is bordered by Frayser to the west, Bartlett to the east, the Wolf River and I-40 to the south, and the Memphis city limits to the north. Today, its economy is largely retail-driven, anchored by commercial corridors along Covington Pike and Austin Peay Highway. Notable landmarks include Methodist North Hospital, a Walmart Supercenter, and major employers like Nike and Amazon at the western edge. Covington Pike is also home to Memphis’s largest concentration of automobile dealerships and related businesses.
About UAC:
The UrbanArt Commission (UAC) works to create opportunities for artists and neighborhoods to connect and shape spaces through public art. Since 2002, UAC has managed the City of Memphis’s Percent-For-Art Program, which allocates funds annually to develop public art in connection to capital improvement projects. UAC also facilitates public art projects throughout the city working with various partners and clients to support artists and new experiences with art.
SITE SPECIFICS: The selection committee feels sign toppers and/or a potential larger sculptural marker would best serve at these places :
Medical District near Singleton Parkway: Highly visible, central to service and care, and a location that reflects resilience and healing.
Covington Pike and Stage Rd: A busy corridor with consistent traffic that ensures strong visibility and community interaction with the markers.
Near the Welcome to Raleigh Sign: A symbolic first impression for visitors entering the city.
Austin Peay Highway: A major connector that reflects movement and accessibility across Raleigh.
SCOPE OF WORK
UrbanArt Commission (UAC) is partnering with The City of Memphis to commission a series of small, gateway makers. Selected artists will be commissioned to create designs only, which should be free-form and flowing to be printed on vinyl or fabricated and cut into thin sheet metal. UAC will contract directly with a fabricator to print/fabricate and install the selected artwork. The company will collaborate closely with the selected artist to translate their commissioned artwork. The selection committee expresses an interest in a public art piece that will:
- Highlight the environmentally conscious and sustainable concepts and amenities of the new facilities through an abstract theme of concepts
- Reference the history of Raleigh, but focus on the future of this community that values families, children, entrepreneurship and growth
- Showcase images of multiple generations from youth to seniors
- Include themes of family, sports, unity, restoration, positivity, community, and respect
- Reference the history of Raleigh, but also focus of the future of this community that values families, children, entrepreneurship and growth
- Consider existing nearby public art and the design
The selection committee will select four finalists for the installation based on their portfolio, application materials, professional qualifications, and demonstrated ability to meet deadlines. The commissioned artist(s) will be selected based on the strength of their proposals, which will be presented to the selection committee.
UAC is committed to equity and inclusion in our work, both in the artists and organizations supported through the development of public art. UAC is especially interested in applications from artists who have not previously received public art commissions. People of color, differently-abled persons, indigenous peoples, LGBTQ+, seniors, and women are strongly encouraged to apply.
FINALIST REQUIREMENTS
Each of the three finalists will be asked to prepare a schematic design or mockup, followed by a presentation to the selection committee. Each finalist will receive a $500 honorarium for an original design developed specifically for the site.
DESIGN FEES
One artist will receive up to a $4,000 design stipend for commissioned artwork with final fabrication costs handled by UAC.
SELECTION COMMITTEE
Jasmine Moore- Raleigh District Art Board : Committee Member
Nakia Carrial - Community Advocate
Cameron Johnson -
Katie Jones- Artist Rep
TBD, City Engineering Representative (non-voting)
PROJECT TIMELINE
Thursday, October 23rd, 2025 RFQ released
Tuesday, November 11th, 2025 UAC Information Session
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025 RFQ deadline
Monday , December 8th, 2025 Notify finalists of RFP invitation
Early 2026 Finalists Presentations & Artist Selection
Fall 2026 Completion celebration
APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Please submit the following materials online by following the “Raleigh Markers” link at uacmem.org/calls-to-artists:
- Completed application form
- A typed letter explaining your interest in the project and your general approach/concept to its design and production. Please do not submit design proposals at this point.
- Up to 20 images of past work including title of work, date, medium, budget and project partners, if any.
- Resume or CV, not to exceed 2 pages.
- List of three professional references, including current phone and email.
- To apply to an open Request for Qualifications (RFQ) or Request for Proposals (RFP), go to uacmem.org/calls-to-artists. Follow the Raleigh Markers link to view more details.
- Clicking on the Submit button will redirect you to our Submittable page, which contains all of our current open opportunities. Click the Submit button next to the opportunity that you wish to apply for, or if you are already within an opportunity, scroll down to the Create your account / Have an account? Sign in form.
- If you already have a Submittable account, click the Have an account? Sign in tab to sign in to your account.
- If you don’t have an account, you must create one to apply. Create your free account by filling out the Create your account form. Fill in all information and click the Create Account and Continue button to continue with the submission process.
- From there, you will be able to complete and submit your application. You can now use this account login when submitting to all future UAC opportunities. Once you have submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation email that confirms receipt of your full application.
For more information about this project, please contact:
Travis Washington | Program Manager
901.343.6983 | Travis@uacmem.org
This RFQ can be found on www.uacmem.org/calls-to-artists
INFORMATION SESSIONS
UAC will host an information session for interested artists on Tuesday, November 11th, 2025. The session will be recorded and a link made available to applicants who are unable to attend during that time. Interested artists who have not completed a public art project previously or not completed a project of this scale are strongly encouraged to reach out to the UAC team in advance of submitting their application. Artists may also schedule a meeting with UAC staff to review their application and portfolio. Appointments are available until 1 week prior to the close of the call to artists. See project contact information in the above section. RSVP here.
DISCLAIMERS
UAC is committed to equity and inclusion in our work. People of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, differently-abled and neurodiverse persons, indigenous peoples, youth, seniors, and women are strongly encouraged to apply.
Applicants will be notified as to the status of their application. Commissioning of artists by UAC and the pursuit of all UAC activities are implemented without preference to racial or ethnic origins, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disability, or age.
UAC reserves the right to modify this solicitation and to request additional information from participating artists.
UAC reserves the right to accept or reject, at any time prior to the commissioning of a work, any or all proposals when the acceptance, rejection, waiver or advertisement would be in the best interest of the project.
The staff of UAC will be responsible for all correspondence and communication by and between applicants and members of selection panels. Discussion regarding these projects by and between any applicant and any member of a selection panel outside of regularly scheduled meetings during the selection process may be grounds for the disqualification of the applicant. Such determination shall be at the discretion of UAC.