Uproar Festival of Public Art is a new arts festival coming to North Carolina, July 14 – August 12, 2023. High-impact, bold works of art will be showcased throughout Orange County, in the downtown communities of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough. Sixty works will be selected for display and $27,500 in cash prizes awarded.

Uproar seeks to:

• To celebrate artists. We want to celebrate, support, and welcome participating artists, whose fantastic, awe-inspiring works of art will engage audiences near and far.
• To engage art lovers of all types. We believe ALL people should be able to participate in the arts. Uproar will provide a completely free and accessible arts experience for visitors of all abilities.
• To support our community through the arts. Uproar will turn our community into a month-long, interactive arts experience, generating tourism and visitor spending that will support our local economy.
• The Orange County Arts Commission (OCAC) is the primary coordinator of the festival. Uproar is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts with support from the towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough; Orange County Government; the Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro; the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership; UNC-Chapel Hill; and, the Orange County Arts Alliance.

ELIGIBILITY

Artists must be 18 years old and a resident of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, or West Virginia.

PRIZES, SALES, AND COMPENSATION

Uproar will provide the following incentives for selected artists:

• The opportunity to win $27,500 in prize money.
• A $500 honorarium for each selected applicant (artist or team).
• Four nights complimentary lodging for artists living further than 60 miles from Chapel Hill, NC, at one of our partner hotels (two nights for install/opening, two nights for closing/de-install)
• A mileage stipend for up to 200 miles based on artist’s location (based on the IRS standard mileage rate for business travel in July, 2023).
• Sales opportunity: artists are encouraged to sell their work during Uproar. Sales, including tax payments, will be handled by the Orange County Arts Alliance (the nonprofit partner of the Orange County Arts Commission). The Arts Alliance will retain a 20% commission on any work sold during the festival.

PRIZES

• 1st Place Jury Selection: $10,000
• 2nd Place Jury Selection: $5,000
• 3rd Place Jury Selection: $2,500
• People’s Choice Winner: $10,000

More information here.