Thank you for your interest in Eastern State Penitentiary's artist proposal process!
The application window for our 2022 season closed on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. More information about the application cycle for 2023 will be shared in late fall or early winter. Check back then or sign up below and we'll send you an email when details are available.
Click here to download the proposal guidelines.
Art Orientations
We strongly recommend that applicants begin the proposal process by attending an art orientation. These informal tours/conversations give artists a chance to learn about the space, discuss what makes a proposal successful, and ask questions. There is no charge for attending an art orientation.
Due to ongoing public health concerns related to the novel coronavirus, all in-person art orientations have been cancelled. Instead, we are offering virtual art orientations via the video platform Zoom.
2021 Virtual Art Orientation Dates:
All of our 2021 art orientations have passed. Check back later this year for more on next year's application cycle.
Please sign up for these virtual art orientations by emailing us at least two days in advance at the following address: [email protected]. We will reply with the link for the Zoom meeting. If you are unable to attend a live, virtual art orientation, you can watch a pre-recorded orientation here.
You do not need to have a Zoom account to join these orientations, but you will have to download Zoom onto your computer, tablet, or smartphone before joining the meeting. Zoom has a one-minute video about how to join a meeting here. Due to our limited staff capacity, Eastern State cannot provide technical assistance with Zoom.
Proposal Deadline & Submission
The application window for our 2022 season closed on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. More information about the application cycle for 2023 will be shared in late fall or early winter. Check back then or sign up below and we'll send you an email when details are available.
If it is difficult or impossible to access the internet or submit a proposal online, please write, call, or email us. Exceptions are possible, evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Damon McCool
Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site
Artist Proposals – 2022 Season
2027 Fairmount Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19130
215-236-5111 x227
[email protected]
Additional Resources
- Pre-recorded virtual art orientation
- Sample Proposals
- Linda Brenner’s proposal for The Ghost Cats, 2004.
- Dayton Castleman’s proposal for The End of the Tunnel, 2005.
- Ruth Scott Blackson's proposal for No Trace Without Resistance, 2015.
- Emily Waters' proposal for America's Ten Worst Prisons: The Plate Collection, 2015.
- Jesse Krimes' proposal for Apokaluptein16389067:II, 2015
- Current Installations
- Past Installations
