Beth Lighthouse working on her Transformer Cabinet Mural in 2025.

The City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places (APP) Program is celebrating 20 years since completing its first Transformer Cabinet Murals in Tenney Court. To celebrate this anniversary, APP would like to introduce new artists to the opportunity to paint murals on cabinets in the Fort Collins community. For 2026, the APP Program is looking for new/emerging artists that haven’t previously completed a Transformer Cabinet Mural in Fort Collins to apply. Artists who have previously completed transformer cabinet murals with the City of Fort Collins are not eligible in 2026. We hope you will apply again in the future.

APP is requesting artist qualifications in an open competition for artists/teams to create painted murals on select electrical equipment (transformer cabinets) sited within the City of Fort Collins. Murals will be painted in July and August 2026. The goal of the project is to help mitigate graffiti on these structures and to make them artful objects for the community to enjoy.

This project is open to all artists/teams that reside or have a current studio space within the Growth Management Area of Fort Collins, Colorado. Deadline: March 4, 2026 by 5:00 p.m.

If you are interested in painting a Transformer Cabinet Mural in 2026, this recording includes a presentation about the application and review process. Program staff answers questions at the end of the session. 

More Questions? Contact Libby Colbert at lcolbert@fortcollins.gov.

The City of Fort Collins is seeking visual artists/teams to serve as Artist Consultants for City construction projects. This includes artists working in all media—sculpture, mosaic, murals, etc. The APP Program maintains this resource list of pre-approved visual artists available to work on City projects. Artist Consultants selected from the resource list will work with a project team that may include architects, engineers, community members, and managers to designate opportunities for art within the project or within a separate art budget. 

This approach requires good collaboration skills, creativity, flexibility, and an open mind. The department, design team, and APP Board will determine the extent of the Artist Consultant’s involvement in a project. The Artist Consultant will be paid a fee of $55 an hour for the design phase and could also be commissioned to create a piece of artwork for the project. The APP program will use this list of artists for approximately two years. If you were accepted in 2025, you don’t need to reapply until 2027. Acceptance onto this list will not exclude the artist from submitting and being selected for other City of Fort Collins’s APP Projects.

This project is open to artists/teams within a 250-mile radius from Fort Collins. Deadline: May 20, by 5:00 p.m.

Each year, the City requests black and white line drawings from artists aged 3 to 18 years old. While past submissions have been due in spring, this year the deadline will move to October. The call will be posted this summer. Also, special this year, the program is asking for themed artwork that celebrates the 150th anniversary of Colorado’s statehood or the 250th anniversary of United States Declaration of Independence. Both abstract and representational or drawings will be considered.

The City’s Streets and Engineering Departments work to provide safe pedestrian access by creating new pedestrian routes as well as improving existing areas. Working with Art in Public Places they place 16" × 16" granite pavers sandblasted with youth drawings into sidewalks throughout Fort Collins as part of those projects. The artwork is a signature piece in the city and be highly visible to the public. Since the project started in 2002, 300 pavers have been installed.

The project is open to youth, aged 3 to 18 years old. The artists are required to reside and/or attend a school within the City of Fort Collins Growth Management Area. Deadline: October 26, by 5:00 p.m.

Works by Jennifer Spencer

The City of Fort Collins is accepting submissions for artworks (16″ x 20″ or larger and less than 20 pounds) to hang in City Hall and 700 Wood St. Submissions are reviewed on an ongoing basis and artwork is replaced every 3 to 4 months. Selected artists receive up to a $125 honorarium for exhibiting their work.

This call is open to artists residing in Larimer County.

You will be asked to submit your contact info, a short artists statement and artist bio, and 4-6 photos of your artwork. If you have any questions, please direct them to Kristen Vohs, Visual Arts Assistant, at kvohs@fortcollins.gov.

NO DEADLINE: Submissions are considered on an ongoing basis, and applicants will only be notified if their application is accepted. If you have applied but have not heard back after one year, you are welcome to reapply with new work. 

The Gallery at the Center for Creativity is open and ready to host your next art exhibit. The newly renovated space is designed to showcase your creative works. Housed in what was the original 1904 Carnegie Library reading room, the gallery features arched windows, historic elements, and original pine flooring. 

The gallery is available to rent from one week up to three weeks to show both 2D and 3D art (pedestals are available). You can rent the full gallery or it can be divided into three smaller spaces.

Public Gallery hours are 12:00pm–6:00pm, Wednesday-Sunday, when an exhibit is installed.

Art in Public Places | Center for Creativity | The Lincoln Center Art Gallery