2026 Call for Performances + Art Actions
Location: MN — Twin Cities Metro
Type: Call for Submissions
Categories:
Any discipline
Deadline: 07/24/2025
No entry fee required
Open to artists statewide
Paid opportunity (scalable, up to $1000)
Help create the ‘most iconic Minnesota art event!’
Art Shanty Projects is currently seeking winter enthusiasts and creative adventurers to create PERFORMANCES + ART ACTIONS for the 2026 program, which will take place on Bdé Umáŋ (Lake Harriet) from 10am-4pm on Saturdays and Sundays, January 17 – February 8, 2026.
We invite poets, performers, music-makers, dancers, scientists, writers, activists, athletes, movers, shakers, dreamers, outdoors-people, conversationalists, silent practitioners, craftspeople, storytellers, and creative people of ANY KIND to propose new and innovative ways to engage artistically with the public in the social context of a village on a frozen lake.
We have an expansive notion of what constitutes a performance or art action, and have welcomed happenings, artsy carnival games, klezmer bands, roving dance, creative sporting events, puppet shows, taiko drumming, advice booths, climate actions, art bike activities, and more.
The stipend is scalable up to $1000 depending on project scope and needs.
Artists from anywhere are invited to apply, but we do not provide additional funds for travel or housing.
Full application details are on our website. Proposals are evaluated on artistic merit, feasibility, and supporting materials by a panel of artists and arts professionals. The deadline to apply is 11:59pm on Thursday, July 24.
Learn more and ask questions of staff & fellow applicants (including returning performers) at our Artist Forum at 6pm on July 9 at Avalon Theater / In the Heart of the Beast, 1500 E Lake Street MPLS.
(This call is for PERFORMANCES + ART ACTIONS. See the separate call for SHANTY ARTISTS)