U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Get Your Art Featured in Storefronts Around the City

caution sign The information on this page may be outdated as it was published 4 years ago.

Artists: Get Your Art Featured in Storefronts Around the City

Winners will receive prize money and artwork will be displayed in vacant storefront windows

Cambridge, MA -- The City of Cambridge invites local artists to submit their original work to the second annual Vacant Storefront Creative Design Contest. The program, designed by the Community Development Department and Cambridge Arts, supports local artists and energizes neighborhoods by filling empty store windows with reproductions of locally-made art.

The inaugural Vacant Storefront Creative Design Contest, which began in early 2019, received over 400 entries of original artwork. Five winners were chosen— Karl Baden, Malia Edney, Judith Motzkin, Deidre Tao, Shane Taremi—and their art has been featured in nine commercial properties across Cambridge since last spring.

For the 2020 contest, five winners will again be chosen through a jury and public voting process and each will be awarded a one-time honorarium of $1,000. These winning designs will be available for Cambridge property owners to print and display in vacant ground-floor storefronts throughout the city.

“We were thrilled with the success of last year’s contest and the beautiful artwork that has activated ground-floor retail space throughout Cambridge for the past year,” said Iram Farooq, Assistant City Manager for Community Development. “Activating vacant storefronts, supporting arts and entrepreneurship, and supporting vibrant commercial districts remain central goals for the Community Development Department as we continue to implement the City’s long-term Retail Strategy Plan.” 

“In Cambridge, we’re constantly looking for creative ways to connect local artists and businesses through partnership for mutual benefit. From Central Murals to the Central Square Cultural District and the Creative Marketplace Exhibitions program, there are myriad opportunities where we connect and celebrate our local creatives and ensure that their work is recognized as part of the City’s innovation economy,” says Jason Weeks, Executive Director of Cambridge Arts. “The Vacant Storefront Contest has proven itself as a terrific addition to these efforts and is yet another way to support, highlight and celebrate our talented local artists and their work.” 

To enter the contest, artwork must be uploaded to an online submissions form between Monday, Jan. 6, and noon on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. Original artwork—from paintings and prints to photographs and graphic designs—must be formatted into a digital, high-resolution PDF file that can be printed to paper or vinyl and is adaptable to a variety of window sizes. Each artist may submit up to three designs. Designs must be original and not infringe on any copyrighted material. Winning artists from the 2019 Vacant Storefront Creative Design Contest are not eligible to participate.


Finalists, chosen by a jury, will be announced in February 2020, followed by a public vote to help determine the winners. The five winners will be announced in March 2020, with installations expected later in the spring.

For more information about the contest’s submission and selection process, visit cambridgema.gov/StorefrontContest
Page was posted on 1/6/2020 2:09 PM
Page was last modified on 7/24/2023 8:00 PM
Contact Us

How can we help?

Please provide as much detail below as possible so City staff can respond to your inquiry:

As a governmental entity, the Massachusetts Public Records Law applies to records made or received by the City. Any information received through use of this site is subject to the same provisions as information provided on paper.

Read our complete privacy statement


Service Requests

Enter a service request via SeeClickFix for things like missed trash pickups, potholes, etc., click here