Redmoon Requests Proposals for 2014 Great Chicago Fire Festival Community Partners

Redmoon today announces a citywide request for proposals (RFP) from Chicago community-based organizations interested in becoming one of 15 different Community Partner Organizations to anchor the Great Chicago Fire Festival. The inaugural Great Chicago Fire Festival will introduce an annual urban ritual to Chicago in the form of a massive event celebrating Chicago's powerful spirit of resilience. Preparations take place throughout 2014, culminating in a free, public Grand Spectacle float parade down the Chicago River, Saturday, October 4, 2014. The Great Chicago Fire Festival is a project of Redmoon in partnership with the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).

"Redmoon's core mission has always centered on bringing creativity and artistic experiences into Chicago's neighborhoods and our work with 15 Community Partner Organizations in preparation for the Fire Festival is a natural progression of that," said Jim Lasko, Redmoon Executive Artistic Director. "Not only has Redmoon collaborated on art in the communities with its free outdoor spectacles, it has also introduced Chicago audiences to other neighborhoods within the city with which they were not already familiar. The collaborative build and design process throughout next spring and summer will be a democratic opportunity for Chicagoans to join in this festival that celebrates the unique identity of Chicago."

The Process

The building blocks of the Great Chicago Fire Festival come from the city's neighborhoods through art projects during summer 2014 in city parks. Community-based organizations selected to be a part of the Fire Festival will receive free arts programming from Redmoon consisting of:

· Interactive "Sidewalk Senates," arts-based town hall-style community gatherings in the spring and summer 2014

· Designing "Pop-Up Tours" - dynamic, personalized tours of each community's neighborhood - created collaboratively with the citizens of that community

· Open sculptural build workshops in neighborhood parks guided by Redmoon-commissioned artists

· A Launch Party at Redmoon's space in Pilsen on October 3, 2014, and the Grand Spectacle on the river's main branch between State St. and Columbus Ave on October 4. Redmoon will provide transportation to and from these events for the Community Partner members.

Project Requirements

In order to be a Great Chicago Fire Festival Community Partner, an organization must be able to demonstrate the ability to bring a consistent group of at least 10 community members to the "Sidewalk Senates" and to promote the programming of the Great Chicago Fire Festival through their existing networks. Each Community Partner Organization must also designate a contact person to attend meetings, give feedback and explore new ideas and partnerships.

Who Can Apply?

All community-based organizations (both loose groups of individuals and more formal nonprofit partnerships) can apply to be a part of the inauguration of the Great Chicago Fire Festival. Redmoon is looking for a diverse array of applicants, including but not limited to: church groups, neighborhood organizations, Alderman offices, City offices, local arts organizations and parent boards at schools.

Proposals should be submitted in Word Document format to Proposals@Redmoon.org by December 19, 2013. Redmoon will carefully evaluate proposals before passing them on to an external civic committee comprised of leading individuals from Chicago. Final decision will be made and organizations notified in February, 2014. Questions can be directed to Fatimah Asghar (fasghar@redmoon.org).

About ArtPlace America: ArtPlace America provides grants and loans, supports research, and conducts outreach and advocacy. To date, ArtPlace America has awarded 134 grants totaling $42.1 million to 124 organizations in 79 U.S. communities (and a statewide project in the state of Connecticut). Foundations participating in ArtPlace America include Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Ford Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The William Penn Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Rasmuson Foundation, The Surdna Foundation, and two anonymous donors. ArtPlace America also seeks advice and counsel from close working relationships with various federal agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Education, and Transportation, along with leadership from the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Domestic Policy Council. ArtPlace America is also supported by a $12 million loan fund capitalized by six major financial institutions and managed by the Nonprofit Finance Fund. Participating institutions are Bank of America, Citi, Deutsche Bank, Chase, MetLife, and Morgan Stanley.

About The Boeing Company: Headquartered in Chicago, Boeing is the world's leading aerospace company with 170,000 employees across the United States and in 70 countries. The company focuses its community grants in five interdependent areas: environment, education, health and human services, arts and culture and civic engagement.

About The Chicago Community Trust: For 98 years, The Chicago Community Trust, our region's community foundation, has connected the generosity of donors with community needs by making grants to organizations working to improve metropolitan Chicago. In 2012, the Trust, together with its donors, granted more than $170 million to nonprofit organizations. From strengthening schools to assisting local art programs, from building health centers to protecting the safety net for those hardest hit by the recession, the Trust continues to enhance our region. To learn more, please visit the Trust online at www.cct.org.

About the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events: The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to enriching Chicago's artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicago's non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City's future cultural and economic growth, via the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City's cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors.

About Redmoon: Redmoon's mission is to transform the experience of Chicago through free large-scale theatrical events that promote community, creativity and an empowered democracy. Redmoon burst into Chicago's cultural consciousness with its award-winning production of Moby Dick in 1995. While the indoor productions continued to receive critical acclaim and popular support, Jim Lasko chose to focus the theater's energy outdoors, where Redmoon sought to deploy spectacle to bridge difference and transform the ways that people see and understand public spaces. Over the past 23 years, Redmoon has become a highly valued Chicago institution with its high-profile collaborations, vibrant outdoor performances and authentic community partnerships. In 2009, Lasko joined forces with long-time collaborator Frank Maugeri to co-lead Redmoon as it garnered international attention for its unique productions, site-specific performances and participatory events. Since 1991, Redmoon has performed for more than 250,000 people in 30 different neighborhoods in 116 public spaces.

For more information on Redmoon and its programs, visit www.redmoon.org.

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