Create & Reflect

The Laundromat Project will identify and directly reach out to key community stakeholders, partner organizations, and cultural leaders to participate in this nomination process. Each organization can nominate 1-2 artists who align with The LP’s values and have a strong connection to social justice and community engagement in their practice. 

The Laundromat Project will review nominations and then invite selected artists via direct email to submit applications through our online application portal in Submittable.

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of Laundromat Project staff from Thursday, May 1 to Friday, May 30, 2025. Finalists will be notified in mid-May 2025 and offered a small stipend for providing a more detailed proposal of their artwork.

Black Quantum Futurism is a framework that merges Afrocentric understandings of time, space, and reality with the urgency of liberatory action. This theme is inspired by the visionary work of Moor Mother and Rasheedah Phillips, whose philosophy boldly reclaims time as a tool of liberation, subverting its historical use as an instrument of oppression. At its heart, Black Quantum Futurism challenges linear, Eurocentric conceptions of time and embraces cyclical, interactive notions rooted in African and diasporic traditions—where past, present, and future are intrinsically connected. This philosophy calls us to not only imagine but to actively shape the futures we desire, collapsing the boundaries of space and time to manifest realities of equity, joy, and sovereignty for our communities.

The application requires you to upload a digital illustration of the artwork (the documentation does not need to be hi-res; you can upload a clear photo taken with your cell phone). Your proposal can be a 2D composition or a digital piece. If you are selected as a finalist, we’ll need a fully digitized piece in Vector file format. We will provide guidelines on file requirements and resources on how to produce this if your proposal advances.

No, your artwork can be a piece that has been exhibited before.

Applicants may submit only one application that includes a single proposed design for the vinyl installation. If you have more than one design proposal, please choose the one you feel most closely aligns with the theme.

Applicants applying on behalf of a collective or group should select one member to submit an application for review. 

Yes. Please be aware that communications regarding the status of the application will be sent to the email address associated with the Submittable account. Please make sure to create a Submittable account for the individual you are assisting.

Applications will be accepted from Tuesday, April 1, until Wednesday, April 30, 2025, 11:59 PM ET. All applications submitted prior to the deadline will be read and reviewed in the order they are received.

You will receive an automated email response from Submittable confirming your application was received.

Yes, but we encourage you to save it often in case of internet or technical difficulties. You can also draft your responses in a separate document and then copy and paste them onto Submittable when you are ready to submit.

You will be notified via the email you provided in your application.

We will send notifications indicating if proposals were accepted or declined by early June 2025.

The artist honorarium is $4,000 USD, payable by Check, PayPal, or ACH bank transfer.

No. The Laundromat Project will coordinate and pay for the production and installation of the selected work. 

Funds typically take up to 1 month to be received. Their disbursement follows notification that you have been selected for commission and the timely return of any requested forms or contracts. 

Yes. This award is considered taxable income; please consult with a tax professional if you need guidance through this process.