Built on Belief 2026 - OPEN CALL

graphic design by Big House Studio

Summary of the Opportunity

The Chicago Architecture Center, supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, is launching a series of place-based activations through its multi-year Built on Belief initiative. These projects engage communities by exploring how architecture and the built environment intersect with religion, spirituality, and ideas of sacred space.

This year, CAC is partnering with Arts at First—the community-centered arts program at The First Presbyterian Church of Chicago (First Church)—to realize a site-specific initiative on church grounds that will open to the public in October in conjunction with Open House Chicago 2026. Other Built on Belief collaborators include the Narrow Bridge Arts Club, which is hosting a season of community-centered programming at their Chaplain Ave site in Woodlawn; learn more from Narrow Bridge Arts Club website.

This open call invites artists, designers, and interdisciplinary practitioners to propose site responsive works that explore the intersections of architecture, religion, and spirituality.  Selected projects will animate the historic First Church campus at 6400 S Kimbark in Woodlawn through outdoor installations and interior activations that reimagine sacred and public spaces through the lenses of architecture, community, and spiritual resilience.

Selected proposals will receive honoraria and fabrication funds. Selected partners will work closely with Arts at First, Chicago Architecture Center staff and an advisory team to finalize project budget, design specifications, fabrication schedule, marketing and other areas to ensure the project’s success. 

Project Goals

• Commission local South Side and BIPOC creatives to create public activations that engage communities by exploring how architecture and the built environment intersect with religion, spirituality, and ideas of sacred space.

• Celebrate the architectural legacy of The First Presbyterian church site and advance the ongoing, century-long conversation about how this building and surrounding grounds embody the values and needs of its community(s).

• Interpret contemporary issues related to how diverse communities engage with religious architecture, sacred space, and the built environment.

• Bridge personal, public, and faith-based narratives through site-responsive works that reflect lived stories and collective memory. 

Site Considerations & Information

Click here for specific information for each of the proposed sites. Artists may propose for one of the following Locations:

Interior:

First Church’s sanctuary is the architectural and spiritual heart of the campus—a soaring neo-Gothic space shaped by light, material, memory, and worship. The sanctuary continues to function as an active site of worship while also holding layered histories of refuge, resilience, and community gathering. This interior activation invites artists to engage directly with the spatial, symbolic, and luminous qualities of this sacred environment.

• Temporary installation with a primary focus on light. 

• Proposals may incorporate sound or minimal built elements, provided all components are freestanding, fully removable and do not permanently alter the architecture or finishes of the sanctuary.

• We encourage applicants to explore how light shapes sacred architecture and spiritual experience. 

• Projects may consider “sanctuary” as both a physical structure and an evolving social action — reflecting on who seeks refuge, how protection is embodied and how meanings of sanctuary shift over time.

• The sanctuary’s stained and transparent glass — including areas marked by historic bullet damage — offers a powerful lens through which light, memory and protection intersect. Artists are invited to respond thoughtfully to this history and the church’s longstanding role as a site of refuge for multiple communities.

Proposed projects may not involve permanent modifications to the space. First Church’s clergy and session will play an active role in the review and selection process to ensure alignment with the sanctuary’s ongoing worship and spiritual life.

Exterior:

First Church's iconic building is set on several blocks of outdoor space owned by the congregation. The church grounds include the "God's Little Acre" garden across the street, community gardens and several open lots. These exterior spaces frame how the community engages with and experiences the church itself.

Proposed locations: Greenhouse Garden area and God’s Little Acre area.

• Multiple media can be employed including, but not limited to, sculpture, painting, audio and or/ visual projection, built elements and more.

• We encourage applicants to explore the physical elements and design languages used to create sacred space.

• Projects may consider the ideas of “sanctuary” and “fort” as containing elements that support a community in both sacred and secular needs.

• Situated surrounding the church, these spaces invite exploration of the contrast between the permanent (such as the large, purpose-built structure of the First Presbyterian Church and its faith tradition) and the changing (such as the built environment of a neighborhood that evolves over time). 

Jurors

• Sylvia Christine — Sacred Spaces Juror. Learn more about Sylvia's work.

• Ann Lui — Architecture Practice Juror. Learn more about Ann's work.

• Annabell Ren — Architecture Practice Juror. Learn more about Annabell's work.

• Emily Sajdak — Sacred Spaces Juror. Learn more about Emily's work.

• Craig Stevenson — Culture & Community Juror. Learn more about Craig's work.

• Dorian Sylvain — Culture & Community Juror. Learn more about Dorian's work.

Selection Process

After the RFP deadline, a selection jury composed of arts professionals, church elders, community members, designers, and project stakeholders will review all eligible submissions. The jury will select two or three exterior installation proposals and one interior activation to receive production funding and programming support. Selected works will be developed for presentation on the church campus, with a public launch planned for October 2026.

• Excellence and Vision: Demonstrates originality, craftsmanship, and a strong body of past work that aligns with the project's ambitions.

• Relevance and Responsiveness: Thoughtfully engages the site, community, and themes of architecture, sacred space, spirituality, and public life with cultural sensitivity and contextual awareness.
  
  Feasibility and Impact: Clearly executable within the project’s budget, timeline, and site conditions, with potential for meaningful community engagement and lasting resonance.

• Thematic alignment: All selected projects must explore intersections of architecture, built environment, religion, spirituality, and sacred space.

Budget

Up to four selected proposals (two to three exterior works and one interior intervention) will receive between $3,000-$9,000, depending on the proposed budget and project needs. Each selected artist or team will receive a production funding and a $3,000 honorarium. The budget is inclusive of all costs, including design, engineering, fabrication, site preparation, transportation, insurance, and installation.

The production funding budget for each project will be determined based on the scope, design and fabrication needs of that project.

Eligibility Criteria

This opportunity is open to both emerging and established professional artists, creatives, designers, or creative teams currently based in Chicago. We strongly encourage applications from South Side-based artists, particularly those with meaningful ties to the Woodlawn neighborhood. Priority will be given to BIPOC practitioners and to those whose work engages deeply with community, place, and cultural storytelling—especially work that intersects with sacred space, spirituality, religion, and the built environment.

FAQs

Thank you for your interest

February 2026