Call for Artists

We currently have 2 open calls for artists:

Apply to Design a Pelican on Parade
Submit your RFQ for the Children's Museum Mural

Request for Qualifications: Children’s Museum of Acadiana Mural

The Children’s Museum of Acadiana, The Acadiana Center for the Arts, Downtown Lafayette Unlimited and the Pinhook Foundation are excited to announce a request for qualifications (RFQ) from artists and/or teams of artists to submit interest for a large scale mural on the South-facing wall of the Children’s Museum building in Downtown Lafayette.

Applications are open until July 31, 2025.

This prominent mural site offers approximately 5,040 square feet of surface area, spanning a 144-foot-wide by 35-foot-high brick façade. Southwest-facing, the wall is located in the heart of downtown Lafayette, directly adjacent to a popular playground and situated within one of the city’s most highly activated public spaces.
The mural will be a central backdrop for many of Lafayette’s major festivals and community events, making it an ideal location for a high-impact public artwork. From live performances to cultural celebrations, this wall will be featured in countless photos, videos, and everyday experiences.
Important Dates:
        • Applications Open: June 13, 2025
        • Applications Close: 5pm, July 31, 2025
        • Shortlist Contacted: by August 8, 2025
        • Deadline for Shortlist Design Submission: midnight, August 31, 2025
        • Selected Artist/Team Announced: September 2025
        • Project Start Date: October 2025
        • Project Completion: by January 2026
Download RFQ Requirements
Submit your RFQ for the Children's Museum Mural

For application assistance, please contact us at: Community@AcadianaCenterForTheArts.org

Apply to design a Pelican

CALLING ALL ARTISTS

You’ve seen them around town, and now’s your chance to design one yourself! Apply now for the chance to make a new Pelican on Parade for this year’s Pelican Ball auction.

ARTIST ELIGIBILITY

Only artists living or working in the eight-parish Acadiana region are eligible, including Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Vermilion parishes.

KEY DATES

  • Sunday, August 15, 2025: Artwork submission deadline at 11:59pm
  • Friday, August 22, 2025: Artists will be notified if and when their designs are selected
  • Friday, August 29, 2025: Deadline for selected artists to pick up blank pelican from AcA to begin decorating
  • Friday, October 24, 2025: Deadline for artists to return completed pelican to AcA 
Download 2025 Guidelines

Download Pelican Templates

Small Pelican PDF
Small Pelican SVG
Large Pelican PDF
Large Pelican SVG
Submit your Pelican on Parade application

About the Pelican Ball

The Pelican Ball recognizes the people who have shaped the arts in Acadiana through their commitment and service. We honor both individuals who have contributed directly to the arts council’s work and individuals who have shaped the broader cultural life in Acadiana through their work.

We honor these individuals, and we celebrate our thriving culture in the best way we know how: with a night full of food, music, and artful surprises amidst the core ‘flock’ of Acadiana’s cultural community.

Why a Pelican?

In 2000, Acadiana Center for the Arts worked with artist David Fox and students at public elementary schools served by AcA’s arts education programs to design the first “Pelicans on Parade.” In 2021, AcA re-introduced the Pelicans on Parade as part of an annual fundraiser, the Pelican Ball, where new, unique pelicans are auctioned off as part of the benefit for arts education in Acadiana.

Download the original Pelican Field Guide from way back when! This document has images of all of the original Pelicans on Parade and lots of historic info on the project.

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