Calling all visual artists: Now is your chance to formulate an original work that could be added to the Brookfield Shops retail incubator.
Officials from the program are seeking artists to apply for its second art opportunity, which will see six artists each commissioned to decorate a wooden panel with their idea that fits one of two themes. Applications are due online by March 20 and must include concept art or renderings of the planned piece.
The first theme, “Art of Home,” directs artists to depict the meaning of and feelings associated with home, especially as it relates to those who call Brookfield their home. These works of art will be displayed on provided three-foot-by-four-foot wooden panels, and selected artists will be given a $300 stipend to cover the costs of other materials.
“That theme is inviting artists to explore the lots of different meanings of what home is through their creative arts. Home can be a physical space; it can be a feeling, a memory, a routine, some type of reflection of identity,” said Libby Popovic, Brookfield’s community development director. “We want to open it up to various interpretations.”
The second theme, “Stories from Brookfield,” invites artists to capture the moment and people who have shaped the Brookfield community today and throughout history. Artists will receive $175 to craft their piece on a provided four-foot-by-two-foot wood panel.
“It could be events, places or moments that shape our community, or how they envision the Brookfield community. It could be related to a specific street or gathering or even traditions. We’re encouraging artists to use their creative abilities to interpret stories from Brookfield as they’ve experienced them throughout the years,” Popovic said.
The opportunities come after Brookfield accepted nearly $200,000 in grant funding last year from Cook County and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation to support creative placemaking at the shops.
“When we applied, it was specific to Eight Corners and the shops space, and the grant itself allowed us to recreate that courtyard into an interactive space that we’re hoping to use in the spring,” Popovic said. “We had an idea to bring local artists and showcase them at the shops. That was the very first group of artists that we were able to unveil Oct. 31. We had nine different panels that we have now showcased in the courtyard and on the shops themselves.”
Popovic said the first set of art was “so popular” that the county and the LISC asked if Brookfield would commission a second wave, which led a group of staffers, along with the duo from KPGS Consulting, to create the two themes that are now open.
Once the submission window is closed, a group of community judges will weigh in and narrow them down to six for each theme, Popovic said.
“We give them a little bit of a roadmap,” she said. “We will give them a handout that explains what the theme is and how it fits in, and there’s also some benchmarks. [The art] can’t have improper language. It can’t be related to any political collectivity. There are some things for which the artists have their own guidelines … The panel knows that, but other than that, we want them to pick those that speak to them.”
Popovic said the selected artists will have their participation confirmed by March 30, with their art pieces set to be installed before the 2026 cohort of vendors’ grand opening ceremony on May 4 at the Brookfield Shops. They’ll also be featured in an artist showcase in June, she added.
The works from the previous set of art pieces will be kept up at the retail incubator as long as there’s enough space, Popovic said. If the village can organize a third wave of commissioned artwork, it may rotate pieces out to display them elsewhere or “potentially auction them off,” she said.
Popovic said she has been “completely overwhelmed” by the quality of the seven submissions Brookfield has already received.
“They’re amazing. They’re really very nice,” she said. “They’ve been really high-level work, and each one’s so unique in respect to how [the artists] see the different themes, which is exactly what we want. We want people to be able to express themselves and then have the panel pick what they would like to see at the shops.”
