Public Art of the University of Houston System invites proposals from University of Houston students to design works of public art for The Billboard at the University of Houston. The selected design will be digitally reproduced and installed for temporary public display.

This request for proposals is extended to any enrolled University of Houston student attending the Main Campus and seeks the submission of 2D graphic artwork to be considered for large-scale public display as a digital print. 

The program includes a pre-screening phase to ensure proposed artworks are suitable for public display on campus as well as a community voting process to determine the awarded artist. The awarded artist will see their submitted 2D artwork realized and installed as a billboard on campus and will receive an honorarium of $500. The open call process will culminate in a public celebration for the artist and the featured billboard artwork. 

The Billboard artwork will remain on view from January through December 2026.

About The Billboard

The Billboard was originally conceived as a series of mural projects at the University of Houston’s Arts District, just outside of the College of Technology. The initiative launched in 2020 with Spencer Finch’s Back to Kansas (2015). Muna Al-Bader’s Cultural Bonds (2021) was the second project in The Billboard series. Our third project Ave’s Sonar (2022) was created by the Houston-based artist DUAL.

Since then The Billboard project has been reconceptualized as an installation project, producing and installing the digital artwork students submit at a large scale.