CALL FOR VISUAL ARTISTS AND DESIGNERS

The City of Los Angeles is investing $10.7 million in renovations to DCA’s Madrid Theatre in Canoga Park to establish the venue as a state-of-the-art community hub supporting dance, music, theater, and culture in the West Valley. As part of this transformation, DCA’s Performing Arts Division is proud to announce its Madrid Theatre Main Stage Curtain Design Contest. This call for visual artists and designers seeks submissions for a stage curtain design that embodies the unique history and culture of the Canoga Park community. DCA remains committed to fostering the vision of a growing Canoga Park Arts District community hub.

DCA/PERF is offering one (1) $7,000 award to the artist commissioned to create the stage curtain design for DCA’s Madrid Theatre. Two (2) $2,000 awards will also be provided to the finalists to commission alternate choices. Applicants will be chosen by the peer review panel and the winner amongst the three finalists will be decided through a community vote. Artist applications are due by June 30, 2023.

HISTORY OF THE MADRID THEATRE

Originally built in 1926 by N. Schelenberg and M.P. Horwitz as a silent motion picture house, the Madrid Theatre has had a vast and alluring history. At the time, Canoga Park was known as the town of Owensmouth, and the Madrid Theatre was a 600-seat house with an extravagant organ from the Robert Morton Organ Factory of Van Nuys. It continued as a motion picture house, and in 1939/40 it became known as the Canoga Theatre. By the mid-1960s, however, the theater had settled into a new direction, and a new name, the Park Theatre, focused on showing adult films. It later become part of the Pussycat Theatres chain and was known as the Park Pussycat Theatre until closing in 1994 due to the Northridge Earthquake. The City of Los Angeles acquired the property, demolished the old structure, and built the Madrid Theatre as we know it today. It reopened on December 12, 1998, as a live performance venue designed by FSY Architects and owned and operated by DCA.

ELIGIBILITY

Individual artists are welcome to apply. For youth arts-focused nonprofit organizations interested in applying, please contact [email protected]. Preference will be given to applicants based in the Canoga Park area or Council District 3. To determine if your organization is within the council district boundaries, please visit https://neighborhoodinfo.lacity.org/ (link will open a new browser tab), enter your physical street address in the search field, and click on “FIND.” In your search result, you should see your City Council District number and the Los Angeles City Councilmember’s name listed under Elected Officials. Adjacent districts will be considered. Applicants must reside in Los Angeles City.