Clotilda Memorial Alabama Historical Commission
Organization
Alabama Historical Commission · ALRegion
InternationalCategory
ExhibitionsDeadline
Sunday, August 9, 2026 · 18 days leftDescription
The Alabama Historical Commission is seeking qualifications for an artist commission that will honor the last known African captives trafficked to the United States through the transatlantic slave trade: the 110 individuals forced aboard the Clotilda, the last US slave ship. The memorial will pay homage to the lives lost during the Clotilda’s illegal slaving voyage of 1860, while also conveying dimensions of the survivors’ lives and enduring legacies. The memorial will celebrate the resilient and determined spirits of the Clotilda survivors amidst violent dislocation, enslavement, and discrimination, emphasizing their pride in their West African identities, values, and cultures, along with the families, institutions, and communities they created. It will preserve collective memory, honor heritage, and offer public space for healing.
The creative framework for the memorial will be developed through a collaborative process that will engage the community founded by the Clotilda survivors and other formerly enslaved people: historic Africatown and the expansive diaspora.
Project Title: Clotilda Memorial Alabama Historical Commission
Commissioning Organization: Alabama Historical Commission (AHC)
Total Project Budget: $2,000,000
Invited finalists will each be paid $2,000 to develop site-specific proposals for the RFP stage.
Application Deadline: August 9, 2026, 11:59pm CST
Project Timeline: June 29, 2026–2028
Geographic Eligibility: Open to local, national, and international artists and artist teams.
Artists and artist teams are asked to clarify their connection to the project's subject matter in the letter of intent.