Lumenaura is Aurora, Illinois’s annual free festival of art, light, and sound, transforming the downtown into a luminous playground. Over several weeks each October, residents and visitors stroll through interactive installations, projection mapping, live music, and family‑friendly explorations. The festival celebrates accessibility, engaging sensory experiences, and community connection. Now in its second year, Lumenaura’s theme, Convergence, explores how public space and shared experiences can bridge divisions—past and present. 

For generations, the Fox River has shaped Aurora’s identity—from its early Native American roots with the Potawatomi people, to a city once split by geography and industry. Lumenaura reimagines this river not as a boundary, but as a glowing artery of unity, pulsing with creative energy and collective celebration. Lumenaura is about more than ephemeral light shows; it’s about bringing a community together, weaving the narratives of immigrants, homeowners, students, and elders. It’s a reminder that American convergence—across cultures, generations, and identity—is worth fighting for.

What We Are Looking For

Lumenaura will feature installations by world-class artists along with regional and national talent. Past programming has included stellar installations such as The Pool, created by New York–based artist-engineer Jen Lewin. This interactive field of LED-lit circular pads responded to touch, generating shifting colors and immersive patterns as visitors walked, danced, or jumped across them. Another standout was The Sonic Runway, a corridor where light and sound merged across 400 feet of 23 LED arches. Audio signals created kinetic light patterns that visually represent musical sound waves in real-time. 

We welcome bold ideas that incorporate interactivity, soundscapes, community co-creation, sensory innovation, or spatial storytelling. We are seeking U.S.-based artists, designers, creative technologists, and collectives who have previously created at least one public installation. Your ideas should demonstrate experience in light or multimedia works that are visually captivating, technically feasible, and conceptually aligned with Lumenaura’s themes of unity, wonder, and shared cultural reflection.

Ideal proposals will:

• Integrate light as a core component (LED, projection, laser, fiber optics, etc.)
• Include interactivity, responsive elements, or sound-based components
• Be weather-resistant and suitable for outdoor public space.  Artworks that are not weather-resistant will be displayed in a gallery space
• Consider site specificity, community engagement, or storytelling. See attached images for possible site locations
• Priority will be given to existing pieces or those that can be fabricated within a short timeframe.

Eligibility Requirements and How to Apply 

• Must be a U.S.-based artist or collective
• Demonstrated experience producing at least one public art installation
• Must provide Certificate of General Liability Insurance upon selection
• Open to collaborations with the local community or youth ambassadors

Apply through the form below. Include up to 6 images (or video links) of past installations; CV/Resume with the city/state of residence.; Link to website or portfolio (works do not have to be identical in scope); Brief Statement of Interest (max 500 words): Describe your concept, approach to light/sound/interaction, and any preliminary ideas if selected. Contact Information: Full name, email, phone number. If selected, a formal agreement will follow, and artists must carry general liability insurance and comply with City of Aurora’s risk and safety standards.

Compensation and Support

• We have allocated a total of $30,000 to support at least two installations, or potentially several smaller-scale works. Individual artist budgets may be up to $15,000, which should be all-inclusive—covering artist fees, materials, fabrication, transportation, and installation costs. We are happy to discuss adjustments based on project complexity, feasibility, and available in-kind support. Our priority is for the small and mid-size art installations to be placed throughout Downtown Aurora and presented by regional Chicago area artists.
• Production support (e.g., technical staff, access to power, installation labor). Please indicate power and setup requirements
• Marketing and press coverage
• Documentation (photo/video) for artist portfolio use

Key Dates

• Submission Deadline: Due to many requests, we extended the deadline until July 31, 2025 (midnight). 
• Notification of Selection: August 2025
• Site Installation Window: October 1–9, 2025
• Festival Dates: October 10–26, 2025
• Deinstallation: October 27–November 1, 2025

Community Engagement Opportunity:

Artists are encouraged but not required to propose ideas for participatory or community-activated components. Selected proposals may be invited to participate in a community roundtable, STEM schools

About Our Artist Review Process: AI-Enhanced, Human-Led

Monochronicle is committed to fair, inclusive, and efficient artist selection. To help manage a high volume of applications and ensure consistency, we utilize proprietary AI-enhanced tools that support—but do not replace—human judgment.

Here’s how it works:

1. Our system summarizes submitted materials and searches for key required details (links, past installation experience, awards, etc.) to help flag incomplete applications and highlight achievements. If the application is missing key information, it is listed separately for additional review and not eliminated.
2. It assists our team in conducting a blind review process, which removes names and identifying markers in the initial review round, promoting equity and reducing bias.
3. The tool may also help us track representation across applications, supporting our goal of a diverse and inclusive applicant pool.
4. All the information is stored on the local cloud, and none of the files are used for training.

⚠️ Important Note:

The AI system does not make any selection decisions. All final evaluations and voting are conducted by a panel of experienced human reviewers, who use AI-generated summaries as a reference tool only. Our use of this technology aligns with current ethical AI practices and data privacy policies. It’s designed to streamline the process, respect applicant integrity, and ensure every submission gets the attention it deserves.

If you have questions or concerns about this process or experience technical issues applying through the form, feel free to reach out to:
monochronicle.team@gmail.com