CALL FOR ARTISTS

Become a Part of History

What is the Call for Artists and the AIP?

The United States Mint is seeking professional artists to join our Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) via a Call for Artists. The AIP is a pool of talented American artists who enrich and invigorate our Nation’s coins and medals through the development of specialized designs. AIP artists are:

• Paid a set fee per assignment and earn a bonus fee per design selected for minting (fee schedule)
• Named as designer in historical documents, Certificates of Authenticity and promotional materials, and in most cases, have their initials appear on the final coin or medal
• Able to work from their own studios

AIP Eligibility

To qualify to join the AIP you must be at least 18 years of age at the time of your application, a citizen of the United States; you must be willing to accept the Mint’s Terms and Conditions; and you must be a professional artist with work either published, produced, or exhibited in any design driven media such as illustration, graphic design, animation, concept art, comics, collectibles, poster art, street art, tattoo art, or any other outlets where design integrity is a premium.

Artists Answering the Call

The Mint is seeking artists who can bring innovative perspectives and who can effectively utilize symbolism to create original artwork that successfully conveys a particular subject matter. The subject matter of the assignments varies across the coin and medal programs. For example, some programs require portraits, some require landscapes, and many—as is the case with Congressional Gold Medals—require images emblematic of the honoree’s life and work. Many times, complex ideas and concepts must be conveyed through the coin and medal designs. Artists are expected to distill a program’s design theme to its essence, representing these complicated subjects on a very small palette. Whether a particular AIP artist’s work is realistic or stylized, artists typically use a variety of resource or reference materials to translate and interpret a wide-range of subjects and concepts into designs.

Although designs begin as an illustration, artists must think three-dimensionally as they create coin and medal designs that will be translated into bas-relief sculpture. Artists must take into consideration relief, depth, negative space, and the type of metal that will bear the design. The journey of a design from line art to a coin is illustrated below using the 2018 America the Beautiful Quarter® for Block Island National Wildlife Refuge located in Rhode Island.

Become a part of history… The designs on United States coins and medals are more than simple illustrations on small metal discs: they are expressions of the values, aspirations, and shared heritage of our Nation. They serve as illustrations to the world of the essence and story of America.

Application Requirements

To be considered for the AIP, you must submit an application containing a minimum of five and a maximum of ten samples of your work as an artist. Applicants are encouraged to submit works that display a full range of talent and ability. Please consider what is required of an AIP artist when selecting your work samples.

Following Evaluation Phase One, the Mint may invite selected participants to join the AIP without further evaluation. Those applicants selected for further evaluation will be invited to Evaluation Phase Two, which will require the submission of a resume, a web link to their online portfolio, and the development and submission of a demonstration design for which each participating applicant will be paid a fee of $1,500.