Introduction & Background
Portland Queer Arts Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to lifting up and celebrating Portland’s vibrant queer artists, advocates, and allies. We produce spectacular events that foster community, amplify underrepresented voices, and create joyful, unapologetically queer spaces for artistic expression.
Through collaborative performance, we bring together artists across disciplines to craft unforgettable experiences that speak to our resilience, joy, and shared stories.
The theme of the Third Annual Portland Queer Arts Spectacular is The World We Create.
Queerness has never been passive. It is built — through language, through community, through the stories we tell and the art we make when the world doesn’t make room for us. The World We Create is the animating theme of the 2026 Queer Arts Spectacular, and it asks something direct of every artist on stage: What are you bringing into existence that didn’t exist before you made it?
Under the artistic direction of Daniel Switzer, the 2026 Spectacular invites artists to turn inward and return with something made. Not a performance about creation in the abstract, but a live, embodied reckoning with the creative act itself as a distinctly queer practice.
The theme resists easy answers. It is an open invitation to sit with difficult, generative questions: How does queerness shape what we make — and what we make it with? What worlds are we building toward? What are we making room for that didn’t have room before?
The result is a show that is at once personal and collective — a multidisciplinary gathering of queer artists across dance, vocal performance, spoken word, drag, original music, and beyond, each bringing their own answer to the same essential question.
Project Description
We are seeking a graphic designer to create the look and feel for the 2026 Portland Queer Arts Spectacular and create marketing materials to connect the show to new audiences.
Project Scope
The selected Graphic Designer will:
- Develop a unifying design for the show that aligns with the mission of Portland Queer Arts
- Apply approved design to the development of the following print and digital materials. All print materials should be full-color with full bleed. Final materials must ready to deliver to approved printer:
- 4”x6” handbill
- 8.5”x11” flyer
- 11”x17” poster
- 5.5”x8.5” Event program – 16-page playbill stapled fold
- 1080X1350px social media post – three versions with layers
- 1080x1920px social media reel – three versions with layers
- 1200x628px digital banner
- 1920×1080 website header
RFP & Project Timelines
The project timeline is as follows:
| Request for Proposal Issuance | 5.5 |
| Proposals Due | 5.12 |
| Designer Selected | 5.17 |
| Design concept finalized | 5.21 |
| Ready to print: Rack card | 5.25 |
| Ready to release: Digital banner, social media posts, social media reels | 5.25 |
| Ready to print: Flyer and Poster | 6.5 |
| Ready to print: Program | 9.1 |
Budget & Compensation
Portland Queer Arts has allocated $1,200 to support graphic design for this event.
It is possible additional requests will be made for this project that are outside the scope of work outlined above. If so, compensation for additional work will be negotiated separately at that time.
Selection Criteria
Applicants are invited to submit proposals of how they would represent the look and feel of the 2026 Queer Arts Spectacular in print and digital promotions. Proposals should include a draft image of what these materials might look like.
Draft image should include the PQA logo (see assets at the end of this document) and the following text:
- 3rd Annual Portland Queer Arts Spectacular
- The World We Create
- September 19 and 20, 2026
- Doors 6 p.m. Show 7 p.m.
- Alberta Rose Theatre
- Presented by Portland Queer Arts Foundation
All proposals will be reviewed by a selection committee comprised of Portland Queer Arts leadership, artists, and community stakeholders. Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Artistic Vision & Alignment
- Demonstrates a compelling artistic vision that aligns with the mission of Portland Queer Arts and clearly depicts the vision of the show.
Organizational Capacity
- Ability to manage production timelines and meet deadlines.
Submission Process
Submit proposed design ideas via the Apply Now button at the bottom of this page. Please include links to your website or social media with examples of your past work. Submissions must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12 to be considered. Selection will be announced at 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 17.
Portland Queer Arts celebrates and affirms queer and trans artists of all races, ethnicities, genders, abilities, and experiences. We strongly encourage BIPOC, trans, nonbinary, disabled, and other historically marginalized artists to apply.
Questions
For any questions about this RFP click the Contact Us button below.
Media Assets
Logo Dark:
Logo White:
Emblem Dark:
Emblem White:
