Call for Artists for LA County Fire Stations

The Los Angeles County Arts Commission’s Civic Art Program seeks artists to design, fabricate and install artworks for four new Los Angeles County fire stations, two in Santa Clarita and two in Palmdale. One artist may be selected for multiple stations. Several more fire stations are in the planning stages. Artists who respond to this RFQ may be placed in a pool for future fire station commissions.

The new fire stations will provide fire protection and emergency medical services to unincorporated areas of the County. Fire Department personnel desire artworks that are timeless, classic and modest.

The 11,000 sq. ft. Fire Station 156 (24525 Copperhill Drive, Santa Clarita), to be constructed in 2008-09, will provide fire and life safety services to northern Santa Clarita. The station includes a community meeting room, two equipment bays, dormitories and a kitchen. The County is constructing a temporary station on the site to serve the area until
Station 156 is completed.

The 5,000 sq. ft. Fire Station 108 (28799 Rock Canyon Dr., Santa Clarita), currently under construction and due to be complete in August 2008, will serve the rapidly growing region of Santa Clarita and the adjoining area of Saugus. It is located in a residential neighborhood, and has a welcoming, home-like feel.

The 11,000 sq. ft. Fire Station 136 (3650 Bolz Ranch Road, Palmdale), located in a rapidly growing residential community of Palmdale, is under construction and will be completed in August 2008. In addition to the equipment bays and dorms for staff, this station includes an office and dormitory for the Battalion Chief.

The 11,000 sq. ft. Fire Station 93 (5624 East Avenue R., Palmdale), serves a residential area of east Palmdale. This station will also house a Battalion Chief as well as three equipment bays and accommodations for seven personnel.

Budgets include artist fees, insurance, travel, fabrication, structural engineering, conservator review, delivery, permits and installation:

Fire Station 156: $69,000
Fire Station 108: $35,000
Fire Station 93: $56,000
Fire Station 136: $52,000

Selection Process and Criteria
Artists will be selected by a committee comprised of community and County stakeholders, using the following criteria:

Proven artistic merit and strong professional qualifications;
Ability to execute a high quality, easily maintainable artwork on time and
within budget; and
Ability to produce an artwork that embodies the qualities of timelessness,
modesty and classic design.

To Apply
The following materials must be received by 5pm, Monday, December 10, 2007:
1. Resume including name, mailing address, preferred phone number(s), fax, email and web page (if applicable). Please limit resume to three pages.
2. Brief letter of interest, addressing:
Specifically why this project interests you;
Interest in or experience with working with public safety personnel on artwork content; and
Other relevant civic artworks.
3. Up to twenty (20) images of your most relevant work. We prefer digital
images.
Submit digital images on a CD-ROM or via email in JPEG format, PC compatible and no larger than 1920 x 1920 pixels (do not zip or stuff files). Each image must be unlocked and downloadable.
Submit slides in a clear plastic sheet, labeled with artist’s name and a number which corresponds to the annotated image list. Indicate the top of the image.
·Label each slide or digital image with artist’s name and a number which corresponds to the image list – for example 001JaneJones, 002JaneJones.
4. A brief image list, including:
·Title, date and location of artwork
·Very brief project description
·Mediums and dimensions
·Budget
·Commissioning agency or client, and project manager, if applicable.
5. Three professional references, with title, phone and email addresses.

Materials may be e-mailed, mailed or hand delivered to:
Los Angeles County Arts Commission Civic Art Program
Fifth District Fire Stations
1055 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 800
Los Angeles, CA 90017
livins@arts.lacounty.gov

Questions? Rebecca Banyas, Project Manager, 213-202-3986, or Letitia Ivins, Civic Art Coordinator, 213-202-5859. For further information about the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, please visit www.lacountyarts.org.

Do not send original artwork.
Late applications will not be considered and will be returned.
While every effort will be made to carefully handle applications, the Arts Commission cannot be held responsible for lost or damaged materials.
The Arts Commission reserves the right to accept or reject any and all responses received, or commission an artist through another process.
All artists who submit their materials for review will receive written notification of the results of the selection process, including identification of the selected artist(s).
All information contained herein does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract.

Overton Park Shell Deadline Extended

The deadline for proposals for the Overton Park Shell has been extended to Tuesday, November 27. All proposals must be received by 4:00 PM on November 27th. For more information about this project, please visit our website.

Contemporary Bronze Sculpture in Philadelphia

This is an interesting, contemporary take on traditional bronze sculpture. We often hear people say that they would like to see more "traditional artwork." I would like to see more of it, too, if artists put a contemporary spin on it, thinking about today's audience while addressing the context of the site and/or figure being represented.


















See more about this new sculpture by artist James Peniston here.

Call for Artists for Temporary Work in DC

DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Announces:

Emerge
ArtWalk 2008
Design Fee: $2,500
deadline: Friday, December 7, 2007 at 5:30pm

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is seeking 12 artists to take part in a thought provoking large-scale outdoor exhibit entitled Emerge, the third phase of the ArtWalk exhibition. Through artist interpretation of Emerge, the premise and goal of the exhibition is to present 12 diverse artworks with a common theme that will draw the attention of both Washington, DC residents and visitors. ArtWalk is a project of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities' downtown public art initiative, in cooperation with the Washington Convention Center. The ArtWalk features 12 display units each stretching 6 feet tall by 24 feet wide. Open to local, national and international artists with preference given to individuals residing or working in the District of Columbia. The ArtWalk is located between New York Avenue and H Streets, NW at a pedestrian friendly parking facility that was once the site of the Washington DC Convention Center.

For more information, please visit our website at www.dcarts.dc.gov.

UrbanArt on Other Blogs

Here is a great mention of Mark Nowell's new sculpture, Aspire, at the William H. Brewster Elementary on Sam Cooper Boulevard.

And here are some great photographs of the Vito Acconci sculpture, Roof like a liquid flung over the plaza, at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts.

UrbanArt Seeks Executive Director

After 10 successful years as the Executive Director of the UrbanArt Commission, it is hard to believe that Carissa Hussong is leaving to head up the Metal Museum, but we are happy that she will still be close by at an organization that is close to our hearts.

As we approach our 10th Anniversary, we are in an excellent position to look forward, as well as to the past. Under Carissa’s tenure, the UAC grew from a small program within ArtsMemphis, formerly the Greater Memphis Arts Council, into a robust arts organization that has had and will continue to have an impact on the landscape of our community. Since the UAC's inception, we have completed over 70 projects throughout Shelby County and have approximately 26 projects in design or fabrication. Both Memphis City Schools and the City of Memphis are committed to percent for art and we have a long list of clients, including the Memphis Area Transit Authority and the Riverfront Development Corporation, that have incorporated public art into their building programs. In the upcoming months, we will celebrate ten years of public art with an exhibition at the Memphis College of Art and a series of temporary public art projects.

The board has begun a national search to find someone who will embrace the original vision and guide the organization into the next ten years.

Please visit our website for a link to the job description and application guidelines.

PLEASE DIRECT ALL INQUIRIES TO searchcommittee@urbanartcommission.org