Spokane Arts, in partnership with the Spokane Parks & Recreation Department and Spokane Park Board, seeks a lead artist to identify art opportunities within the new Riverfront Park Master Plan and to develop site-integrated artwork(s) for the redevelopment of Riverfront Park. The selected artist will work with Parks and their consultants from the early stages of design through the phased construction of the park.

This call is open to professional artists residing in the United States. Artists with experience in a master planning process and in both art and design will be well-suited for this project. The City of Spokane encourages diversity in its collection. Artists whose work is well-represented in the city’s collection are eligible to apply, but the artist selection panel will consider artistic diversity as one factor in the selection process. Students are not eligible to apply. Artists are allowed to apply in teams.  Artists applying as a team must split the allotted number of work examples between themselves.

The lead artist will:

(1) In consultation and collaboration with the Open Spaces design firm, develop an art plan for the redeveloped Riverfront Park;

(2) Identify potential artwork(s) and design enhancements to be integrated during construction of the park to accommodate art works and venues, and,

(3) Develop a consistent design strategy throughout the project, which could include reproducible or repeating elements and components that contribute to the overall identity of the Riverfront Park such as the Howard Street Promenade with a focus on areas of high volume visitor traffic or unique site-specific acuity. 

Free-standing sculpture as well as integrated artworks may be an appropriate approach for this project given that the artworks consider unique context and site-specificity. The selected artist will work with Parks to understand and comply with relevant standards for accessibility and placement of objects in the Riverfront Park environment. Possible art opportunities may include, but are not limited to park furniture and structures, signage, wayfinding elements and freestanding sculpture or other artworks. 

The total project budget for this call is $500,000, all-inclusive of travel expenses, taxes and other project costs. Contracting will be done in three phases: (1) $30,000 for Phase 1 overall park concept design and a completed art plan which identifies art opportunities within Riverfront Park, (2) $20,000 for Phase 2 conceptual proposals for one or more original artworks, including final designs and any necessary engineering for such artwork, and (3) $450,000 for fabrication and installation of approved artworks. 

The artist will be selected on the basis of the following criteria: 

• Quality of concept, design and craftsmanship of past works, with emphasis on artworks that enhance the utilization of shared public spaces. 
• The ability to produce durable outdoor art. 
• A proven ability to collaborate in design teams, with design professionals and with community stakeholders. 
• Demonstrated ability to complete projects on time and within budget, based on portfolio and provided and/or solicited references.

The selection will take place in two parts. During the first round of the selection process, the Joint Art Committee will review the applicants’ images, qualifications and other materials. The committee members will identify up to four finalists to interview at a second panel meeting two to three weeks later. The panel will select one artist to be recommended for award of the commission, which recommendation will be forwarded to the citizen Design Review Committee for feedback and to the Board for approval. Applicants will be notified of the panel’s decision by e-mail in late May 2016.

Applications must be submitted through http://www.callforentry.org .  There is no application fee and it is free to set up an artist account to apply to this opportunity.  Please visit this link for full information and application instructions.