New Public Art Sought for Eastern Connecticut State University

New Public Art Sought for Eastern Connecticut State University

Website: http://www.cultureandtourism.org/cct/cwp/view.asp?a=2214&q=293764

 Unknown, IN, Unknown

The Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) and Eastern Connecticut State University are currently seeking the qualifications of artists for public art at ECSU in Willimantic, CT associated with the new Fine Arts Instructional Center and may consider interior and/or exterior site-specific installations that may result in one or more works of art.

The President has expressed the desire for all students to learn about and participate in the arts while on campus, and the Fine Arts Instructional Center is designed to energize ECSU students by ushering them into a space in which to think, create, and experience. The new artwork should support these goals for the building; it should welcome, challenge, and prepare students to engage with the arts and learning while reflecting the University’s values as a whole. ECSU has embraced the arts on campus and this new opportunity will add to the existing public art collection on campus and will become an integral part of the campus experience.

The committee is considering commissioning and/or purchasing public art by one or more artists for the new Fine Arts Instructional Center. The artwork should complement the programs of study within the building while connecting to the greater campus community. The artwork should be iconic, engaging, and can include interactive characteristics. It should be lively and serve as a focal point that welcomes students and visitors into the building and possibly through the main public spaces. Therefore, the committee is exploring both interior and exterior spaces with a preference for public art that engages both spaces visually and at an appropriate scale that balances the signature architectural style of the building. The new building is dominated by two striking glass façades and is symbolic of ECSU’s message to the greater community that it considers the arts on campus an open and inclusive place for all.

Eligibility
The ECSU project is open to both in-state and out-of-state artists.  Artists are allowed to apply in teams.  Interested artists MUST register a portfolio in the Art in Public Spaces Registry. Submit a new registration or update an existing profile before the call deadline. Review the registry webpage for more information about the registration process.

Budget:  approximately $365,000

Timeline

  • Deadline to submit or update online portfolio: July 15, 2016
  • Shortlisted artists selected by: August, 2016
  • Artist selected by: November, 2016

 

Selection Process
Artists interested in this project must first register a portfolio in the Art in Public Spaces Registry. There is no application process other than registering a portfolio. The selection committee will review the portfolios of artists registered in the database and will shortlist a group of artists who will be invited to submit site-specific proposals for the project. Portfolios of artists already registered in the Art in Public Spaces Registry will automatically be reviewed. The registry is designed as a one-time registration process allowing artists to be considered for multiple projects; therefore, portfolios should indicate a range of work samples. Updates may be made but COA recommends limiting updates to no more than once a year.

Read the full RFQ for additional information.