Fire Arts, Inc. Seeks Outdoor Sculpture

Fire Arts, Inc. Seeks Outdoor Sculpture

 South Bend, IN, Unknown

Fire Arts, Inc. announces extension of their first Outdoor South Bend Sculpture Initiative Competition.

Having announced their sculpture initiative last month, have extended the deadline of entry to Friday, September 16th, due to the lack of submissions.

The goal of SBSI is to enhance the beauty of our South Bend Parks and several private housing areas in the South Bend area.

The competition, called the South Bend Sculpture Initiative, is the first of its kind in the South Bend area, and is pattered after several other competitions in the U.S.A. It started as an idea 6 years ago from several talks with South Bend artists. Ralph Lampkin, Jr, President of the Board of Fire Arts, Inc; joined forces with South Bend City Council member, Fred Ferlic to draft a plan of action and deliver their vision to the public. After a ten month period, that dream is a reality. The budget for the competition is $10,000; all monies were raised from private public investment.

Public Art, in this case sculpture, is an important factor in the beautification of our community. It provides our residents and tourists the opportunity to enjoy the work of Indiana’s talented artists through viewing sculpture in our parks, also enhancing their park visits. With the continuation of South Bend sculpture competitions over the next ten years, our rich community could possibly join other cites, as a go-to destination where tourists, and our residents, could experience new and updated sculpture.

Howard Park will be the first park in our area to display four of these sculptures installed by October 2016; for a two year term, till 2018. The 5th sculpture will be displayed at the Triangle Park off of Eddie Street. The call for art will occur every two years. The ten year goal of the SSSI committee is to install sculpture in all 57 South Bend parks.

The artwork will be juried by a panel of 4 judges, whose names will be announced soon. The sculptures chosen will be child safe, stand up to our harsh weather conditions and assist in the beautification of our community. The 5 artists selected for exhibit will each receive a $1,000 honorarium. The competition will be co-marketed by Fire Arts, Inc, DTSB, regional newspapers, and additional Regional promotion by VisitSouthBend.

Fire Arts, Inc is a not for profit organization dedicated to the creation and appreciation of the three dimensional arts of sculpture, pottery, and jewelry.
They offer exhibitions, workshops, student summer programs, lectures, demonstrations, tours, and community events centered around 3-D in South Bend, Indiana.

Please email info@fireartsinc.com for an application.

Call For Art Rules:

Work Media: Outdoor sculpture. Since this is a outdoor family area, they ask that all artwork be public friendly.
Work Size: Limits of 500 pounds. 15′ High and 4′ x 4′ in Deep and Wide.
Entry Requirements:

  1. Resumé, including biography; educational background and exhibition record.
  2.  Two to three digital images of sculpture viewed from two sides. Images should be presented in JPEG format with image size set to 300 dpi resolution, 4″ x 6″ image size, approximately.
  3. The selected artwork will be outdoors at Howard Park and also at Eddy Street triangular park. They should be made of material that will withstand our cold winters and hot summers.

Timeline: October 2016 – 2018
Entries Due: September 16th, 2016
Selection Process: A 4 person Jury panel will view the submissions starting September 16th. Artists will be notified soon after.
Delivery of Artwork: October 3 or 4
Reception: Sunday, October 9th @ Howard Park, South Bend
Exhibit Runs: 10/9/2016 – 9/2018
Pickup Artwork by: September 10th, 2018

The Artist Selected will receive a $1,000 stipend on delivery of sculpture.

Publicity: Promotions will include brochures, press releases. Artwork to appear on various web sites, possible print ads, etc.
Contact: Ralph Lampkin, Jr; @ Info@fireartsinc.com or call 1 – 574 – 282 – 2787.

This competition has been generously underwritten by Old Fort, First Source Bank, Barnes and Thornburg, Cressy and Everett, Rich Hill of Faegre Baker and Daniels, Charlie Hayes, Inc; and a grant from Fidelity Charitable.