Public Art Sought for Codman Square Park

Public Art Sought for Codman Square Park

Website: http://www.urbancultureinstitute.org/codman-square-park.html

 Boston, MA, Unknown

The Codman Square Neighborhood Council (CSNC) is spearheading the redesign of the Codman Square Park with the Friends of Codman Square Park. Creative placemaking is envisioned by creating a new plan for its landscape design which will be integrated with public art.  Qualifications are currently sought from professional visual artists to create the public art for the park.

Budget:  $300,000

Eligibility: Professional visual artists working in the U.S. with prior outdoor art installation experience; preference to local/regional artists and artists with knowledge of African-American culture and history

Deadline: 8/1/18

Project Summary

The Codman Square Neighborhood Council (CSNC) and the Friends of Codman Square Park are spearheading a community-driven redesign of the Codman Square Park in the Codman Square neighborhood of Dorchester, a historic district in the City of Boston, Massachusetts. An artist/designer will be selected to design integral public art for the park in collaboration with the landscape architect chosen for the redesign of the entire greenspace. At this stage, the vision for the public art portion of the project is broad and may encompass one focal public art element or a series of components. Overall, this creative placemaking initiative will result in an improved landscape design concept that integrates public art.

Community and Site Context

The 0.34-acre Codman Square Park, located at about 360 Talbot Avenue in Dorchester, 02124 at the intersection of Washington Street and Talbot Avenue, neighbors the Second Church, the Great Hall, and the Codman Square Health Center. Codman Square itself is part of a historic district in central Dorchester and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983. Important architectural landmarks include the 1806 Congregational Church, the 1904 Codman Square branch of the Boston Public Library, the former Girls Latin Academy (built 1900 as Dorchester High School), and the 1899 Lithgow Building, a commercial brick building. Codman Square Park is an important community meeting place and the CSNC assisted in its establishment as a public park in the 1980s. The CSNC helped to establish the Friends of the Codman Square Park which is made up of residents, community organizations, merchants and other groups that care for the Codman Square Park. Codman Square has a long tradition as a major civic center in Dorchester.

Community Priorities

  • Public art as focus of the park.
  • Plant an evergreen to replace the existing one that is dying, which will be used for the annual Holiday tree lighting ceremony.
  • Increase the number of shrubs and flowering plants around the perimeter of the park.
  • Incorporate art that may point to the neighborhood’s history.
  • Incorporate family-friendly areas in the park.
  • Ensure public art complements the program elements.
  • Design a cutting-edge landscape design that integrates public art.
  • Create new space to gather and socialize, knitting neighborhoods together.
  • Serve as a community service project, as well as an educational destination.
  • Design will offer a sense of place.
  • Appropriateness for the site, including scale and safety.
  • Low maintenance and permanent materials.
  • Apply sustainable design methods and principles.
  • Adhere to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) guidelines, as appropriate.​
  • Ensure the design encourages intergenerational use.​

Public Art Criteria

  • Ensure the public art component(s) are developed in collaboration with the landscape architect.
  • Public art is to enhance and support the landscape design.
  • Create meaningful, high quality and low maintenance public art signifier(s).
  • The artwork serves people of all ages.
  • All media and materials appropriate for a public setting will be considered.

Selection Process

The Art Selection Committee (ASC) includes arts professionals familiar with the field of public art, community, local business and City of Boston representatives as well as the landscape architect selected for the redesign of Codman Square Park. The criteria used by the ASC will include the artist’s/designer’s professional credentials as evidenced by the submitted materials.

The ASC will select three finalists. The finalists will receive a $2,500 honorarium each for initial concept development and presentations., which will be presented to the ASC at a public meeting of the Codman Square Neighborhood Council. Following the meeting, the winning concept will be further developed by the artist in close partnership with the landscape architect.

​Timeline

  • Wed., June 20, 2018: Release Call to Artists/RFQ
  • Wed., Aug. 1, 11:59 MST: RFQ deadline (application received)
  • Sat., Aug. 11, 11am-2pm: Community design pop-up with landscape architect
  • Wed., Sept. 12, 5pm: Art Selection Committee (ASC) review of applicants
  • By Fri., Sept. 21:  Up to 3 finalist artists/designers announced
  • By Fri., Sept. 28: Release integral public art Request for Proposals/RFP
  • Wed., Oct. 10, 6-8pm: Public meeting and site visit
  • Thu., Dec. 6 : 3 finalist proposals due
  • Wed., Dec 12, 6pm: Public presentation to ASC
  • Wed., Jan. 23, 2019: Revised proposal due
  • Tue., Jan. 29, 6-8pm: Public presentation to ASC
  • TBA: Boston Art Commission presentation
  • Fri., Mar. 15, 2019: E. I. Browne Fund fabrication grant application due

Submission Requirements and Process
Applicants are required to access and submit the following via the online application at www.callforentry.org:

  1. 10 to 15 JPEG images of relevant past work.
  2. A corresponding, numbered, annotated image list with title, media, dimensions, location, brief description, date of the work, project budget and project partners (if applicable)
  3. CV/ Résumé with current contact information.
  4. Three references (include at least one from a project where the artists also served as project manager / construction administrator.

Electronic submissions only. Do not submit proposals at this stage. Submissions may be made publicly available for viewing.

QUESTIONS?  Contact Christina Lanzl, christina.lanzl@urbancultureinstitute.org