Colorado State University Seeks Sculpture for Ag Building

Colorado State University Seeks Sculpture for Ag Building

Website: https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=6806

 303-892-3813

 Fort Collins, CO, Unknown

Qualifications are requested from artists and/or artist teams interested in creating a site-specific public artwork for the exterior of Colorado State University’s Shepardson Hall in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Budget: $145,000

Eligibility: Professional artists who are legal residents of the U.S.

Deadline: October 29, 2019

Project Background
Founded in 1870 as the Colorado Agricultural College, Colorado State University (CSU) is now among the nation’s leading research universities, with annual research expenditures above $300 million. Located in Fort Collins, Colorado’s land-grant university currently enrolls about 33,000 total students, including 4,000 graduate students and 580 Professional Veterinary Medicine students, and has more than 1,800 faculty members working in eight colleges. More information is available at www.colostate.edu.

The College of Agricultural Sciences provides a world-class education in agriculture with innovative learning environments, ground-breaking research on campus and at its statewide research centers, and scientifically supported practice to all Colorado citizens from faculty with extension appointments.  The College is dedicated to preparing its students to meet our immense global food challenges.  Research and education in the College is dedicated to: enhancements in food systems safety, security and nutrition; the understanding of animal welfare; crop yield improvements; advancements in organic agriculture; innovative economic modelling for farmers and ranchers; the connection between food systems and the environment; and the links between food and health.  The College offers nine undergraduate majors with 28 different concentration options and 39 graduate degree programs within the College’s five academic departments.

Shepardson Hall was constructed in 1938 as one of the last WPA funded buildings on campus. The construction project will renovate the existing Shepardson Hall structure and add two sections to the building, nearly doubling its size.  The building will create a home and unified identity for the college.  It will be the student hub for both classroom and experiential learning, resources, and support to enable academic success and build a sense of community for the school.  Upon completion, the new Shepardson Hall will house the Dean’s Office, and the Departments of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. The revitalized Shepardson Hall will be a home base for all Agriculture Science programs with the goal of fully embracing modern Agriculture, while recognizing its traditions, with its visually iconic and welcoming state of the art facilities.

Artwork Description

The Art Selection Committee is looking to commission an artwork for the exterior of the Shepardson Hall. Currently, both the north and south sides of the buildings are being considered as potential locations for the final site for the exterior artwork. The north side of the building will be the more public facing side, and will spatially and visually align with CSU’s Administration building. The design and aesthetics of the north façade will be more formal, and an artwork on this side could serve as a visual marker for the home base of College of Agricultural Sciences and a marker of its location on campus. The south side of the building will be on Monfort Quad, and will be a less-formal entrance with sitting and gathering spaces for students, staff and faculty. An artwork on this side could activate the quad and provide an engaging marker for the building for those approaching from other academic buildings.

The Art Selection Committee would like to commission an artwork that serves as a visual symbol for what is occurring within the building, highlighting the important role of agriculture on CSU’s campus. The artist should take into consideration the diversity of the agricultural programs within the College, acknowledging that agriculture is more than farming and incorporates both animal and plant sciences.  The Committee would be excited to see an artwork that addresses agriculture’s contemporary importance and its future significance.

Timeline

  • Tuesday, October 29, 11:59 pm MST – Deadline for receipt of submittal via CaFÉ™ system
  • November/December 2019 – Selection committee meets to select Semi-Finalists
  • November/December 2019 – Notification of Semi-Finalist selection
  • January 2020 – Artist presentations to the Art Selection Committee at CSU in Fort Collins, CO
  • January 2020 – Artist selected
  • May 2021 – Building scheduled for completion

Selection Process
The Art Selection Committee will review all complete submittals. A short list of semifinalists will be invited to prepare and present a final proposal in person and be paid an honorarium of $1,000 for in-state artists and $1,500 for out of state artists. Final selection(s) will be made from the semifinalists’ proposals.

Selection Criteria

The Selection Committee will consider the following:

  • Artistic excellence
  • Conceptual compatibility
  • Technical competence
  • Scale, material, form and content
  •  Appropriate relationship to the function of the site
  • Resistance to general wear, vandalism, or theft
  • Ease of maintenance, minimal and low cost maintenance

What to Submit

  1. Digital Images. In order to be considered for this project, the applicant must electronically submit, via the CaFÉ™ system, no less than six (6) and no more than eight (8) digital images of previously completed artworks. Instructions on how to use CaFÉ™ and format images can be found at www.callforentry.org/image_prep.phtml.
  2. Resume: Submit a current résumé, via CaFÉ™, that outlines professional accomplishments as an artist. If applying as a team, please submit a resume for each artist, with the lead artist’s resume first.
  3. Statement of Interest: A statement of interest of 250 words or less must be submitted via CaFÉ™. It should briefly outline the interest in the specific opportunity and applicable experience.

How to Submit

All applications for this project are being accepted through the online platform, CaFÉ™ (www.callforentry.org ). No hard copy or emailed submissions will be accepted. There is no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system. Assistance in using the CaFÉ™ system is available during regular business hours by calling 303-629-1166, 1-888-562-7232 or email cafe@westaf.org.

QUESTIONS? Contact Ruth Bruno, Public Art Program Manager, at 303-892-3813 or ruth.bruno@state.co.us.