publicartist.org
EN  ES  FR
Applying to calls is ALWAYS FREE!
 

Little Stacy Neighborhood Park

THIS CALL HAS CLOSED.

 
Budget: $38,000
Activated: 03/05/2019
Deadline: 05/05/2019
 
Call Summary
The City of Austin Art in Public Places (AIPP) program of the Cultural Arts Division, Economic Development Department (EDD) seeks to commission a professional visual artist, or artist team, to design and fabricate mosaic artwork for the Little Stacy Neighborhood Park located at 1500 Alameda Drive, Austin, TX 78704.
 
Budget Description
The funds for this project are derived from the 2% for public art portion of the City of Austin’s contribution to the estimated construction budget. The total award for an artist contract is $38,000, inclusive of design, fabrication and installation, including permitting fees, travel and shipping expenses, insurance and other project related costs.
 
Project Description
Located in District 9 in south central Austin, Little Stacy Neighborhood Park offers the community tennis courts, a wading pool, and playground equipment as well as a restroom, shaded play areas and a basketball court. Little Stacy is located in the heart of the neighborhood and is surrounded by many opportunities for positive civic, community and play experiences within a parkland location.

The land for Little Stacy Park was purchased by the City of Austin for $17,150 from the Stacy Realty Company in 1929. The 6.73-acre neighborhood park serves the Travis Heights-Fairview Park Neighborhood. Little Stacy Park is sited at a distinctive horseshoe bend of Blunn Creek and the park is heavily wooded with a large field in the center. Little Stacy Park and the small wading pool date back to the 1930s and are located at the northern end of the Blunn Creek Greenbelt, which connects to Big Stacy Park and Pool at the southern end.
 
Artwork Goals
The Art in Public Places program seeks to commission works of art of redeeming quality that advance public understanding of visual art and enhance the aesthetic quality of public places through the selection of a qualified artist or artist team who can innovatively and thoughtfully design within the context of this project. The goal of the Little Stacy AIPP Project is to select an artist/artist team who will
design mosaic artwork that:
--Creates a visible, aesthetically pleasing experience at the entrance(s) of the park that draws inspiration from the moments of play occurring within;
--responds to current nearby mosaic artwork;
--integrates the artwork into the natural setting (especially Blunn Creek) of the park;
--is easily maintained and vandal resistant in an exterior environment; and
--contributes to the depth/breadth of the City of Austin’s public art collection.
 
Artwork Location Description
This public art opportunity is open to a range of ideas to be proposed by the selected artist, or artist team, in consultation with the project’s design team. The selected artist or artist team will coordinate with City staff and stakeholders to develop a comprehensive design for artwork to be integrated into the signage of the park.

Possible artwork locations include utilizing improved signage infrastructure at both North East and South West entrances and/or locating art in proximity to those entrance points. Final artwork location will be determined by the selected artist in conjunction with City staff and community stakeholders.
 
Site History
The Little Stacy Park Shelter House was constructed in 1930 and is a one-story stucco structure with two square rooms connected by a flat roof. The area between the bathrooms is an open breezeway and was traditionally used for performances and games. The Shelter House and bathrooms are being treated as an historic building during the park improvements and will not be modified at this time by the AIPP Project.

The Travis Heights-Fairview Park Neighborhood was developed as an early suburb of Austin starting in the 1880s through the 1950s. The architectural styles of the neighborhood vary widely, from historic eclectic styles to bungalows. Strongly influenced by the City Beautiful Movement, the neighborhood plan is characterized by curved streets, large lots, and extensive trees and landscaping. Designed in the Mission Revival Style, the shelter house was meant to complement the architectural style of the adjacent neighborhood. The addition of Little Stacy Park in the late 1920s, Big Stacy Park in the late 1930s, and Blunn Creek Greenbelt contribute greatly to the naturalistic feel of the neighborhood.

The Parks and Recreation Department Little Stacy Capital Improvement Project will provide improvements to correct erosion issues, comply with contemporary accessibility standards, address ongoing maintenance, and provide a more enjoyable and inclusive play experience.

Three public meetings were held in 2015 and 2016 to inform the public of the park improvement project and gain preliminary community input. The results of those meetings are posted here: http://www.austintexas.gov/department/little-stacy-park and have been incorporated into the final design of the park developed by planning and landscape architecture firm Asakura Robinson in conjunction with City and community stakeholders.
 
Eligibility
To ensure information about the project is available to all interested artists, an artist information meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 at Travis Heights Elementary located at 2010 Alameda Dr. Austin, TX 78704, during the open application period to further explain the parameters of the project and outline the application procedures.

The meeting will include discussion of possible locations and opportunities for artwork. AIPP staff and project representatives will be available to answer questions. The presented materials, along with Q&A, will be posted to City’s website after the meeting: www.austintexas.gov/department/aipp-opportunities.

Professional visual artists, or artist teams, at least 18 years of age who live in the Williamson, Travis, Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Burnet and Blanco counties are eligible to apply. A professional visual artist is defined as “A practitioner in the visual arts with an original self-conceptualized body of work, generally recognized by critics and peers as a professional possessing serious intent and ability.”

Full-time, permanent City of Austin employees including employees of the Economic Development Department are ineligible to apply. Employees of the project consultants and sub-consultants are also ineligible to apply.

Applications not meeting all eligibility criteria will be withdrawn from consideration.
 
Application Requirements
Resume: 3 page(s) maximum
Work examples: 1 - 10
Letter of Interest: 700 word maximum
Please describe your interest in the project and what makes you a good fit.
References: 3
 
Artists are allowed to apply in teams.
Artists applying as a team must split the allotted number of work examples between themselves.
 
Additional Requirements
Demographic Survey Agreement/Certification
 
Selection Information
Selection Process
The City of Austin Art in Public Places Panel will convene a Selection Panel to evaluate the submissions. The Selection Panel shall review applications and select up to three finalists for interviews or they may select one artist or artist team and one alternate at that time. This recommendation will be presented to the Art in Public Places Panel and Arts Commission for approval.
The selected artist(s) will be put under a design contract to coordinate with the City and the project’s design team to develop a comprehensive design for artwork. The final design is subject to approval by the Art in Public Places Panel and the Austin Arts Commission and may be subject to review by other relevant City Boards and Commissions and stakeholder groups.
 
Selection Criteria
The selection of an artist, or artist team, shall be based on whose qualifications best meet the requirements contained in this Project Outline. In addition to the standard AIPP project selection criteria found on the City of Austin’s Art in Public Places website (http://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/aipp_selection_criteria.pdf), the Selection Panel will review and consider the following evaluation criteria:

» artistic merit and technical expertise;
» demonstrated successful, innovative and effective approach to public art projects of a similar scope;
» ability to successfully execute a public art project; and
» expressed interest in creating artwork within this community setting.
 
Timeline
Subject to Change
2018

July AIPP Panel and Austin Arts Commission Approval of Prospectus

November CIP Project Construction Starts

2019

March Request for Qualifications (RFQ) released

Artist Information Meeting

April Deadline for RFQ submission--extended to May 5!

Selection panel review of applications

May Artist Interviews

June Approval of artist and alternate by AIPP Panel and Arts Commission
Artist contract executed

July Artist Community Engagement

August CIP Project anticipated completion

October Mid-Design review by AIPP Panel

2020

January Final Design review by AIPP Panel and Austin Arts Commission

May Artwork installation
 
Additional Resources
www.austincreates.com
Unnamed Resource (PDF)
 
Contact Information
Lindsay Hutchens
Project Manager
5202 E Ben White Blvd. Suite 400
Austin TX 78741 United States
Lindsay.Hutchens@austintexas.gov
5129748706
 

 

 

facebook pinterest instagram twitter