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THIS CALL HAS CLOSED. |
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| Budget: $106,000 | ||||||||||
| Activated: 03/27/2023 Deadline: 04/27/2023 |
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| Call Summary The City of Austin Art in Public Places program (AIPP) of the Cultural Arts Division, Economic Development Department (EDD) seeks to commission a professional visual artist or artist team to design and fabricate artwork for the Walter E. Long Metro Park at 6620 Blue Bluff Rd, Austin, TX 78724 and the John Treviño, Jr. Metro Park at 9501 FM 969, Austin, TX 78724. |
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| Budget Description A single commission of $106,000 will be awarded for an artist or team to create two artworks--one at each park. The combined project budget is inclusive of design, fabrication, installation, engineering, permitting fees, travel, shipping expenses, insurance, and other project-related costs. |
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| Project Description A single artist or team will be commissioned to design, fabricate, and install two artworks—one at the entrance to each park. These three-dimensional artworks will serve as entry features to increase the visibility of each park’s main entrance. The artworks must capture the unique character of the individual parks. The selected artist or team will work collaboratively with the project team and AIPP staff to integrate their artwork into the overall set of park improvements. |
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| Artwork Goals Parks play a vital role in the life of a city. As public places, parks bring diverse communities together in a shared place and through collective experiences. As natural systems, parks provide habitat and a wealth of species increasingly challenged by urban growth. That this can all occur within a shared experience allows parks – and especially large urban parks – to have a special opportunity to strengthen communities and their connection to the land. This spirit is embodied in the Austin Parks and Recreation Department motto “Cultural Places, Natural Spaces” and is an attitude central to its approach to parkland development. The artworks created for these two parks should align with this set of values. |
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| Artwork Location Description This opportunity is for a single artist or artist team to create two sculptural works of public art--each at or near the entrance to these two metropolitan parks. |
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| Site History Walter E. Long Metro Park Walter E. Long Metro Park is Austin's largest park by acreage. It is located on the far eastern boundary of Austin, just west of State Highway 130, a short drive from Downtown Austin. The property is comprised of 3,695 acres of parkland and includes Lake Walter E. Long—a 1,165-acre lake teeming with bountiful fishing opportunities and surrounded by natural resources. The Travis County Exposition Center is also located within the site. There are several existing amenities in the park including hike and bike trails, picnic areas, volleyball courts, boat ramps, fishing piers, a skeet shooting range, and a model airplane range. There have been several plans to develop the park dating back to the mid-1960s. City Council approved the current Walter E. Long Metro Park Vision Plan on October 15, 2020. The first phase of development will center on the existing Lakeside Park area and emphasize the rehabilitation of the site's infrastructure. John Treviño Jr. Metro Park John Treviño Jr. Metro Park at Morrison Ranch consists of approximately 330 acres of parkland on FM 969. The property, which is bound by FM 969 to the north and the Colorado River to the south, was purchased by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department in 2003. In 2006, Austin City Council voted to name the park after John Treviño Jr., Austin’s first Latino Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem. The property has been utilized for farming and ranching operations up until 2016. It currently contains a paved entry drive, two-track dirt roads, a farmhouse, and several outbuildings. From FM 969, the site slopes up gradually before dropping off to relatively flat open farm fields and riparian vegetation adjacent to the river. Approximately, two-thirds of the property is located within the 100-year floodplain. Vegetation is a mix of field grasses, Live Oak-Ashe Juniper Woods, and riparian species along the river. City Council approved a Vision Plan for the park on October 15, 2020. The first phase of development will focus on establishing vehicular access and infrastructure improvements to allow for the opening of the park. It is also planned to include nature trail development and some neighborhood park-like amenities, such as picnic sites and play facilities. |
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| Eligibility This opportunity is limited to professional visual Austin-based artists who reside in the seven counties of the Austin metro area (Travis, Hays, Williamson, Bastrop, Caldwell, Burnet, and Blanco counties) and who are at least 18 years of age. This opportunity is open to artists who create sculptural and three-dimensional works of art. Artists are ineligible if they are currently under contract with the City of Austin for a permanent public artwork commission or if they are a City of Austin full-time employee, contractor of or employed by a consultant for these park improvements. Applicants not meeting these eligibility requirements will be withdrawn from consideration. |
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| Application Requirements | ||||||||||
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Resume: 2 page(s) maximum Work examples: 1 - 10 Letter of Interest: 900 word maximum In lieu of a letter of interest, please provide short answers to the following questions (100-300 words per question, 900 word maximum): #1) Introduce Yourself: What does the jury need to know about you to better understand you and your work as an artist? How long have you been working as artist and in what media? Tell us about your previous training and experience as an artist.? #2) What specifically would make you a good fit for this opportunity? Do you have a personal connection to the John Treviño?Jr. or Walter E. Long Metro Parks or nearby communities? #3) What experience do you have managing projects or budgets similar in size to this opportunity ($50,000+)? If so, please describe. References: 3 |
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Artists are allowed to apply in teams.
Artists applying as a team must split the allotted number of work examples between themselves. |
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| Additional Requirements | ||||||||||
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| Selection Information | ||||||||||
| Selection Process A three to five-member selection panel comprised of visual arts professionals and community representatives will review all eligible submissions. Three to five artist(s)/artists teams will be invited to interview unless there is a consensus to recommend one applicant and one alternate for each opportunity. |
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| Selection Criteria The panel will evaluate applications based on the following criteria: - Quality and aesthetics of past work - Experience with public art projects of a similar size and scope - Creativity and innovation of work as presented - Expressed interest in creating artwork within the specific community settings |
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| Timeline PROJECT SCHEDULE (Subject to Change) Information Meeting - April 12, 2023 Submission deadline - April 27, 2023 Interviews (if needed) - May 2023 Selected Artist under contract - November 2023 Target Installation/Project close-out - Summer 2024 |
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| Additional Resources | ||||||||||
| https://www.austintexas.gov/aipp | ||||||||||
| RFQ - English (PDF) | ||||||||||
| RFQ - Español (PDF) | ||||||||||
| Contact Information | Curt Gettman 5202 E Ben White Blvd Ste 400 Austin TX 78767 United States 512-974-9310 curt.gettman@austintexas.gov |
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