The Alachua County Office of the Public Defender has recently completed construction of their new facility located at 151 SW 2nd Avenue in Gainesville Florida. (Exhibit A - location map) It is the hope that this project will enhance the visual quality of the area for users of the building and the general public using SW 2nd Avenue near Main Street and the County Courthouse. Gainesville’s downtown is a combination of a college town with emerging innovation technology commercial centers. The downtown area also has many cultural attributes and activities including art galleries, permanent public art featuring internationally recognized muralists, two nationally recognized street art festivals each year, and monthly art walks. It is the hope that this project and others similar to it will further enhance the cultural vitality of the downtown area.
CITY OF GAINESVILLE/ALACHUA COUNTY ART IN PUBLIC PLACES TRUST
The APPT is a citizen advisory board appointed by the City of Gainesville and Alachua County to manage and oversee the purchase of public art. These projects are funded from a percentage of construction costs of government facilities. The APPT is partnering with the Alachua County Public Defender’s Office to select works for installation. Members of the Alachua County Public Defender’s Office will serve as temporary Trust members for the duration of the project.
LOCATION
There are two exterior walls that would serve well for public art installations. One is a contiguous 3-paneled masonry wall located on the south of the entrance courtyard (Exhibit B Dimensions of the Contiguous Courtyard Walls) and another is the masonry wall adjacent to the building’s main entry and area immediately in front of it (Exhibit C Dimensions of the Entrance Wall Adjacent Entry) (Exhibit D Photographs of both locations).
This call is open to all artists and artists teams, regardless of location, but regional artists are strongly encouraged to participate and will be awarded additional points in the selection process. Regional artists are defined as artists living within a 100 mile radius of Gainesville city limits.
Artists or artist teams are asked to propose works for one or both of the locations. The proposal may include complimentary works that can be installed on both sites. The proposals must be suitable to the scale of pedestrians as well as slower speed traffic traveling along SW 2nd Avenue. The sites are limited in space and heavy traffic is expected, so the Trust will consider proposals that do not impede circulation of the space.
The works should be created of material appropriate to an outdoor environment, must be of suitable construction that will last with minimal maintenance and be appropriate for public viewing. Gainesville, Florida is hot and humid with intense sun and seasonal heavy rain in the summer and the temperature can be in the teens in the winter. Problems with rust and fading should be avoided. Resistance to hurricane force winds is important. The exterior sites for the project will be well traversed and must be of materials that are vandal resistant. Projects must also consider the safety of pedestrians.
Pieces will be selected based on these criteria and at the discretion of the Art in Public Places Trust.
BUDGET
The total project budget for services rendered will include $25,000.00 that will be divided at the discretion of the Trust between the two sites. An honorarium of $500 will be paid to the project finalists to help defray travel or proposal development expenses. Site visitation in advance of the finalists’ presentations to the APPT is encouraged and it is recommended that finalists present in person.
DEADLINES AND IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, August 4, 2017, 5:00 PM — Artist will submit their proposals.
Wednesday, August 16, 2017 — Finalists will be selected and notified.
Wednesday, September 6, 2017 3:30-6:00 PM — Finalists or their representatives are invited to present site specific proposals at the proposal review meeting at the Historic Thomas Center.
Wednesday, September 15, 2017 — Selected artists will be notified and installations will begin.
Wednesday, December 6, 2017 — Art will be completely installed.
A detailed agenda with presentation times will follow as the meeting grows closer. If you are unable to attend the meeting, we can present a PowerPoint of your proposal with you included via Skype or by phone.
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
1. A current professional resume.
2. Your proposal(s) for the Alachua County Public Defender’s Office project, which must include the following:
- Written description and concept of the work(s) and its intended relationship to the goals of the pieces set forth in this request.
- Description of the medium, including all materials and the origin of the materials.
- Description of the method of construction and installation.
- Dimensions of the work.
- Scale drawings and/or model of the sculpture (if model, include a photograph or sketch of the model) and installation details.
- A projected timeline of completion and installation of work.
3. A detailed budget for your proposed artwork, including installation costs and liability insurance for yourself (and assistants, if any) during the installation. Your budget must also provide for publication quality photography of the completed work (to be submitted after installation), in the form of digital images on a CD, flash drive or sent electronically.
Artist proposals and support materials will be reviewed by the Gainesville/Alachua County Art in Public Places Trust Advisory Board selection committee. The selection committee consists of the APPT Advisory Board and Alachua County Public Defender’s Office project representatives (who serve as temporary members of the Trust).
CONTACT INFORMATION
Please feel free to contact us with any questions or for information on completing and sending applications.
Russell Etling, Cultural Affairs Manager
Office: (352) 393-8532
Cell: (352) 316-4628
E-mail: etlingrh@cityofgainesville.org
Mailing for boxes or three-dimensional packaging should be addressed to:
Art in Public Places Trust
City of Gainesville PRCA
Thomas Center-Building A-Rm. 209
Gainesville, FL 32601
Attn: Russell Etling, Office of the Public Defender Project