The historic Ferdinand Building will now hold offices for BPS Administration, as well as three new public artworks.
MAYOR MENINO ANNOUNCES THREE CALLS TO ARTISTS FOR NEW BUILDING IN DUDLEY SQUARE
The City of Boston today announced three separate calls for artists to provide public art pieces to enhance the new municipal office facility under construction in Dudley Square, at the site of the old Ferdinand building. “Vibrant neighborhoods need great public art pieces,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “This area has a rich tradition as a hub for the arts, and we want to make sure to honor and continue that tradition in the City’s new building there.”
The three pieces will be:
- A painted or sculptural element to adorn the old brick wall of the Ferdinand building, which will be in a vestibule enclosed in glass.
- An outdoor sculptural piece at the project’s southeast corner, adjacent to the MBTA bus stop.
- A decorative acoustic panel covering to hang in the School Committee Room. Proposals for this piece will be accepted from BPS students only.
Although only one piece is physically located outdoors, all three will be visible from the outside to passers-by, enhancing their value to the surrounding community. In addition to these three permanent pieces, the Dudley Municipal Building will also house a rotating gallery in the main lobby, and historic interpretative exhibits in various public spaces inside the building.
The budget for all three permanent pieces is $500,000, with $300,000 coming from the City’s capital budget, and the rest to be fundraised privately. “We expect a project budget of this size to generate significant interest in the arts community – not just locally in Roxbury and Boston, but beyond,” said Karin Goodfellow, Director of the Boston Art Commission. “The varying scope of the three projects also provides opportunities for artists at any stage in their careers – from aspiring designers just starting out at the Boston Arts Academy or other City high schools, to sculptors with a long record of successful public art installations.”
The first round of responses is due on August 4, 2013. All three pieces are expected to be in place when the building opens in December of 2014.
All three calls are now available: the Dudley Municipal Center Wall Design Project, the Dudley Municipal Center Outdoor Sculpture Project, and the Dudley Municipal Center Acoustic Panel Project.
Release: Thursday – June 20, 2013
Deadline: Sunday – August 4, 2013
ELIGIBILITY
This public art commission is open to all professional artists, artisans, architects, landscape architects, or
teams thereof, with experience in project management and construction administration.
DESIGN INTENT
The artist (or team) is requested to develop an indoor wall design element, either sculptural or twodimensional, at the entry to the Dudley Square Municipal Office Center. The work will be developed in
collaboration with project architects Sasaki Associates, to ensure that the art is fully integrated into the site
design and vice-versa. The contemporary building design incorporates the façades of three pre-existing
historic buildings. The artwork must complement the cultural and historic aspects of the site, including the
historic passage of the elevated trolley and train through this space until 1987; address the dynamic and
multifaceted nature of Roxbury; and enliven the site with an innovative and fresh approach to public art.
BUDGET
$1,500 – awarded to three shortlisted finalists for initial concept development and presentation
Total Project Budget: $90,000
Download the full call here.
Dudley Municipal Center Outdoor Sculpture Project
Release: Thursday – June 20, 2013
Deadline: Sunday – August 18, 2013
ELIGIBILITY
This public art commission is open to all professional artists, artisans, architects, landscape architects, or
teams thereof, with experience in project management and construction administration.
DESIGN INTENT
The artist (or team) is requested to develop an outdoor sculptural element to be located at the southeast corner
of the Dudley Square Municipal Office Center, adjacent to the MBTA Dudley Bus Station. The work will be
developed in collaboration with project architects Sasaki Associates, to ensure that the art is fully integrated
into the site design and vice-versa. The contemporary building design incorporates the façades of three preexisting historic buildings. The artwork must complement the historic, cultural, and architectural environment;
address the dynamic and multifaceted nature of Roxbury; and enliven the site with an innovative and fresh
approach to public art.
BUDGET
$3,000 – awarded to three shortlisted finalists for initial concept development and presentation
Anticipated Total Project Budget (half in place, with remainder to be solicited): $400,000
Download the full call
here.
Dudley Municipal Center Acoustic Panel Project (Boston Public School Students only)
Release: Wednesday – June 26, 2013
Deadline: Wednesday – November 22, 2013
ELIGIBILITY
This public art commission is open to all Boston Public School students working in paint,
photography, collage, fiber, or any other medium that can be converted to a digital file transferrable to
fiber panel (no moving images).
DESIGN INTENT
The artist (or team) is requested to develop a design for a decorative fabric acoustic panel to hang in
the School Committee Room of the Dudley Square Municipal Office Center. Visible from Washington
Street, the work will be developed in collaboration with project architects Sasaki Associates and the
acoustic fabric panel fabricator, to ensure that the art is fully integrated into the space. The
contemporary building design incorporates the façades of three pre-existing historic buildings. The
artwork design must complement the historic, cultural, and collaborative environment; address the
dynamic and multifaceted nature of Roxbury; and enliven the School Committee Room with an
innovative and fresh approach to public art. The submitted work will ultimately be implemented by the
acoustic panel fabricator in order to maintain the technical criteria set forth in the Architectural project
documentation.
BUDGET
In total, artist’s awards are allotted as follows, with more detail below.
$3,000 – awarded to one selected artist or team of artists.
Download the full call here.
About the Art Commission: The Boston Art Commission, established in 1890, approves and sites new public art on property owned by the City of Boston.
About the Dudley Municipal Project: The Dudley Municipal Project is a 215,000 sq. foot building being constructed by the City of Boston in the heart of Dudley square. It will be the new home of the Boston Public Schools in January 2015. Learn more about the project here: http://www.dudleyvision.org/
