Boston Art Commission

Community Sculpture Project

“The rise of the creative class”

CALL TO VISUAL ARTISTS: Request for Qualifications

 Frederick Douglass Peace Garden Art Project

The Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund (BF) and Boston Art Commission (BAC), working in collaboration with the Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN) and the United Neighbors of Lower Roxbury (UNLR), seek qualifications from artists to create a permanent public art installation inclusive of landscape improvements in Lower Roxbury, a neighborhood of Boston, to celebrate the life and character of Frederick Douglass.

The Committee will consider any exterior works of art, including but not limited to sculpture, park surfacing, water features, seating elements, landscape architecture, or any combination of the above.

Original release: June 22, 2012

Deadline: October 28, 2012

Eligibility

This public art commission is open to all professional artists, artisans, architects, or landscape architects, or a team thereof, capable of designing the piece and also arranging for fabrication and installation. Priority will be given to artists/designers/teams who are not currently working on a public commission in the City of Boston or who have not had a public art commission over $100,000 installed in Boston within the last two years. Knowledge and experience with community involvement and process in public art is strongly preferred.  There are no geographic limitations; however, no housing or transportation will be provided.  Applicants must be at least 18 years old.

Location

This artwork is to be sited in the Frederick Douglass Peace Garden on Cabot Street off Tremont Street in Lower Roxbury, a neighborhood of Boston.  It will be coupled with ongoing Peace Garden activities, administered by the UNLR and BNAN to ensure that Frederick Douglass’s legacy and passion for freedom is carried on within the community. 

The Peace Garden is owned by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) with management leased to Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN); transfer of the property to BNAN is expected within the next two years.

Project Objectives

The artwork should celebrate Mr. Douglass’s achievements and contributions as a freedom fighter in the United States and his devotion to human rights, as illustrated by his writings, with a particular focus on people of color. The artwork should also invite interactivity, especially by children.

Budget

The Committee expects to raise a budget of $150,000-250,000 for the project. This budget covers all expenses associated with, but not limited to, the design, labor, materials, tools, contracted services, operations and meetings, and travel required to complete the art work plus installation, related permits, taxes and insurance, modifications to existing and/or new landscaping at the installation site, and transportation and delivery of the work to the site. Any expense that exceeds the contracted amount will be the artist’s responsibility. The artist is responsible for working with the BNAN and UNLR, Boston Art Commission representatives, and other City departments to oversee all aspects of design and installation of the artwork. Artist’s travel expenses will not be reimbursed outside the agreed scope of services.

Five finalists will be provided an honorarium of $1,500 to develop and present site-specific proposals.

Application Requirements

Submission Checklist:

• Resume with current contact information
• Artist Statement (1 page maximum)
• Up to 10 clearly labeled JPEG images of relevant past work formatted as follows:  

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    • 300 dpi image resolution  
      • Maximum file size per image – 1 MB  
      • Name each image: lastnamefirstnameimagenumber.jpg

• A corresponding, numbered, annotated image list with title, media, dimensions, locations, brief description, date of the work, project budget, and project partners, if applicable
• Optional: Additional support material, including press clippings or other relevant information on past projects (1 PDF file maximum).
• N.B.
  • Electronic submission only
  • Do not send proposals at this stage
  • Submissions may be publicly available for viewing

Artists are encouraged to review the Boston Art Commission’s permanent public art guidelines posted at publicartboston.com.

Submissions should be sent to [email protected].

Legal Agreement

By submitting an application, the applicant assures that all copyright holders have consented to the submission and use of images for use by BNAN, UNLR, BAC and the Committee. This includes the use of the images in the following forms: multimedia, print or digital publications, presentations, or an online archive.

The Committee reserves the right to alter any aspect of the selection process or overall project in any way for its own convenience at any time. This Request for Qualifications does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract and these provisions are subject to change.

For Further Information and/or Questions regarding your submission

Please contact: Dumas Lafontant, Gallery Basquiat at [email protected] or Karin Goodfellow, Boston Art Commission at [email protected]