Aurora in Motion: Art Unexpected at Colfax Avenue Bridge

The City of Aurora's Art in Public Places Program is seeking a permanent installation for the Colfax Avenue Bridge plaza area at street level. The bridge is part of the I-225 FasTracks system and serves as the signature station for the Aurora Line. The Art in Public Places Commission has determined that artwork at all light rail stations in Aurora will focus on light, color, and movement.

The selected artwork will be located on flat, vertical surfaces throughout the plaza area, encompassing 4,982 square feet of available space. Electricity will be available to all surfaces from conduit along the bridge structure. The artwork must be made of durable, permanent media that is safe and requires little to no maintenance, and must be site-specific and properly scaled to its surroundings. The installation will be subject to strong winds and extreme temperatures in summer and winter, and must be able to withstand spray from plows. The installation must include an applied graffiti-protective surface for easy cleanup. Electricity will be provided for uplighting the artwork. The artwork should not distract motorists and cannot resemble official traffic or highway signs.

Artists must demonstrate prior experience working on public art projects of similar scale and budget. Artists living within the United States are eligible to apply. Artist teams including fine-arts professionals, architects, and landscape architects are invited to apply. Teams that include one local or regional artist may be given preference. The project budget is $300,000, which will support design, fabrication, materials, engineering review, shipping, contract labor, installation, insurance, travel expenses, final documentation, and incidental expenses. The artist is responsible for delivering the proposed artwork within the budget. Finalists will each receive a $1,000 honorarium to participate in an interview and site visit. Submissions should include a letter of interest (500 words maximum), a two-page professional resume, three current references, and six images total (three of previous site-specific public art and three conceptual images for the site).