Call for Portable Artworks

The City of Bellevue seeks to build a roster of portable artworks for the Bellevue Art Collection. The roster will be active from July 1st, 2016 through June 30, 2018. An inaugural purchase will be made from this roster to be displayed at the Crossroads Mini City Hall for at least one year. Artworks will then travel throughout City-owned and publicly accessible buildings and offices. Other artworks from the roster will be considered for purchase as funds allow. A total of $25,000 will be used to purchase artworks from one or more artists. This budget will need to cover the purchase price, shipping, and Washington State sales tax which is currently 9.5 percent.

Only two-dimensional visual art (drawings, mixed media, painting, photography, prints, and textiles) and electronic art (digital, film, new media, and video) will be considered for purchase. Maximum measurements for two-dimensional work is 60 (h) x 144 (l) x 5 (d) inches. If electronic artwork is submitted, all equipment should be included with the artwork and easily moved and installed in a variety of locations and environments. Artwork not conforming to these dimensions may be disqualified. Artists may submit up to ten images of available work. Artists from outside the Bellevue area must include shipping costs for each artwork as a separate line item.

This call is open to all professional artists with an emphasis on artists active in the US Northwest region (Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, and Montana) and British Columbia, Canada. The City also seeks to support artists from outside this region whose work situates local culture within a global context. Application deadline is 11 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Tuesday, June 1, 2016. Artists will be notified of results by late-July 2016. A panel of three arts professionals will select works for inclusion on a roster. Artwork will be selected on the basis of artistic merit, compelling themes relevant to the mission of the collection, appropriateness for the public setting and the existing collection, and artistic and cultural diversity of the collection.