City of Aurora Central Recreation Center Public Art Commission

The City of Aurora, Colorado is seeking an individual artist or team of artists to join the design team for a new Central Recreation Center. The project focuses on integrating art elements that create a warm, welcoming and transformative experience as people enter the building. Especially desired is artwork that encourages patrons to transition from their busy lives to a focus on their health and wellness. Opportunities include entryway glass treatments, floors, walls, suspended artwork, kinetic art, interactive art, and interior and exterior architectural elements.

The new Central Recreation Center will encompass approximately 55,000 square feet and will include a lobby, locker rooms, indoor aquatics area, gymnasium, elevated track, fitness center, group exercise studio, multipurpose meeting rooms, and child care area. The facility is located at the intersection of East Vassar Place and South Telluride Street, adjacent to Vassar Elementary School. Exterior shell building materials will include a combination of wood, stacked stone, cementitious panel walls, concrete masonry walls, metal panel walls, and glass. The project budget is $400,000.

Applicants must be legal residents of the USA and should be comfortable working in the public sphere, enjoy working with people, and have experience working on design teams and creating permanent integrated interior artworks. Submission materials include 8-10 images of relevant past work, a resume not to exceed two pages, a statement describing interest in the project and relevant skills and experience, and names and contact information for three professional references. The deadline for completed applications is January 8, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. MST. Finalists will be notified in mid-to-late January, finalist interviews will occur in mid-to-late February, and the selected artist or team will be notified in early March. Questions should be directed to Roberta Bloom, City of Aurora Public Art Coordinator.