City of Tampa, Hanna Avenue Public Art Commission

The City of Tampa is commissioning a large, signature sculpture for the City Center at Hanna Avenue, a new 161,000 sq. ft. government services facility on an 11-acre site. The building will house employees from seven City departments and include a community gathering space, greenspace, parking garage, and fleet maintenance enclosure. The sculpture is intended to anchor the public plaza and give a sense of identity to the community of East Tampa, functioning as a welcome and identifier for the facility.

The entry plaza contains a multipurpose lawn, paved area, and stepped terraces for different events and activities. A solar canopy provides cover while producing energy. Rain gardens frame the multipurpose lawn and paved area to filter stormwater runoffs naturally. The plaza and building are designed to become the center of social, cultural, and economical life of East Tampa.

Commissioned artists are expected to work with city staff and design team, participate in community engagement, respond to feedback during design proposal reviews, implement the approved design, create a maintenance manual, and provide content for interpretative signage. After an initial blind review, up to three artists will be selected to create high-level concepts. The selection committee comprises art professionals, architects, and individuals associated with the project. Applications must include contact information and website, up to fifteen work samples, work sample descriptions, a current professional resume (limit three pages) emphasizing public art experience, and a letter of interest (not exceeding 3,000 characters) describing why the opportunity is appealing and relevant to your work, including experience with public art, diverse communities, and placemaking. Artist teams may submit up to fifteen work samples total, resumes for each member, and a joint letter detailing collaboration experience. Do not submit proposals or visual illustrations with your application; artists who do will be disqualified. Eligibility is open to professional artists with experience executing ideas from concept to completion, meeting specified budgets and timeframes, and working in the public realm with public agencies. Anticipated project schedule: November 18, 2022 (deadline), December 2022 (artist notification), 1Q 2023 (design development), 2Q–4Q 2023 (artwork implementation), 2023–2024 (installation completion).