City of Wichita Clapp Park Public Art Commission

Public Art Commission for Clapp Park in Wichita, Kansas. The City of Wichita seeks a monolithic, kid-friendly entry feature to serve as a meeting place, beacon, and iconic structure at the playground entrance. The artwork should be colorful, whimsical, and monumental, potentially providing shade and shadows. Suitable materials include totem, mosaic, polycarbonate and steel, ceramic, stone, wood, or any material suitable for longevity and minimal maintenance. The artwork must be durable and structurally sound, withstanding Kansas winds, hot summers, freezing winters, and active use by children.

Nature is the overarching theme, based on the park's natural beauty, majestic trees, abundant wildlife, and flowing creek. The art vision emphasizes whimsical, colorful, memorable, eye-catching, and attention-grabbing qualities. Total art budget is $270,000, including all meetings, travel, hard costs, materials, fees, and shipping. Installation is scheduled for Fall 2024/Spring 2025.

Eligibility: Individual artists or collaborations may apply. Entries accepted within the continental United States. Applicants must demonstrate proven experience with similar material, scale, and budget. Selection criteria include professional merit and craftsmanship, relevance to the playground vision, demonstrated public art portfolio, successful completed project examples, ability to collaborate with architects and designers, experience working on time and within budget, and proven experience with durable materials resistant to wind, heat, harsh elements, freeze/thaw cycles, wear and tear, and graffiti. Submission requirements include artist name and contact information, website/social media links, resume or CV, one-page letter of intent, five to fifteen images of past work (video accepted), annotated image list with scale, budget, medium, year installed and location, and two client references for completed projects.