Colasanto Spray Park Public Art Commission - Alexandria, Virginia

The City of Alexandria's Public Art Program is inviting established professional artists and artist teams to create an original, permanent public artwork for the new Colasanto Spray Park. The project site is located at 2700 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22305, in the Del Ray neighborhood at the North end of the city. The Nicholas Colasanto Outdoor Pool, which opened in 1969 and closed in 2010, will be redesigned as a multigeneral, safe, all-season space featuring a spray park as a signature feature. The selected artist will work with the landscape architecture team at LSG to incorporate public art into the overall design. Construction is expected to begin in 2022.

The maximum budget for the artwork is $50,000, which will include all costs of creating the artwork including artist fees, travel, insurance, overhead, design, fabrication, site-work, shipping, and installation costs. Artists must have experience with comparable projects and will be expected to participate in related community meetings, programming, and events. The project goals are to support multi-generational use and all-season access, respond to the architectural character of Del Ray, draw inspiration from the site history, enhance the sense of play while serving a functional role, and create a work of art informed by the context of the site.

Applicants must submit 5-8 images and up to 2 videos (5-10 total work samples). The application must include an Artist Statement (maximum 1000 characters), a Letter of Interest (maximum 1000 characters describing interest in the project and relevant experience), and a resume (maximum 4 pages). Selected semifinalists may be asked to participate in a virtual interview and must submit a written statement of no more than 1000 words describing their thoughts about public art potential at the site. The selected artist will be required to sign a contract with the City of Alexandria and obtain a Certificate of Insurance for general liability coverage. Questions should be directed to Diane Ruggiero, Director, City of Alexandria Office of the Arts, at [email protected].