David Thompson Plaza - Sculpture

North Carolina State University is seeking qualifications from artists/teams to create a sculpture of David Thompson, an iconic basketball player, to honor his contributions to the university's historic athletic achievements. The installation site is a campus landscape located at the Northeast corner of Reynolds Coliseum. The sculpture should consider the nearby Coaches' Corner at the Northwest corner of Reynolds, which consists of hardscape plaza and sculptures installed approximately 10 years ago. The new sculpture is intended to capture the spirit of movement, verticality and flight, engage the surrounding landscape, and consider the Reynolds Coliseum facade. The goal is to continue telling the story of outstanding athletes and celebrate the connection to place at Reynolds Coliseum.

David Thompson was the greatest basketball player to ever wear the NC State jersey and is considered one of the greatest players in ACC and college basketball history. He earned the nickname "Skywalker" because of his incredible vertical leap. Thompson and his NC State teammate Monte Towe invented the alley-oop pass. In the 1973-74 season, Thompson led the Wolfpack to a 30-1 record and the school's first NCAA Men's Division I Basketball National Title. He is a three-time consensus first-team All-American and was named Associated Press National Player of the Year in 1974 and 1975. Thompson's number 44 remains the lone number retired by the school in men's basketball.

The installation must be anchored to prevent removal and constructed from durable, lasting, and vandal-resistant materials. It must be universally accessible and allow for interaction and physical contact by visitors. Submissions should include a one to two page letter of interest addressing the selection criteria with a beginning conceptual approach, a current résumé (no more than three pages), and up to 10 images of representative projects with an annotated list including title, media, dimensions, budget, and descriptive information. Submit materials as a single PDF file to Karen Creech at [email protected] or through the Call for Entry website.