Design for Artwork: Austin Soul City Gateways & Light Pole Identifiers

The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), in collaboration with the Department of Transportation (CDOT), seeks professional artists with significant public art experience to develop conceptual proposals for two place-defining gateways and light pole identifiers for the Austin neighborhood's Soul City Corridor, to be installed between Chicago Avenue at Austin Boulevard and Chicago Avenue at Cicero Avenue. This opportunity is open nationally to all professional artists and artist teams with demonstrated experience completing large-scale public art projects; local artists and teams are highly encouraged to apply.

The commissioned artist or artist team will design site-specific, original, and permanent gateways on Chicago Avenue at Austin Boulevard and Cicero Avenue—the west and east entrances to the Soul City Corridor—along with complementary designs for light pole community identifiers spanning the corridor. The Western Gateway shall be located near 5946 W Chicago Avenue and must span the roadway. The Eastern Gateway shall be located near Cicero at approximately 4820 W Chicago Avenue and should be visually and conceptually linked to its Western counterpart; the Eastern Gateway may not span the roadway. The Soul City Gateways and accompanying light pole identifiers should be rooted in a distinct cultural identity of Black art, music, food, and entertainment; informed by historical roots on the West Side; celebrate the existing arts and culture scene in Austin; and amplify Austin as a historic and contemporary enclave for Black wellness, culture and economic development.

The commissioned artists will be responsible for design services including research and community engagement for concept development, detailed renderings for all locations and objects, scaled detailed drawings for the CDOT engineering team, participation in reviewing construction documents, fabrication and installation, documentation, and attendance at meetings and public events. Designs should include elements of appropriate size, scale and orientation to engage viewing from multiple vantage points, including pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The artwork must be engineered to withstand environmental demands and require minimal to no annual maintenance; only durable and resilient media will be considered. Following the application deadline, DCASE will convene a selection panel to review applications and select 3-4 finalists, who will be commissioned to develop public art proposals. Finalists will present their design proposals and a final artist or artist team will be selected. Artist Design Fee: $150,000. Construction and Installation: $2,000,000. Work sample requirements: 6-10 images and 0-1 video (6-11 total samples).