Ellipse

Stapleton announces its initial public art opportunity with a commission of $100,000. The focus of this public art project is the ellipse at East 29th Avenue and Xenia Street, an important part of the larger system of parks and parkways that makes up the infrastructure of Stapleton. The ellipse is located at the intersection of two important axes: East 29th Avenue runs east and west as the first parkway to be constructed at Stapleton linking the 29th Avenue Town Center with Westerly Creek open space, while Xenia Street runs north and south connecting Westerly Creek Elementary School and the Odyssey School with one of Central Park's main entrances. The ellipse itself includes an elliptical walk for joggers and strollers, a central open grassy area for unstructured recreation, a low tree-shaded stone seating wall and plantings. The ellipse is approximately 160 feet at its widest point and about 400 feet long.

The Project Selection Committee considers this site as an opportunity for unique artwork appropriate to a residential part of the diverse urban community that is Stapleton. The artwork must be designed to be durable, require low maintenance and low cost maintenance, and be able to withstand the intense sun and temperature extremes characteristic of the Denver area. The artwork should not impede or interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic, obstruct sight lines, or affect traffic safety. Stapleton has adopted a Master Plan for Lighting including a "dark skies" initiative that addresses concerns for light pollution and energy efficiency.

Applications must be submitted electronically by midnight, Wednesday, June 22, 2005 via the CaFÉ web site at www.callforentry.org. Each application must include: a current resume for each artist and/or team member, eight (8) digital images of relevant work with accompanying image annotation listing media, size, title, date and brief description, and an artist's statement not to exceed 250 words addressing the preliminary concept for the project. Applicants must be legal residents of the United States. In late July, the Project Selection Committee will review application materials and images and invite three finalists to submit full proposals. Each finalist will receive a design fee of $1,000.00. In mid-September, the Project Selection Committee will review finalist proposals, interview the finalists and make a recommendation for the commission.