Fronterra Park Public Art Commission

The City of Commerce City and the Commerce City Cultural Council seek to commission a site-specific work of public art for Fronterra Park, located at 10020 Joplin St, Commerce City, CO 80022. Fronterra Park is a nature-inspired park, approximately 20 acres in size, situated between Stuart Middle School and Second Creek Elementary School. The park features restroom facilities, playground equipment, climbing boulders, walking/jogging trails, fitness stations, skate area, multi-use hard court, and two graded playfields. The park was officially opened to the public in August 2015.

Artwork could celebrate the name of the park and the neighborhood in which it is situated. Fronterra, or frontera, means "frontier" in Spanish. The Selection Panel is interested in artwork that makes a connection to the site and Commerce City as a whole. The artwork can be proposed as a free-standing sculpture(s) for one or more of the park entrances or in natural areas at the edges of the park. Because the art will be frequented by school children, artwork must be constructed of durable materials (stone, steel, bronze and other durable metals are preferred) and be able to withstand climbing, touching and wear and tear of park activities. The extreme sun and sudden weather/temperature changes in Colorado must also be taken into account.

Eligibility: All applicants must be legal residents of the United States and reside full-time in Colorado or neighboring states of Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. Applying artists or artist teams must have the skills and experience commensurate with successfully completing a public art installation. The project budget is $50,000 USD, inclusive of all costs including artist design fee, structural engineering, insurance, materials, fabrication, transportation, installation, site modifications, travel, per diem expenses, project documentation, and contingency. Semi-finalists will be paid an honorarium of $1,000 for design and presentation of the proposal. Those who reside outside a 100-mile radius of Commerce City will be offered up to $300 for travel reimbursement. Applications must be submitted through CaFÉ (www.callforentry.org) with six digital images of previously completed artworks, a current résumé, a statement of interest of 250 words or less, and responses to eligibility questions. There is no application fee.