Henry Art Gallery - Facade Window Project

The Henry Art Gallery, the art museum of the University of Washington in Seattle, is soliciting proposals for a site-specific, large-scale temporary media project for the façade of the museum's main entrance. The site consists of a wall of windows facing the Henry's entrance plaza, situated at one end of a busy pedestrian bridge on the University of Washington campus. Thousands of UW students, faculty, staff, and members of the general public pass through the plaza each day. The Henry seeks to engage an artist or artist team to create a media art project that will be visually striking and attention-grabbing, arousing interest and curiosity from the passing crowd and motivating people to enter the museum.

Project proposals in a range of media will be considered, including video art, software art, installation art with sculptural or spatial components, networked art using the Internet or social media platforms, and interactive or participatory projects. Hybrid forms of media are encouraged. The work will not be permanently incorporated into the façade. While innovative uses of technology are welcome, the work should be developed so that it is reasonably undemanding of staff time and inexpensive in daily operation and maintenance. All electronic components must be UL-approved; all electronic and structural elements must conform to Seattle fire and building codes.

Applicants must have a CV demonstrating competence to execute a project of considerable scale and complexity. This is an international open call with submissions due by March 4, 2011. Three finalists will be selected and invited for a site visit, receiving a $5,000 stipend to develop their design concepts. The selected artist or artist team will receive an honorarium of $15,000. Project implementation expenses cannot exceed $45,000, including a 10% contingency. The work will be the property of the Henry Art Gallery, which will have exclusive rights to its display for three years following its debut. For further information, contact Leah Walker at [email protected] or 206-221-4623.