Imagine Art Here: Seven Corners VA

The Arts Council of Fairfax County is accepting qualifications from artists or artist teams for a temporary public art engagement project at Seven Corners, VA. The selected artist/team will design, fabricate, and install a temporary work of art that will engage residents, visitors, and area employees in the discussion of public art and the role of the arts in Seven Corners. The temporary work of art will be installed at 6307 Arlington Boulevard, Falls Church, VA (at the intersection of Arlington Boulevard and Sleepy Hollow Road) in spring 2018.

The Imagine Art Here project began in 2014 with lead funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town grant program. The Arts Council plans to include all nine magisterial districts within Fairfax County in public art engagement projects. The next Imagine Art Here projects, also supported by a grant from the NEA, will focus on Seven Corners and Springfield. The community engagement results obtained through the public art projects will inform a Master Arts planning process for Fairfax County.

The artist/team will be responsible for developing and implementing a work of art that can be installed or "pop up" and either be informed by community engagement or serve as a catalyst for public engagement. The selected artist will develop the art/engagement concept, final design, and fabricate the work. The interactive installation must be designed to prompt participant interaction and data collection with limited staffing and/or coordination. The work(s) will be on view for a minimum duration of six weeks. The selected artist(s) will be responsible for the design, fabrication, packing, transportation, installation, and de-installation. If proposing a sculptural work, the artist will be required to collaborate with a Virginia State licensed certified engineer to obtain sign-off on the fabrication and installation methods.

Project goals include fostering broad and diverse community participation in and understanding of public art, raising community awareness of the potential for public art and culture in target areas, enhancing the experience of people passing through target areas, and contributing to a strong daytime and nighttime presence of art in target areas. The community engagement and artwork should spark a conversation about the future of the arts in the target community, gather input from the community on desired cultural amenities that reflects the diversity of the target area, and foster cross cultural community dialogue. The Arts Council will work with the artist/team to identify opportunities for engagement activities and design a project website that includes Twitter and Facebook feeds.

Seven Corners is a commercial center in northeastern Fairfax County, VA. The area covers 0.7 miles and has a population of 9,255 (2010 census). Seven Corners is a diverse community with 41% Hispanic/Latino and 21% Asian populations. The median income for a household is $44,579. This will be the first public art project in Seven Corners. Public art in this location should be visible to both automobiles and pedestrians and have a strong day and nighttime presence.

The installation site is a grassy 24' mulched area within a plaza located in front of the Bank of America facility bounded by two sidewalks. The location can be viewed from both Leesburg Pike (Route 7) and Sleepy Hollow Road. Installations may NOT create a dangerous distraction for drivers, include illumination (such as blinking or intermittent lights) that impairs the vision of or dangerously distracts drivers, include reflective or glaring surface finishes, or include moving elements or simulate movement.

The $15,000 artist fee includes design, materials, fabrication, insurance, travel, packing, shipping, installation, de-installation, display and maintenance. Finalists invited to interview and present their proposals will be given a fee of $500.

Professional artists and design professionals residing in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US are invited to apply as individuals or teams. Public Art and social practice experience is required. Candidates must have collaborative, project team experience working with other artists and design professionals (engineers, architects, urban planners, landscape architects) on large-scale projects. Applications must be submitted via CaFÉ at www.CallForEntry.org by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on April 7, 2017. There is no application fee. Required materials include a Statement of Interest (5000 characters maximum), Resume (maximum three pages per team member), six images of past work, and three professional references. Finalists will be invited to present a written description of project (up to 1000 words), visual illustration(s) of the concept(s), site plan, and preliminary budget(s).