Landmark Sculpture - Orange Avenue and Ringling Boulevard Roundabout

The City of Sarasota, Florida is sponsoring an outdoor landmark sculpture for placement within a future roadway roundabout at the intersection of Orange Avenue and Ringling Boulevard in a downtown location. This project is part of a new public art initiative focused on acquiring public works of art for permanent display in roundabouts to be constructed over the next decade. The City intends to construct approximately 16 new roundabouts by 2025 which will incorporate public artwork in the center islands. This Call to Artists is only for the roundabout at Orange Avenue and Ringling Boulevard; additional calls will be issued for other roundabouts in the future as needed.

The design competition will proceed in stages. The Public Art Committee will review all submitted materials and select three artist finalists. The three finalists will be invited to present their proposals in person to the Public Art Committee and will each receive a $1,000 honorarium. Finalists are responsible for their own transportation, lodging, and food costs. The Public Art Committee will rank the three proposals and make a recommendation to the City Commission, which grants final approval. Only one of the three finalists will be offered the commission. The commissioned work will become part of the City's permanent public art collection.

Design criteria include: high quality, free-standing outdoor sculpture of original design; minimal maintenance requirements with no water features; non-interactive work appreciated from a distance; maximum height of 20 feet; structurally sound and meeting Florida Building Code standards for foundation and wind loading (150 MPH winds); minimum six-foot offset from the edge of the inside travel lane; materials suitable for Sarasota's subtropical climate; no signs, traffic control features, auditory devices, reflective surfaces, flashing lights, moving parts, or illumination; no advertising, religious, political, or charitable symbols; no text or alpha-numeric characters; lighting not directed at motorists, bicyclists, or pedestrians; no obstruction of sight lines; anti-graffiti coating; and a two-year warranty on materials and craftsmanship. The roundabout will be single-lane with a 30-foot diameter center island, providing an 18-foot diameter area for the sculpture.

Artist eligibility requires successful completion of other public commissions of similar scale and budget, and a proven track record producing outdoor artworks that withstand Florida's environment and climate. The project budget does not exceed $150,000 and includes all costs: design, engineering, production, transport, installation, site preparation, travel expenses, and insurance. Some associated costs such as electrical conduit and a general artwork base platform will be covered within the roundabout construction budget.

Submittal documents include: written description of proposed artwork with title, media type, dimensions, and weight; 4 to 8 digital images of the proposed artwork; resume outlining experience; proposed project budget; PDF document with images of previous artwork (2 MB limit); and optional professional references. Deadline for submission is July 10, 2016. The timeline includes general review in July/August 2016, finalist presentations in September 2016, Public Art Committee recommendation to City Commission in November 2016, artist contract in December 2016, and anticipated project completion and installation in November 2017.