Metro Nashville Arts Commission: Invitational Civil Rights Public Square Project

This invitational call to artists for the Civil Rights Public Square Public Art project has resulted in four semi-finalists. Each semi-finalist will receive a $4,000 commission for travel expenses to: attend a site visit to Nashville to learn about the history and current developments of the area and artwork location; develop a concept proposal for the project; and return to Nashville to present the proposal to the selection committee.

The artwork will be located in the northwest corner of Public Square Park adjacent to the historic Metro Courthouse in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The site is significant in Nashville's Civil Rights history. On April 19, 1960, following months of Civil Rights protest, nearly 3,000 Nashvillians silently marched to the Metro Courthouse in one of the largest demonstrations in the city's history. Mayor Ben West met the marchers at the courthouse steps, where student leader Diane Nash asked if he felt it was wrong to discriminate based on race or skin color. West agreed it was wrong and affirmed that lunch counters should be desegregated. Nashville became the first major Southern city to desegregate its lunch counters. A plaque recognizing this event was placed on the front of the Metro Courthouse in 1995. Public Square Park was completed in 2006 and features a central lawn, fountains, gardens, public art, and plantings.

Semi-finalist artists are encouraged to create artwork that informs the public of Nashville's role in the Civil Rights Movement in an original and thought-provoking manner; encourages further exploration into Nashville's role in the Civil Rights Movement; creates an inviting and visually engaging space within Public Square Park; and provides spaces for contemplation and meditation. Secondary goals include considering the overall site context, resonating with people of all ages and backgrounds, offering meaningful views from multiple vantage points, being suitable in scale for the location and pedestrian traffic, stimulating social interaction, and fostering collective memory. Applicants must submit 3-6 images.