Orange County Animal Services Public Art Commission

Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs is seeking applications from individual artists or artist teams to develop artwork for the new Orange County Animal Services facility located at 2715 Conroy Rd, Orlando, FL 32839. The modern, family-oriented facility aims to foster a welcoming environment dedicated to the humane treatment, respect, and protection of all animals. The new facility will feature a two-story design with dog kennels and indoor/outdoor pet interaction areas on the first floor, and feline care and housing on the second floor. Art should be visually engaging, lively, positive, playful, and suitable for children of all ages and their pets.

Possibilities for public art include murals, mosaics, sculptures, kinetic sculptures, and suspended 3D art. If proposing suspended artwork, the steel roof is designed for a live load of 20 psf and a superimposed dead load of 30 psf, with a maximum dead load of 15 psf and maximum live load of 5 psf. A budget of $145,500 has been approved for artwork. The selected artist(s) or team(s) will be responsible for artwork design, fabrication, materials, installation, insurance, travel, public presentations, meetings with Orange County staff, identification plaque, and all related incidental expenses.

This opportunity is open to professional artists working in any appropriate media. Student artists may apply if they can secure an experienced public artist to serve as a mentor. Application requirements include a professional resume (teams must submit resumes for each member), a letter of interest outlining interest in the project and preliminary statement of approach, and a minimum of one image (maximum 5). Images of finished works or conceptual drawings can be submitted. A selection panel will review artists' qualifications, and several artists will be selected to provide proposals and will be paid a $1,500 stipend each. Final artist selection will take place after review of proposals. Installation is scheduled for January 2027. Applications are due January 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST. For further information, contact Dawn R. Knight, Public Art Coordinator, at [email protected] or 407-836-5540.