Public Art at the Justice Center Campus

The Denver Office of Cultural Affairs (DOCA) seeks to commission world-class works of public art for the City and County of Denver's new Justice Center Campus. By ordinance, one percent of the Campus budget is allocated to public art, with a total of $2.2 million available for the complex. Phase I will allocate approximately $1.6 million between one or more artists or teams. The Justice Center Campus includes a courthouse designed by Steven Holl Architects, a detention center designed by Hartman-Cox Architects, a post office and parking structure, and landscape architecture by studioINSITE. Artists and teams may propose artwork for one or more of the four main components of the campus. DOCA will select artists and teams early in the design process so they may collaborate with the building architects and designers. DOCA will consider designating one artist or team to create a unified creative vision for the art at the Justice Center.

Applicants must submit eight digital images of previously completed artworks, a resume, an artist's statement of no longer than 250 words, and answers to five questions (75 words maximum per question) addressing the theme of justice, experience with public art in urban campus environments, collaborative experience with architects and designers, response to architects' design philosophies, and conceptual thoughts on the connection between the art and the Justice Center Complex, Denver, and the West. Artists working in any media are eligible to apply, and previous experience in public art is not required.

As many as 12 artists or teams will be selected as semi-finalists and will receive an honorarium of $1,000-5,000 to prepare and present a final proposal in person. The Project Evaluation Panel will review applications through an open review process. Semi-finalist selection is scheduled for September 11, 2006, with finalist selection on October 17, 2006, and finalist notification on November 17, 2006. There is no application fee. A pre-submission meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 10, 2006, at the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building, 201 W. Colfax Avenue, Conference Room 4.F.6, Denver, CO. Contact Mary Valdez at 720-865-4313 to RSVP.