Public Art Commission for Travers-Wolfe Hall Renovation

The College of New Jersey is seeking an artist or artist collaboration to create a public artwork for the Travers-Wolfe Hall renovation project. Travers-Wolfe Hall is a residence hall that opened in 1971, consisting of two 11-story U-shaped wings connected by a 2-story link, housing over 500 students per tower. The College has hired an architect to design a complete renovation of the building, with construction scheduled in phases from May 2020 through August 2022.

The artist will work with the College and architect to define the artwork location and any infrastructure needs. There is no preferred art medium, but the artwork is envisioned to be located outside in a public venue. Possible site locations include the roofline/façade of the connector/entrance building, the entrance plaza, the lower courtyard, and/or the tower facades. Preliminary building and site design drawings will be provided to shortlisted artists. The budget for this project is $235,000 all inclusive (design, fabrication, engineering, transportation, installation, insurance, documentation, and any other costs). Three finalists will each receive $2,000 to help cover travel and interview preparation expenses.

Artists must submit a resume along with 4-6 images from comparable projects. Up to 8 artists will be shortlisted based on interest, suitability, and comparable experience. Shortlisted artists will participate in a Skype interview to discuss possibilities and goals, then have approximately 1 month to prepare a concept. Three finalists will be invited for an on-campus interview at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, New Jersey, which must include a PowerPoint presentation, material samples, timeline, budget, and narrative describing the design inspiration, fabrication process, and installation. This call is only open to artists or artist collaborations based in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, or Washington DC.