Rio Grande Farm Park Call for Public Art

The Rio Grande Farm Park (RGFP), housed within the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition, seeks an artist, art collective, carpenter, craftsperson, or maker to design and fabricate a permanent public art installation for the RGFP landscape. The project uses art to encourage creative placemaking, focusing on the community's physical, mental, spiritual, creative, and social well-being. The committee will consider sculptures or objects that can be physically engaged as seating elements, including sculpture, earthworks, benches, and landscape architecture. The sitting places should provide cross-cultural opportunities for meditation, healing, and health.

The RGFP encompasses 38.2 acres of innovative, multi-use land, a 10-minute walk from downtown Alamosa. The park honors the agricultural heritage of the San Luis Valley and celebrates its natural beauty and cultural diversity. A budget between $1,000-$10,000 will be allotted toward the commission, inclusive of artist design fee, structural engineering, materials, transportation, installation, and other related costs. The RGFP will cover liability insurance for the piece.

Artworks must fit within the site context, uphold the ecological function of the park, consider the needs of the diverse audience, promote health and wellness, invite interactivity through physical engagement, maintain structural soundness and durability, and consider public safety. Priority will be given to San Luis Valley residents, northern New Mexico residents, and Colorado residents, respectively. The RFQ deadline is November 1, 2017 at midnight MST. Qualified artists will be invited to submit Request for Proposals in November 2017. Selected artists will work with the RGFP Arts in Society Committee to complete the project, with final design in December 2017 and installation in June 2018. Applications should include contact information, biographical information or resumes, a written narrative (250 words or less), at least two references, and 2-5 digital images of previously completed work. Submit applications to the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition, PO Box 181, Alamosa, CO 81101, or email to [email protected].