San Juan College Outdoor Learning Center Public Art Commission

San Juan College seeks professional artists to create public artwork for its Outdoor Learning Center, a Gold LEED-certified building project. The artwork should communicate and demonstrate aspects of sustainability and environmental responsibility. Placement opportunities include a Hogan-style classroom building, restroom facilities, a shade structure, and a large retention pond, with a network of decomposed granite walkways throughout the site. Artists may use any or all available spaces to illustrate the theme of environmental sustainability. Media must be durable, low maintenance, permanent, suitable for outdoor display, safe for children and adults, and ADA compliant. The selected artwork may require certification by a licensed structural engineer and review by a professional Fine Art Conservator at the artist's expense.

The Outdoor Learning Center will feature demonstration gardens with xeric native plants, working models of wind generation systems, photovoltaic cells, and geothermal energy systems. Located in Farmington in the Four Corners region, the college is within sight of Colorado's San Juan Mountains and the desert highlands of Arizona and Utah.

Eligible applicants are professional artists currently residing in the United States with experience creating public funded commission projects on a similar scale. A total of $141,905 is available for this project, including all fees and expenses: materials, equipment, labor, insurance, taxes, travel, installation, project plaque, and documentation. Up to five finalists will be invited to submit a formal proposal and will receive a $1,000 honorarium plus a travel stipend based on distance. Finalists will present their proposals in October 2009, with artwork completion and installation targeted for December 2010. Submission deadline: April 23, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. MDT. Submit 10 images. Contact Ben Owen at [email protected] or 505-827-6490.