Town Branch Park: InterACT

Town Branch Park is a $31M project that anchors the Town Branch Commons park and trail system, transforming a nine-acre surface parking lot behind the convention center into a world-class urban park. LexArts and Town Branch Fund received a National Endowment for the Arts Our Town grant for InterACT in Town Branch Park, a project to commission design development by artists to reinterpret the history and ecology of Town Branch through interactive artistic elements geared toward youth. ACT stands for Arts, Culture, and Technology. The grant covers design development; construction costs will become part of the $31M park budget.

LexArts is conducting an international Request for Qualifications (RFQ) selection process for public art to integrate artistic design into Town Branch Park. Artists are asked to design modern interactive artistic elements geared toward kids, making the park more accessible to all ages and elevating civic engagement. The project seeks to integrate high quality original artistic design into the formal planning process, provide interactive elements to increase park activation, add access points for youth ages 9-15, expand education and curriculum development opportunities, and increase civic engagement through representations of place.

Phase I (RFQ): Six artists will be selected as candidates for the Request for Proposals based on ability to draw public attention to Town Branch's ecology or history, artistic distinction, interactivity with viewers (focusing on ages 9-15), contextual integration into the site, and public safety. Phase II (RFP): Six finalists will be invited to design site-specific public artwork. Each artist receives $2,000 upon receipt of qualifying submissions plus up to $1,000 travel allowance. Completed proposals will be exhibited for public input. At least one artist will be selected and paid $25,000 for design development, collaborating with SCAPE Landscape Architects and Biederman Redevelopment Ventures to develop a prototype and integrate the artwork into the landscape design. Work sample requirements: 6-10 images, 0-6 audio files, 0-6 video files (6-10 total samples minimum). International eligibility.