Town of Davidson: Roosevelt Wilson Park Public Art

Roosevelt Wilson Park is located on Griffith Street, the main arterial road into the Town of Davidson. The park contains playground equipment, a picnic shelter, restrooms, benches, and a one-acre pond with a fountain. Elementary school children walk to the park for recess on an almost-daily basis and residents from surrounding neighborhoods use the park with their children. A multi-year enhancement plan for the park is underway, including new pathways, boardwalks, and landscaping.

The town is seeking a sculptural or functional work of public art to honor a much-loved and respected citizen. The work should be engaging and invoke the spirit and personality of the woman being honored, who appreciated art and flowers, cherished children, and delighted in the sound of water. The work should be visible from Griffith Street. Artists may indicate their preferred site within the park; final site selection will be made jointly with the Davidson Public Art Commission.

Works must be fabricated in durable, permanent, outdoor media that are safe, easily maintained, and have proven viability in public artworks. If the chosen site is in the pond, the work must be waterproof, rustproof, and easily maintained without draining the pond. All artwork must be original. The work may be functional or solely artistic and may include a landscaping component. A budget not to exceed $80,000 is available for one or more artworks, including all design fees, execution, installation, insurance, contingency and incidental costs, transportation, site preparation, and landscaping. Projects proposed to exceed the budget will not be considered.

This is an open competition for professional artists from the southeast and east coast with experience producing and installing successful public art. The Davidson Public Art Commission will evaluate applications based on artists' past experience, examples of completed public art, statements articulating initial ideas for the project, resumes, and references. An artist may be selected directly from initial applications or the commission may interview semi-finalists who may be asked to develop preliminary proposals (with a stipend provided). One artist will ultimately be selected to develop a design, fabricate, and install an artwork. The chosen artist must participate in public and neighborhood meetings and carry general liability insurance.

Submit a current resume, statement of interest, three references from clients (preferably on public art projects), and three to six artwork images with medium, dimensions, location, and budget information. Submissions without budget information will be rejected. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time on May 8, 2013. Questions may be directed to Dawn Blobaum, Assistant Town Manager, at [email protected].