Wilson Avenue Bridge Public Art Commission

The City of Loveland is seeking a Colorado resident artist to design and execute clean-up/embellishment of existing railings and removal of stains/resurfacing of parapets on the Wilson Avenue Bridge. The proposed design must be safe for the traveling public and should not create snagging points or obstacles that would be dangerous if vehicles impact the parapet.

The bridge is located on a heavily used throughway with approximately 12,000 cars crossing daily. The site is rural, with the Big Thompson River and the City's bike/hike trail nearby. The bridge is 165 feet long and 64 feet wide (four travel lanes and two bike lanes) with barriers on each side composed of concrete parapets and steel railings totaling 4 feet 10 inches high. The main railings are constructed of painted 2-inch by 4-inch steel tubes with smaller blue 3/4-inch circular ornamental tubes attached behind. The steel railing can be detached for off-site work. Budget: $50,000, all inclusive.

Eligibility: Must be a Colorado resident, have completed other public art projects, and successful installations of similar scale will be considered favorably. Submit 5-10 images of past work (made within the last 10 years), a resume with references, and a brief artist statement of interest in the project and relevant experience. Entry deadline: September 25, 2015. A selection panel will choose up to three finalists, who will be invited to view the site. Finalists will have three weeks to prepare a proposal and will receive a $500 stipend post-presentation. Timeline: October 13 (finalists notified), December 2 (artists' presentations), December 11 (winner announced), December-May (fabrication), Summer 2016 (installation).