ARENA PLAZA ART
Application Deadline: October 15, 2010
In November 2011, Evansville, Indiana will celebrate the grand opening of a new 11,000-seat, multi-purpose arena. The focal point for a downtown revitalization, the new arena is designed to become the premium sports and entertainment venue in the area. The open-air plaza adjoining the entrance to the new arena has been identified as the location for a major piece of public art. The New Evansville Arena Project, in cooperation with the Evansville Public Art Commission and the Evansville Arena Advisory Committee, intends to award a commission to an artist or artist team to design, plan, create, fabricate, transport and install a work of public art on this open-air plaza adjoining the entrance to the new Evansville arena. The commission is open to all artists or artist teams authorized to work in the United States. Accordingly, the Arena Project requests that any interested party submit a proposal for consideration for this commission in accordance with this request.
Description of the Desired Work
This competition seeks an aesthetically pleasing, imaginative, innovative, site-specific piece of art that has a purpose and a belonging, a sculptural piece that will have a positive impact on the location. The winning design must make a strong visual statement, must convey a sense of progress, and must be inviting, intriguing and thought provoking without being imposing.
The winning sculpture will be a focal point not only for the new arena but also for the entire city. As a destination point for residents and visitors of all ages, it will become a visual identity for the City of Evansville. As part of the City’s collection of public art, the City will have complete ownership of the work.
The selected design must be appropriate to all the varied activities that will take place in the arena and the surrounding area. A single focus will not serve all audiences. The winning design will support the arena and not compete or detract from its architectural prominence. To encourage the greatest range of artistic creativity and possibilities, proposals may employ any medium. However, the successful sculpture will be durable, easily cleaned, low-maintenance, and suitable in form, material and content for a mixed-ages audience that will include young children.
I can see it now a gaint sculpture of a john in tribute to John Wienzapfel and his flushing of Evansville resourses.
“The commission is open to all artists or artist teams authorized to work in the United States.”
What does “authorized” mean?
Will Weinzapfel stir up controversy by selecting an artist that technically has some local master-artist permit over some other comparable Joe that hasn’t paid his dues to some bureaucrat?
Might I suggest this:
http://markfeliciano.com/blog/images/photoblog143.jpg
With an inscription under the statue that reads: “We started with nothing and thanks to tax and spend politicians we still have most of it.”
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