UrbanArt - newsletter

Town Hall Meetings for City of Memphis Projects
The UrbanArt Commission, in conjunction with City Council Representatives, will host Town Hall Meetings for upcoming City of Memphis public art projects. Community members will be invited to share their ideas for these projects, and artists who are interested in applying for these projects are also invited to attend.

The UAC is working with the City of Memphis to add art enhancements to the Orange Mound Community Service Center, currently under construction, and as part of the renovation and expansion of the Hollywood Branch Library. The town hall meeting for the Orange Mound Community Service Center will be hosted by City Councilwoman Janet Hooks at the Orange Mound Senior Center, 2569 Douglass. The Hollywood Branch Library town hall meeting will be hosted by Councilwoman Barbara Swearengen Holt at the Hollywood Branch Library, 1530 North Hollywood.

Orange Mound Community Service Center
March 31, 6 – 8 PM
Location: Orange Mound Senior Center, 2569 Douglass

Hollywood Branch Library Expansion
April 3, 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Location: Hollywood Branch Library, 1530 North Hollywood

Please call us at 252-0880 with any questions.

Cancer Survivors Park Design Team Selected
The UAC and the City of Memphis are pleased to announce the selection of a team to design the RA Bloch Cancer Survivors Plaza, which will be a part of Audubon Park on Perkins Road Extended.

The team, consisting of Diane Dixon, Kristi Duckworth and Mike Lemm, have worked together to create a thoughtful and successful solution for the use of the park. Diane Dixon is a local architect who focuses on the quality of public places and creating a sense of place. Artist Kristi Duckworth specializes in three-dimensional mosaic art and has recently completed a commission for the City of Memphis at the Hickory Hill Super Site. Mike Lemm is a landscape architect whose most recent project developed for City Parks is the renovation of Peabody Park in Midtown.

Opening of Hickory Hill Community Center
On February 28, the City dedicated the new Hickory Hill Community Center, which is located in the Hickory Hill Super Site. The Super Site includes Hickory Ridge Middle School, which features a glass wall designed by local students and executed by artist Gordon Huether, and includes artwork at the entrance of the Site by local artist Kristi Duckworth.

In addition to a crowd of nearly 300, Council members Brent Taylor, Tajuan Stout Mitchell and Myron Lowry, along with Gail Jones Carson, Assistant to Mayor Herenton, were on hand to officially turn this facility – the largest community center in Shelby County – over to the community.

They also got to take a peek at Kristi Duckworth’s final design drawings for the sidewalk artwork, which were on display in the community center’s multipurpose room. After the opening event, the drawings will be displayed permanently in the community center.

Collierville’s Burch Branch Library Installs Public Art
On March 7, local artist Tad Lauritzen Wright completed the installation of an art enhancement for the Lucius E. Burch, Jr. and Mrs. Elsie C. Burch Library in Collierville.

His project for the Storytime Room consists of 20 2”x2” painted panels and 5 blank panels for the display of children’s artwork. Much of the text and the imagery for the painted panels was gathered from area school children and incorporated by Tad into the design. The result is a mix of colorful and energetic imagery with words and captions that appeal to children and to the inner child.

We encourage everyone to visit this library and see Tad’s work. http://www.memphislibrary.org/about/libraries/burch.htm

Local Opportunities
****Arts in the Garden
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Memphis is inviting artists to participate in “Arts in the Garden” by donating art for a silent auction. The event, which is in partnership with the Memphis Botanic Garden on April 24, will be an evening of art and entertainment to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Memphis. For more information, contact Regina Wade or Yolanda Webb at 901.323.5440. The deadline for donating artwork is April 4th.

****City of Jackson, TN/Union University
Deadline April 14
The City of Jackson and Union University are accepting submissions from sculptors to participate in the 2003/2004 Outdoor Sculpture Competition. Five works will be selected for a one-year exhibition in the City of Jackson. One of the five sculptures will be awarded a purchase award for permanent installation. For a complete entry form, contact April DePriest at 731.661.5223.

****Collierville Historic Town Square Mural
Deadline April 15
The Collierville Arts Council and Main Street Collierville wish to commission an artist to paint a mural on the Historic Town Square. They are seeking proposals for a $1500 award that includes artist fee and labor. For a complete call to artists, contact Melanie Duncan at 901.854.4627 or duncantnmustang@aol.com.

Opportunities in Other Cities

****Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Louisiana Division of the Arts

Deadline: April 18, 2003

The Louisiana Division of the Arts is seeking artists for two projects: an indoor wall commission and an outdoor sculpture commission.

1. Call for Indoor Wall Commission

The Percent for Art Program for the state of Louisiana, administered through the Louisiana Division of the Arts (LDOA), seeks an artist to create a site specific wall piece for the South lobby (main entrance) of the Claiborne Office Building, at 1201 North Third Street in downtown Baton Rouge (illustration included). The artist’s budget for the commission is $30,000.00, and includes all travel, material, fabrication and installation costs. Artists are encouraged to visit the site before submitting their application. The wall is comprised of metal studs and sheetrock. All appropriate media will be considered for this commission (not limited to 2-D). However, 3-D applicants should keep in mind that the wall was not constructed to bear an exceptional amount of weight. The fabrication of the artwork will be done off-site by the artist, and installed on the wall.

2. Call for Outdoor Sculpture Commission

The Percent for Art Program for the state of Louisiana, administered through the LDOA, seeks an artist to create a site-specific permanent outdoor sculpture for the South entrance to the Claiborne Building in downtown Baton Rouge. The four trees currently marking the area for the sculpture will be removed when the work is installed. The artist’s budget for the commission is $40,000.00, and includes all travel, material, fabrication and installation costs. Artists are encouraged to visit the site before submitting their application. The fabrication of the sculpture will be done off-site and installed when completed.

For more information about either of these projects, or for a complete prospectus, contact Kitty Pheney, Percent for Art Program Manager, T: 225-342-8180.

****Los Angeles, CA

Metro Art Lightbox Project

Deadline: April 21, 2003 at 4:00 PM

MTA Metro Art invites artists working with photographic media to submit proposals for temporary exhibition at the Wilshire/Normandie Metro Rail Station. The selected images will be reproduced as seven 3’ x 4’ Ilfochrome films which will be mounted in a series of low profile, back-lit boxes. Ilfochrome films reproduce the sharpness and brilliance of an original transparency on direct positive display films. Metro Art will work with the chosen artists and will cover the cost of converting the images from 35mm slides or large format transparencies into the desired larger format. Four artists will be commissioned for the project. Each artist’s work will be displayed for a minimum of six months.

The artists selected for this project will each be awarded $5,000. Each artist will be responsible for providing seven original photographic images. The MTA will be responsible for costs associated with transferring the images into Ilfochrome format, oversight and installation. The MTA will keep the 3’ x 4’ Ilfochrome films at the end of the installation period. The MTA may reproduce the image for non-commercial or educational purposes only and will require that the artist be credited in any such publications.

All professional based artists working with photographic media are eligible. Artists must be residents of the United States at the time of application. Metro Art encourages artists who have not previously worked in public art to apply. Proposals for nonprofits, student projects, businesses, special events, advertisements or other promotional or commercially driven entities are ineligible. For more information call 213 9222 4ART

****Portland, OR

Regional Arts & Culture Council

Deadline: April 25, 2003

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) in Portland, Oregon, invites artists/teams from the United States and Canada to submit qualification for a public art project at the Multnomah County Headquarters, 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd. in Portland. The art budget is $105,000 including fabrication and installation. The deadline is Friday, April 25, 2003. For details, visit RACC's website at www.racc.org or contact Peggy Kendellen at pkendellen@racc.org or call 503.823.4196.

****Santa Cruz, CA

Live Oak Public Library

Deadline May 1, 2003.

An artist will be selected to create a site specific public art component for the Live Oak Public Library, Santa Cruz County. Construction will begin in the year 2004. The budget for the public art component is approximately $70,000. Proposals for this project may incorporate or enhance one or more of the elements planned for the library, such as paving, walls, light fixtures, a wind screen, flooring, streetscape, window treatments, drinking fountains, benches, signage, bike racks, etc. In this case, the funds budgeted for the public art component would be augmented by the funds allocated for the specific element that the artist chooses to incorporate into their plan. Artists may also choose to create a unique free-standing site specific piece. For more information, contact Barry C. Samuel, Director, Santa Cruz County Department of Parks, Open Space, and Cultural Services at (813) 454-7900.