Help Pick New Public Art For Cambridge


6/21/2023 • 10 months ago

Help Pick New Public Art For Cambridge. The City of Cambridge is looking for artist selection committee members for two upcoming percent-for-art projects. One project will pick an artist to paint a mural across a three-dimensional ribbon arch in Carl Barron Plaza that will become a gateway to Central Square. A second project will commission artists to create two lenticular murals on a fence along the future Grand Junction Multi-Use Path. Artist budgets range from approximately $40,000 to $50,000 for each project. Selection committee members will be paid a $300 honorarium.

If you are interested in applying to be a selection committee member, please fill out the online form by July 10, 2023: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/daa553ab2d9a4f7b97025895adff1665

SELECTION COMMITTEE QUALIFICATIONS:

• Familiarity with a variety of public art formats being practiced today, e.g., social engagement, contemporary art, sculpture, mural, mosaic, multi-disciplinary, landscape, architectural, digital media, interactive, etc.

• Interest in being part of a selection committee process and willingness to work collaboratively towards building consensus.

• Ability to commit time to review artists’ portfolios and convene with a selection committee to make decisions.

• Ability to work and interact with individuals and groups with a variety of identities, cultures, backgrounds, and ideologies.

MEETING INFORMATION:

• In advance of the meeting, selection committee members will review artists’ portfolios online and read project site information.

• One three-hour meeting will take place in-person, at the City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway, Cambridge, between August 1st – August 16th, time TBD based on availability.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

• Each selection committee member will be paid a $300 honorarium.
• The selection committee meeting will be led by Cambridge Arts public art staff.
• Artists registered in our artist registry are eligible to apply to participate on a selection committee. However, you cannot be considered for a project in which you are also a member of the selection committee. So if you agree to participate as a selection committee member, your portfolio in the registry will be temporarily removed until the selection process for that project concludes.
• The artist selection process for each percent-for-art project is an important component of community engagement with the program. Selection committee decisions directly impact the quality of public art in the city.
• Selection committee members bring diverse perspectives around a common goal of selecting artists whose portfolios indicate the ability to create a new artwork responsive to the physical and community context of a site.

BACKGROUND:
The Cambridge Percent-for-Art Program began with the creation of the Public Development Arts Ordinance in 1979. Since that time the city has installed over 250 public art projects throughout Cambridge, indoors and outdoors, including three-dimensional, two-dimensional, interactive, electronic, and participatory projects. Public art commissions are tied to capital improvement construction projects for city properties, such as new schools, municipal buildings, library renovations, park redesigns, and streetscape reconstruction.

You can view a map of all public art in Cambridge: cambridgema.gov/publicartmap

About the Cambridge Artist Registry: Artists interested in creating work for Cambridge become part of the Cambridge Public Art Registry and remain eligible for future projects. Artists can be based in any location in the U.S. or abroad. We continually strive to increase the diversity and perspectives represented in our registry. https://www.cambridgema.gov/arts/publicart/percentforart

HOW TO APPLY:
• Submit an application form by July 10, 2023, at https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/daa553ab2d9a4f7b97025895adff1665
• Note, when you complete the application form, select all the dates that you are available to participate in a meeting. Only one meeting will occur.
• We will contact you if you are selected.

CONTACT: Contact Hilary Zelson, Public Art Administrator, hzelson@cambridgema.gov, with any questions.