Call to Artists

The Arts Council for Long Beach and the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency announce a Call-To-Artists to select artists for temporary public artwork for a vacant lot at the northwest corner of Ocean Boulevard and Lime Avenue in the City of Long Beach.

Project Overview
Public art is an essential component in the creation of a civic identity. Its presence contributes to a shared heritage and serves to honor a community’s history and culture. The Long Beach Redevelopment Agency (RDA), in partnership with the Arts Council for Long Beach, proposes a temporary public art strategy that is both critically relevant and congruent to the RDA’s principle redevelopment goals. Artists/ artist teams will be commissioned to temporarily transform a vacant lot at the northwest corner of Ocean Boulevard and Lime Avenue.

Program Description
Planning between the RDA and the Arts Council has identified the establishment of temporary, public art programming as an area of concentration. The Urban Lab is one of these programs aimed at addressing the prevalence of vacant lots and underutilized spaces through the incorporation of a thoughtful and proactive temporary public art strategy. Artists/artist teams will be commissioned to transform these spaces into ones of creative activity. Commissioned artwork will be site sensitive, relevant to the surrounding community and will improve visual character and overall site functionality. The Urban Lab intends to increase the economic viability of neighbor­hoods through elimination of blight and increased cultural tourism.

Site
The commissioned artwork will be sited on a vacant lot at the northwest corner of Ocean Boulevard and Lime Avenue in the City of Long Beach. Located along Ocean Boulevard, a major thoroughfare, the artwork will have substantial visibility. The approximate site dimensions are 50 feet by 95.4 feet. A site visit is strongly recommended.

Historical / Cultural Background
The City of Long Beach is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse cities in the nation. As the fifth largest city in California, Long Beach plays an important role in shaping the identity of the state. Long Beach is an attractive and accessible coastal gateway that serves as an important tourist attraction and is home to the Queen Mary, Boeing Aerospace, the Long Beach Aquarium, an expansive beachfront and one of the largest ports in the world.

Scope of Work
The RDA and Arts Council seek to commission artists/artist teams for the development of site-specific works for vacant lots. Artists/artist teams may consider the addition of sculptural and architectural elements, embellishments and/or structures. Artists/artist teams should be primarily focused on the creation of site identity and the emergence of a unique and creative location. Artwork will remained installed for a period of up to two years depending on RDA priorities. Proposals should reflect the temporary nature of the commission in a sophisticated way. Artwork should require minimal to no maintenance.

Budget
The budget for the temporary public artwork is $70,000. The budget includes all costs associated with, but not limited to: artist’s design fees; project materials; travel; insurance; fabrication; installation and artwork documentation. The selected finalists will be paid an additional honorarium to develop and present proposals.

Artist Eligibility

This is an open call to all interested professional artists/artist teams. All costs associated with travel should be considered in your overall project budget; travel stipends will not be granted. Artists applying as a team must have worked together on prior projects. Artists/artist teams identified as emerging are encouraged to apply. Selected artists must be available to meet in the Long Beach area.

Schedule
April 30, 2009: Deadline for Phase 1 Submission

Selected Finalists will be notified in writing of next steps.

Please visit www.artslb.org to download the full RFP or contact Erin Harkey, Associate Director of Public Art & Design, erin.harkey@artslb.org.