REVISED Call for Artists: Request for Qualifications
The Old Town School seeks to commission artwork for a new arts education facility to be built at 4543 North Lincoln Avenue, in the Lincoln Square neighborhood in Chicago. The new facility, designed by VOA Associates, represents an expansion of its existing Lincoln Square campus.
The artwork(s) will be focal points of the new building and will be seen by thousands of students, concert-goers, neighborhood and city residents, local business patrons and tourists on a weekly basis. Situated on the building façade and on the staircase featured in the lobby, the work will be highly prominent, public and permanent. The artwork(s) are intended to celebrate music and movement and to enrich the architecture through ornament specific to the Mission of the School and the building. The artwork should be a creative reflection of the Old Town School, its heritage and its programs.
Scope of Work:
There are two commission opportunities. The artist(s) commissioned will create detailed designs. The work will be fabricated through contractors according to the master construction schedule (details available for download at www.oldtownschool.org/artists), or fabricated and installed by the artists. The artists will work with the design team and the School to develop the final designs, drawings, presentation materials and other visual and written items as required to complete the project. Qualifying artists or teams of artists may be considered for one or the other, or may create a unifying design for both. The artist fee is $7,500 for each of the two works described below. The fee is a commission for design. If the artist fabricates the work, fabrication costs will be covered by the School over and above the commission fee.
Exterior Panels: Three cast stone spandrel panels will be installed in the curtain wall of the Lincoln Avenue façade. These panels are approximately 9' - 9" wide and 4' - 6" tall. (details available for download at www.oldtownschool.org/artists). The Architect has designed these panels to accept surface "modeling" as part of the casting process. The panels will be installed by the General Contractor. The Fabrication will be by a pre-qualified sub-contractor. If the selected artist intends to fabricate the panels, a fabrication budget and timeline must be provided along with the final design.
Ornamental Stair/Balcony Panels: The interior lobby features an open two-storey space with an ornamental stair. The handrail on both sides of the stairs and along the balcony supports 34 laminated glass panels of varying sizes and shapes. (details available for download at www.oldtownschool.org/artists). The Architect has designed these panels to accept surface treatment (etching, screening, cutting, etc.) or imaging as part of the laminating film. They will be installed by the General Contractor. The Fabrication will be by a pre-qualified sub-contractor. If the selected artist intends to fabricate the panels, a fabrication budget and timeline must be provided along with the final design. Designs other than glass will be considered but must conform to applicable building codes, be able to be point supported by the handrail assembly and maintain the transparent intent of the lobby space.
Eligibility:
This call is open to professional artists with experience in the design, fabrication and installation of large scale, architecturally related works for public spaces. The artist(s) will work directly with the School's Executive Director and design team. Preference will be given to artists working in the State of Illinois. Selection panel participants are not eligible to apply.
Selection Process: Commissions will be awarded through a two-step review process:
- A selection panel of art professionals, project design team, Old Town School leadership and community members will review all applications and select up to five finalists for each project. Artists will be notified by October 8th.
- Each finalist or team will be awarded a $500 honorarium to develop a preliminary design for the proposed work(s), including a two-dimensional graphic representation. These designs will be publically displayed at 4544 North Lincoln Avenue and on the Old Town School's website. The selection panel will review the designs and make the final commission selections in November.
Deadline for RFQ materials: October 4, 2010, 5:00pm
For details: http://www.oldtownschool.org/artists/
