The Highlands Biological Foundation (HBF), a nonprofit partner of the Highlands Biological Station (HBS, a multi-campus center of Western Carolina University) seeks to commission a new, 8 ft., site-specific sculpture for the entrance to the newly completed North Campus. To bring this to life, HBF invites artists to share their portfolios, qualifications, or sculpture proposals with the Public Art Committee of WCU.  The Highlands Biological Station is a 30 acre property containing the Highlands Nature Center, Laboratory, and a historic Botanical Garden. The mission of HBS should be reflected in the sculpture: to foster research and education focused on the rich natural heritage of the Highlands Plateau, while preserving and celebrating the integrity of the “biological crown of the southern Appalachian Mountains.”  The sculpture should reflect the abundance of beauty in the natural world, specific to the Highlands Plateau, by including flora or fauna native to the location.  Ideally, the sculpture would have a sense of movement, without actually being mobile as weather elements need to be considered. 

The artist(s) chosen for this commission will receive a 1 year contract to cover the planning, creation, and installation of WCU’s newest public art piece. WCU’s Public Art Committee will work with the artist(s) chosen to ensure a fair and equitable compensation for this commission. Once completed the sculpture will remain on display on Highlands Biological Station’s campus, under the care of the WCU Fine Art Museum’s permanent public art collection, where it will be monitored for the work’s protection and used for collections education. In addition, the completed sculpture will be featured across WCU social media, and in university publications and promotions for years to come. 

The sculpture may be any material, but proposing artists are asked to consider the wide variations of weather in our part of North Carolina.   

 Description of Project Site: 

The predetermined, outdoor installation site available to artists for this project is on top of a concrete rectangle located at the new North Campus development of the Highlands Biological Station.  The North Campus is the newest addition to HBS.  It created a new entrance to the Station that is utilized by the Highlands community and students and researchers on campus.  Thousands of visitors including summer camp attendees, hikers, gardeners, families, researchers, and dogwalkers all use this new entrance.  It overlooks Lindenwood Lake and contains a pollinator garden, a series of boardwalks, an over-the-water teaching pavilion, and a terrace with seating.  Surrounded by native insects, birds and blooming flowers, this sit will be further beautified by the addition of a sculpture. 

Part of the North Campus design included a concrete rectangle with a bench butting out from one side.  Upon the project’s completion, it has been noted that this concrete block is an opportunity for an artistic addition.  The rectangle is 35”x135”and 42” tall.    This block would act as a pedestal for the sculpture.  The sculpture will be directly in front of a lake and surrounded by a pollinator garden and act as part of the serene, natural atmosphere.  

Installation Spaces: 

Google Maps, pinned location: https://goo.gl/maps/KNm1MPVdtwUUTFc28 

Map and images:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HTQOcnx9a9xyCqOPFSHbB6oxFyeWxIIh?usp=sharing 

Resources for more information about Highlands Biological Station: 

https://highlandsbiological.org/ 

Directions to HBS: https://highlandsbiological.org/getting-here/ 

Application Requirements

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS :

• Description of Proposed Design, you may submit up to three proposed design descriptions these can be in the form of drawings, digital files, written descriptions, images of models or other
• Images of Previous Work Examples that demonstrate skill and expertise in the medium not to exceed 16 images
• Project Budget inclusive of all costs such as materials, supplies, subcontractors, transportation, lodging, etc.
• Project Timeline inclusive of proposed start date, site visit date, build, delivery, final installation
• Project Preservation procedures, including a suggested maintenance schedule and cost estimate of preferred conservation supplies
• Resume or CV that demonstrates a history of working in the medium
• References for no less than three individuals

DESIGN REQUIREMENTS: 

• Proposed Sculptures should be 8-10 ft. tall including 42"base
• 4 - 8 ft. wide including base
• Constructed of any long-lasting durable material, such as bronze or stone
  
  Please send any questions or supplemental information to PUBLICART@wcu.edu 

Eligibility Criteria

About Highlands: 

Highlands and its immediate surroundings are arguably the most biologically significant area in the Appalachian Mountains. The Station is located near the crest of the Blue Ridge on a high plateau at an elevation of 4,000 feet (1,200 m); the town lies just west of the main drainage divide of the eastern part of the continent. Surrounding peaks on the Blue Ridge exceed 5,000 feet (1,500 m) in elevation. We are close to several mountain ranges, including Cowee, Balsam, Great Smoky Mountains, and the Nantahala. South and southeast of the Highlands Plateau is a series of river gorges, with some of the highest waterfalls in eastern North America.  

The Highlands area is characterized by relatively mild temperatures, with summers being especially pleasant, as daily maxima rarely exceed 80º F (27º C). Precipitation is higher than at any other site in eastern North America, averaging 80-100 inches (2,000-2,500 mm) annually. The location of the Station near the southern edge of the Blue Ridge affords easy access to a great variety of plant communities over a gradient in elevation of 6,000 feet (1,800 m). These biomes extend across oak-pine and bottomland hardwood forests of the Piedmont to mesophytic cove forests of the Appalachian slopes. Grass and heath balds and spruce-fir forests line the summits of the higher peaks. The area is renowned for the diversity of its plant and animal life, as documented in an article in BioScience (Ricketts et al., 1999),  few regions outside the tropics offer such opportunities as the southern Blue Ridge for analytical and experimental work in ecology, systematics, and evolution. 

History of HBS:  

Since its inception in 1927, HBS has grown into a campus of 24 acres, with 4 residences sleeping up to 52 people, fully equipped research and teaching labs and classrooms, two outdoor classrooms, a historic WPA-built Nature Center, and a unique native-plant Botanical Garden. Today HBS realizes its educational and research mission broadly through (1) financial and facilities support for scientific research and graduate training, (2) academic courses in diverse areas of field biology, (3) hosting visiting classes and other groups, (4) partnering with local and regional conservation non-profits, and (5) offering diverse outreach programming for regional K-12 schools, the local community, and life-long-learners.  

Research conducted at HBS encompasses biological systems as diverse as the southern mountain region itself: plants, insects, mammals, birds, fish, fungi, terrestrial and aquatic ecology. Salamanders have been a primary areas of interest, with studies ranging from taxonomy, systematics, ecology and evolution to conservation biology, ecophysiology and ecosystem and community ecology.  The southern Appalachian region, being a temperate zone, is a hotspot for salamanders, notably the lungless salamander family Plethodontidae, research on this group has been a major focus over the decades. 

The Station’s rich legacy of exploration is manifested in the lengthy record of scientific papers, graduate theses, dissertations and research reports stemming from work based at or otherwise facilitated by HBS. 

About WCU/Our Community: 

Located on the ancestral homelands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Western Carolina University is a hub of life in the valley. It attracts ecologically minded students both nationally and internationally with outstanding educational opportunities, gorgeous views, and a host of outdoor activity options. Situated in the heart of the Southern Appalachian mountains, this public university is the fifth oldest institution of the sixteen four-year universities in the UNC system. WCU was founded to educate the people of the western North Carolina mountains and currently provides an education to students from 48 states and 35 countries. Student life on campus features: 

Membership in the Southern Conference and participation in NCAA Division I athletics

A variety of events featuring students, faculty, and outside performers hosted by The Schools of Music and the Bardo Art Center for the Fine and Performing Arts 

The largest college marching band in the Carolinas and Tennessee, The Pride of the Mountains

A nationally accredited fine art museum 

A wide and varied Greek Life 

A host of student media organizations and productions

Aside from a robust campus life, Western Carolina University is a beloved staple of Jackson County, North Carolina. An hour west of Asheville, NC, in Western North Carolina, Jackson County - made up of Cashiers, Cherokee, Cullowhee, Sylva, and Dillsboro - is a thriving, creative, and joyful mountain community. Adjacent to Qualla Boundary, and located on historic Cherokee land, WCU pays their respect to the federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and prioritizes the history of Appalachia and the university in all we do. 

Timeline: 

Start Date: Dec 16, 2022

End Date: Feb. 3, 2023

Jury Dates: Feb. 6 - March 1, 2023

 Notification: March 2, 2023

Artist visit (required): no later than May 1, 2023

Install date: no later than Dec. 15, 2023

Artist(s) in the running for this commission may be contacted for additional information and will be expected to complete at least one site visit as part of their contract agreement.