Louisville Visual Art is transforming its warehouse at 1538 Lytle Street into a creative community hub in Louisville’s West End.  The new center for arts creativity will activate 32,000 sq. ft. of flexible indoor space as well as exterior resources to support artists.  LVA supports the life cycles of the region's visual creatives, from elementary school throughout  their creative careers. The remodeled building, situated in the Portland neighborhood, will be a nexus of activity for artists, educators, activists, administrators, and creative practitioners of all stripes.  

LVA will consider multiple locations on our property for installation of the sculpture, but long-range visibility is a priority and would be most easily achieved through proximity to the NE property line facing Lytle Street.  An artist can propose a freestanding work, however there is an opportunity for an artwork to be architecturally integrated into one or more of the façades. 

If an artist chooses to integrate the building, the following are approximate areas for an artwork: North façade at 122 feet wide by 33 feet high, and West façade at 66 feet wide by 33 feet high. The artwork is not required to cover the total surface area of both façades but can occupy a portion of the facades. The design will also need to accommodate access requirements to the building. The artwork should be highly visible along Lytle Street and the portion of I-64 from which the property can be seen. The goal of the project is to create a monumental, site-integrated artistic landmark  informed by themes of artistic creativity’s enduring power, and the importance of nurturing the creative spirit. The work will reflect LVA’s  mission to nurture our city's diverse artists throughout their creative lifecycles with art education, community engagement, and professional support. That mission produces a range of programs and activities for all residents and creative communities of the Kentuckiana region. An understanding of those activities should inform the style and/or content of the sculpture.

¾ view of the building and parking lot

Overhead view of the building and parking lot

Drone video of exterior grounds

Application Requirements

Artists and artwork will be selected in accordance with the Mission and Goals of  LVA, and in accordance with the criteria below. The criteria for scoring an artist’s application for a commission and/or acquisition of artwork by either purchase or commission shall include, but not be limited to the following. 

Artistic Merit: Artistic Merit may be judged by such measures as originality of concept and artistic vision; the degree to which the work engages the viewer emotionally, intellectually, & spiritually; and the quality of craftsmanship or mastery of skills and techniques. Artistic merit may also be credited to artwork that reflects a significant or direct relationship between the artist and distinct racial or cultural communities.
 

Relevant Skills & Experience: Review Panels and the Commission shall consider the assessed ability of an artist to successfully implement a proposed project; such as the ability to work constructively with other project stakeholders, to meet deadlines, to resolve issues as they arise, and to manage all demands of the project. Cultural competency and/or significant connection between the artist and the project constituency, or experience that may particularly qualify an artist to meet project goals may also be considered.
 

Meet Project Goals: The proposed artwork (or the assessed ability of an artist to design a proposal) meets the specific goals of the project as defined in the Project Outline and RFQ.
 

The Artwork is Appropriate to the Site: The artwork or proposed artwork is appropriate for its intended display location in terms of scale, media, design or imagery and is judged to be relevant within the context of the surrounding community, as well as compatible with the mission and operations of the client department.
 

Feasibility, maintainability: Proposed objects shall be evaluated relative to their feasibility and evidence of the artist’s ability to successfully complete the work as proposed. Factors to be considered include, but are not limited to: project budget, timeline, and the artist’s experience. Due consideration shall be given to the structural and surface soundness, and to inherent resistance to theft, vandalism and weathering, and to the cost and amount of ongoing maintenance and/or repair anticipated. Artist’s proposals should clearly indicate the expected lifespan of the artwork, as well as the nature and cost of any maintenance required to achieve that lifespan.
 

Public Safety and Accessibility: Artwork shall be evaluated to ensure that it does not present a hazard to public safety and complies with Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and with all other applicable building codes. 
 

Duplication:  Artists will be asked to warrant, as a condition of their agreement with the City, that the artwork commissioned or purchased is unique and shall not be duplicated unless it is part of a limited edition or otherwise stated to the contrary in the artist’s contract with the Commission.

Eligibility Criteria

LVA will review credentials of professional, practicing artists who reside in the United States, and who can demonstrate experience executing monumental scale public sculpture projects. Entries not meeting eligibility guidelines will be withdrawn from consideration.

Applications must be emailed to keith@louisvillevisualart.org Please be sure to allow adequate time to submit your application as technical difficulties can occur. Applications that are mailed, faxed or hand-delivered will not be considered.

Applications will not be accepted after October, 24th, 2022, 11:59 p.m. (EDT)

Application materials include:

1. Letter of Interest Questions

Provide a description of your artistic focus, career highlights and qualifications, and particular interest in this project. (PDF)

2. Resume/CV

15,000 characters maximum.

If you are applying as a team, please include your team/studio resume. If that is not available, please combine the individual resumes (one right after the other) of each team member into one document. (PDF)

3. 3 images of previous work

For team application, please indicate the lead artist for each project.

For more information on working with media, please click here. 

Reference contact information

When you upload your images, Please also include a document that lists the title, medium, dimensions, and year for each work. You may also include a brief statement (2 sentences maximum) about each work.  

4. Budget for a past project of similar scope 

Please note that LVA staff will be available during office hours (10:00 AM to 4:00 PM Mon-Thur) to answer questions about this call until 4 p.m. EST on the deadline date, October 15st, 2022. Please contact Keith Waits at keith@louisvillevisualart.org, or 502-584-8166.