Public Art Installation - 2024

Site: Clinton Presidential Library, Little Rock, Arkansas

Commission Budget:  up to $120,000.00

Media: Mixed Media, 3-D, Free Standing, Appropriate for Outdoor Space

Sculpture at the River Market (“Company”) announces a public art commission. 

Ten-plus years ago the Sisterhood of Congregation B’nai Israel and the Clinton Foundation joined forces to compete for one of seven 18-inch saplings from the chestnut tree that Anne Frank saw daily outside her window. Through tenacity and perseverance, they were awarded one of the saplings. An appropriate site was prepared along one of the main entrances into the Clinton Presidential Center. Unfortunately, the young tree did not survive the hot, humid Arkansas climate.

This year‘s sculpture competition will select a piece that will symbolically represent the sapling from Anne Frank‘s chestnut tree. Muriel Lederman was a member of the team that secured the sapling, for which she was awarded the Father Biltz award by Just Communities of Arkansas. I am going to quote passages from her acceptance speech that I feel convey the message that needs to be represented by the sculpture.

“Anne Frank is held up as the singular image of the atrocity of the Holocaust. The most common feeling ascribed to her story is one of hope, perhaps originating in this quote –‘despite everything, I think that people are really good at heart.’ People do respond to the installation with hope. . . but, I fear that the telling and retelling of Anne’s story may numb us to our historical responsibility for preventing the Holocaust itself and the preventing the resurfacing of forces similar to those that caused it. Or the telling itself may stand as a substitute for action. Passively holding onto hope doesn’t accomplish much. Hope needs to turn into activity to counteract the forces that lead to Anne’s situation
…Along these lines, I would prefer to see the tree as a symbol of protest….Hope and protest - two sides of a coin -which side comes up most often says a lot about the world.” 

Please let me reiterate, we are NOT specifically looking for a sculpture of a tree. We are looking for a sculpture that conveys Anne’s hope or protest as described by Ms. Lederman, or both. 

The sculpture site is located between the entrance to the Clinton Presidential Center and next to the Clinton School of Public Service. The present site size is approximately 23’ by 21‘and is flat. The site will be completely redesigned based on the sculpture selected. There are five glass engraved panels that will be retained and incorporated into the reconfigured site. The panels are 4 feet wide and 10 feet tall. Each panel contains a different story; Anne Frank’s history, a message from President Clinton from his second inaugural address, the Trail of Tears, the Japanese American internment camps, and the Central High crisis.

If you have any questions, please call 501-607-2253.

Dean Kumpuris, Founder Sculpture at the River Market, Inc.

See site quotes on the panels HERE

See site additional photo HERE 

See aerial view of site HERE

Funds for the project have been raised and escrowed for this purpose. 

Public Art Component

Artists interested are asked to propose a visually interesting, safe, three-dimensional public art piece as a newly designed or existing sculpture. Sculpture at the River Market (“Company”) with the City’s approval has determined the exact placement of the art piece. See site photograph and description. 

The piece should be three-dimensional, durable, easily maintained and free standing. Artists must address engineering, construction, installation, and maintenance standards as well. The winning Artist will be required to submit a stamped structural engineer's drawing of the sculpture itself, the sculpture's footing and base including the attachment of the sculpture. The structural engineer must hold an Arkansas license; many structural engineers hold multi-state licenses. This shall be submitted before the payment of the second installment. The art piece must be fabricated with bolting or attachment to a concrete surface or a suitably designed footing. The winning artist shall be responsible for the design of the required footings (engineering) for the sculpture and give the plans to the Sculpture at the River Market, (“Company”); the City of Little Rock will prepare the site for installation, and the artist will assist the City with the installation.  

Selection Process

After proposals are received by the February 17, 2023 deadline, “Company” will select three proposals as semifinalists.  On Monday, March 20, 2023, a notification will be sent to all artists who submitted a proposal announcing the 3 finalists.  

The 3 finalists will be required to travel to Little Rock, Arkansas to present their proposals to the Sculpture at the River Market patrons on April 14, 2023 at the "A Night in the Garden" party in Little Rock.  The party is a private ticketed event. Patrons will view and discuss the semifinalists' proposals. A travel stipend up to $500 will be awarded to each semifinalist for transportation to and from Little Rock, Arkansas. The 3 finalists will be notified of the winner of the commission at the end of the event.     
 

EVENT CALENDAR
 

Friday, February 17 - Contest Proposals Due

Tuesday, March 14 - Notify three (3) finalists 

Sunday, March 19 - Deadline to accept contest invitation

Friday, April 14 - Three finalists required to be in Little Rock, Arkansas to participate in "A Night in the Garden" party.   

April 2024 - Installation

Budget/Financial

The project budget is up to $120,000.00. The budget must include all costs related to the design, engineering, materials, fabrication, travel expenses (artists shall be present for installation) required insurance and shipping and installation of the artwork, excluding the cost of a crane if needed. “Company’s” committee will review all budgets with a keen eye for value. If deemed necessary by the “Company”, a committee representative will call Artist to better understand the submitted expenses. The “Company” retains the right to reject any submission for any reason in its sole and absolute discretion.

The commission payment schedule will be as follows: 

Installment 1:  One half of the project budget (50%) will be presented to the Artist when the Artist and Company sign the contract.

Installment 2: The second installment is 25% of the budget. Prior to this installment being paid to the Artist, the Artist shall submit a stamped structural engineer's drawing on the sculpture itself, the sculpture's footing and base including the attachment of the sculpture to them. Once the Artist has provided this documentation, the installment will be made when the piece goes to the Foundry or Fabricator for completion. Artist must present a current photograph of the piece to “Company” for review.

Installment 3: The final installment is 25% of the budget, which will be presented to the Artist upon installation of the piece; such installation must be completed on or before the deadline of April 1, 2024.

Selection Scoring:

 a) The overall strength of the design concept – 55%

• Appropriateness of the artwork to site in terms of scale, form, content, and materials.

•  The ability of Artist to complete artwork based on past experience.

•  Feasibility and ease of installation.

b) The durability of the design – 30%

•  Dependability of artwork relative to theft, vandalism, and the environment.

•  Ease of maintenance and safety.

 c) Clarity and completeness of proposal – 15%

•  Illustrations/designs should be at least 80% complete and include actual media, colors & dimensions of the proposed artwork.

Publicity 

All publicity for sculpture and installation will be led and coordinated by the “Company” in conjunction with the City of Little Rock and Artist. 

Disclaimer

The “Company” reserves the right to terminate this project at any time, without notice.  Selection as a finalist does not constitute a contract between the selected Artist and the “Company” and is not a guarantee or a right to enter into a contract. Artists not complying with these contest rules may be subject to disqualification, without notice. 

Please direct any questions to: Dena Daniel   sculptureattherivermarket@gmail.com
931-220-0912

Application Requirements

Materials to be submitted by Artist

1. COMPLETE THE ONLINE APPLICATION INCLUDING: 

The artist's resume', The artist's references, project budget, photos or concept drawings of the proposed sculpture, photos of the artist's latest work, etc.                                             

2. IMAGES

The Artist is asked to submit up to 6 images.  They are to be divided as below:
    1-3 images of the proposed sculpture (plainly identified)
    1-3 images of the artist's recent works (plainly identified)

An Artist’s submission may be eliminated from the voting process if the application is incomplete.

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY

Open to all fine art sculptors who are residents of and/or working in the United States. The sculpture should be created primarily as an aesthetic expression, no craft. Work must be produced by the sculptor or under their personal supervision. Work should be made by hand or with appropriate tools and casting techniques.