City of Lee’s Summit Cultural Arts Division
Downtown Sculpture Walk 2022

The City of Lee’s Summit (MO) Cultural Arts Division is accepting applications for the 2023 Downtown Sculpture Walk temporary sculpture exhibit. Sculptures must be available for exhibition between mid-May 2023 through mid-May 2024.

Submission deadline is January 23, 2023.

Lee’s Summit is located approximately 20 miles southeast from the heart of Kansas City, Missouri. It is a fast-growing suburban community with a population of approximately 104,000 residents, making it the fifth largest city in the state of Missouri and the Kansas City metro region. Lee’s Summit is a composite of rolling farmland, award-winning parks systems and growing neighborhoods. This unique dynamic enables our community to celebrate our agricultural roots and humble beginnings while embracing progress, growth and cultural vitality.   

About Downtown Lee’s Summit: Downtown Lee’s Summit is comprised of 11 square blocks that echo the original 1865 plat that established the City’s founding boundaries. Downtown Lee’s Summit has won numerous state and national awards for excellence in downtown revitalization and management, including the Great American Main Street Award from the National Trust Main Street Center. Most recently in 2019, the American Planning Association designated our downtown as one of America’s Great Neighborhoods. Boasting a near 0% vacancy rate, our downtown is home to locally owned retail shops and restaurants, unique co-working spaces and an eclectic mix of small businesses. Downtown Lee’s Summit is the City’s primary cultural and entertainment district which hosts over 100 community and family-oriented events each year that bring thousands of residents and tourists to the area. The district is also home to the Lee’s Summit History Museum and numerous commercial buildings, homes and neighborhoods are listed on both state and national historic registries.

EXHIBIT OVERVIEW
The Downtown Sculpture Walk seeks to increase walkable access to public art in Lee’s Summit. The exhibit contributes to current revitalization efforts taking place in our downtown district and to the long-term vision of creating a vibrant community. The sculpture walk complements our well-established Fourth Fridays Art Walks that are held April through August. It is also be a focal point for the many downtown events that take place throughout the year, including the Downtown Days Festival, Summit Art Festival, Mayor's Tree Lighting and our annual Halloween, Veterans Day and St. Patrick's Day parades. The Downtown Sculpture Walk is a collaboration between the City of Lee’s Summit Cultural Arts Division, the Lee’s Summit Arts Council and Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street, Inc. 

For the 2023 season, seven (7) will be selected to install 3D sculptural works appropriate for long-term outdoor display. Selected artwork may be installed at any of the designated locations in Downtown Lee’s Summit that includes concrete pads. The jury selection committee will determine the final location of each sculpture. 

SELECTION PROCESS
Entries will be juried by a Selection Committee. 

Artwork will be selected based on artistic merit, artistic context, maintainability and suitability for public display. 

The Selection Committee reserves the right to reject any applications that do not meet eligibility requirements and/or are incomplete, or instances in which the artwork does not appear suitable for long-term outdoor display.

Artist can expect to be notified of selection results by February 15, 2023.

COMPENSATION
Selected artists will receive a stipend of $1,500 to offset costs associated with installation, travel and per diem. 

Stipend will be payable after completion and sign off on the installation process. 

First-time exhibitors will be required to provide a W-9 to the City of Lee’s Summit at the time of contracting.

Artists will receive 100% of the sale for any artwork sold during the exhibition. Any purchased artwork must remain on display throughout the program year.

MARKETING AND PROMOTION
This program will be promoted throughout Lee’s Summit and surrounding Kansas City Metro Region.

The City of Lee’s Summit reserves the right to reproduce and distribute artwork images through print and electronic media for promotion of the exhibit. This includes images submitted through the application process, as well as photos taken of the piece throughout the exhibition year.

The artist retains the copyright for the work.

Application Requirements

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

• Artists may submit up to three (3) existing, completed three-dimensional sculptures for consideration. Each sculpture entry requires its own application.
• Up to three images from different perspectives of the entry may be submitted. The base should be visible in at least one image. Images should accurately depict the artwork. Image size should follow requirements identified on CAFÉ.
• Each image must be labeled with an image number, artist name, and entry title. (Ex: Artist Name-Entry Title – 01)  
• Provide a brief written description of each sculpture submitted for entry. Please include title, medium, dimensions, weight, date of construction, sale price each submission.
• Provide a brief description of how the artwork will be installed by the artist. Please include any on-site support needed during installation (i.e. additional labor, special equipment, etc.).

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Artists: 

• Professional three-dimensional sculptural artists.
• At least 18 years of age
• Artists must own the rights to all works submitted. 

Eligible Artworks:

• Professional quality and construction and not the result of instructional guidance.
• Safe design and can be securely bolted to a concrete pad with anchor bolts.
• Durable for long-term outdoor exhibition, able to withstand public interaction and able to withstand extreme temperature and weather fluctuations common in Missouri (i.e. high wind gusts, freezing rain, snow, high humidity levels, and extreme temperature fluctuations.)
• Artwork must be of original work and be completed by the time application is submitted.