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The City of Wichita is seeking a qualified artist to work with the project design team consisting of RDG Planning & Design, KPFF and Alvine Engineering to incorporate a public art piece into Phase Three of the Pracht Wetlands Park located at 9926 W 29th St. N, 67205. Phase Three of the park is expected to open in the Summer of 2024. The artwork for the project is expected to be installed in the Spring of 2024. Pracht Wetlands Park sits on land once used by the Pracht family for farming and hunting. The Pracht family donated the land to the City of Wichita to preserve the area for future generations to enjoy. At Pracht Wetland Park, water serves as the driving connection between the site’s history, the surrounding community and commercial development. The design for the park draws on the idea that water is not an object to be looked at but rather something to experience in a tactile way.  Interpretive panels incorporated in the first phase of the park construction help tell the story of the flora and fauna found at the park. More information about the park can be found here: https://www.nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2021/january/restoring-the-beauty-of-pracht-wetlands-park/

Phase Three of the park consists of extending the existing west boardwalk approximately 380 feet, terminating in a space reminiscent of a wildlife blind, not unlike the lotus blind that can be found at the end of the existing eastern boardwalk. See attached exhibit.

The artist will be selected by a committee consisting of the design team and city staff. The committee will make their decision based on artist eligibility and the selection criteria listed below. The selected artist proposal will require input in a collaborative effort with the design team and city staff on the final design.

Application Requirements

Please submit the following information. Applicants who fail to include all submittal requirements may not be considered for the project.

1. Artist name (or names of team members if applying as a collaboration), phone number and email address
2. Website and/or social media links, if applicable
3. Brief written description of your project approach and intention to create connections to the Wichita community through the artwork and the usage of local vendors in the art process (150 words or less)
4. Two references
5. Five to ten images of relevant examples of past work (video accepted). Images should represent the artist’s style, format, medium, or breadth of work. Please include scale and medium for all works—and if a public installation, include the year installed and its location.
6. Resume or CV
7. Any questions from artists are due in writing to Cary Thomsen, cthomsen@rdgusa.com by March 1st, 2023

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility

• Demonstrated experience working with community public art programs
• Ability to work with architects, designers, and fabricators from conceptualizations to installation successfully.
• Successful experience working on time and within budget
• Individual artists or collaborations with multiple artists may apply
• Artists should reside within a 200-mile radius of Wichita Kansas