Project Overview

The Town of Windsor Arts Commission (WAC) is seeking an artist to design, fabricate, and install a three-dimensional artwork at the Historic Halfway Homestead, Windsor’s newest historical site and park. This site is currently under development with the goal of opening in the summer of 2024.

The WAC is seeking an artist to contribute a three-dimensional work to the site that will complement the theme of agricultural heritage while also adding visual interest to the site. The Town of Windsor predicts that the Historic Halfway Homestead will become a popular gathering place for the community and beyond and wants to showcase their new but rapidly-developing public art program.

Site Overview

The Historic Halfway Homestead, so named for the stagecoach stop at the location that was halfway between Greeley and Laporte, is a two-acre site that contains Windsor’s oldest standing building along with another historical farmhouse. These two buildings are being restored while the surrounding area will become an educational site and park that is focused on Windsor’s agricultural heritage. The site will feature educational, sensory, and community gardens; a small stage with an event lawn; a nature play area; water and irrigation interactive educational features; an outdoor teaching kitchen; and multiple gathering spaces.

The site is located on a main route into the Town on the border between a commercial and a residential area. It is also adjacent to the Greeley #2 Ditch Trail, a major multi-use trail that connects the Historical Halfway Homestead to Windsor’s Downtown and other cultural sites. 

Project Criteria

The WAC utilizes the Town of Windsor Public Art Master Plan, which was created using extensive community feedback, to determine the specifications for public artworks. Based on the criteria from the master plan, the WAC is seeking an artist who will create a piece that is:

• Engaging
• Interactive or kinetic
• Reflects the historical nature of the site in a creative way
• Is appropriate in scale to the site
• Has an educational component
• Is whimsical (a word used frequently in the Master Plan)

The Historic Halfway Homestead is currently under development with construction and landscape slated to begin in the fall of 2023. Please click here to access a Google Drive with site plans, historical information, and a video walkthrough of the site.

Application Requirements

Submission Requirements

INITIAL APPLICATIONS SHOULD ONLY INCLUDE A PORTFOLIO/QUALIFICATIONS AND A NARRATIVE PROPOSAL. Please do not send sketches or a mock-up at this stage. Finalists will be selected from the initial round of applications and will be provided a stipend to create a full proposal.

The initial application should include the following:

• Artist statement or letter of intent addressing why you are interested in this project and what, if any, ties you have to the Town of Windsor or Northern Colorado
• A current resume or CV and/or links to a portfolio or artist website
• At least three (3) but no more than ten (10) images of relevant works that demonstrate the artist's style, medium, scale, and appropriateness for this project
• A narrative statement outlining what type of project you would propose for this site if commissioned. Artists will have the option of getting feedback on their narratives if they email them to Laura Browarny, Culture Supervisor for the Town of Windsor, at lbrowarny@windsorgov.com by June 1st.
• Questions about the site and the project can also be emailed to Laura Browarny.

Three to five finalists will be selected from the pool of initial applicants to submit a full proposal. This proposal will include scale models, drawings, or renderings along with an itemized budget, maintenance plan, and timeline. Finalists will be provided a stipend of $200. 

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility

1. Any artist living and working in Colorado is welcome to apply. Preference will be given to Northern Colorado artists
2. Preference will be given to artists with prior experience creating public art and working with municipalities.
3. Artists must demonstrate the ability to complete the project in the required time frame.
4. Artists must have a knowledge of their materials and the maintenance required for the completed artwork.
5. The WAC will endeavor to select artists from diverse racial, gender and cultural backgrounds.