Interactive Alligator Sculpture for the Phinizy Center for Water Sciences

The Greater Augusta Arts Council, on behalf of the Phinizy Center for Water Sciences, is requesting proposals from qualified sculptors or artist teams to create a unique, durable, low-maintenance, interactive, safe to touch, life-sized sculpture of an alligator to be placed on the grounds of the Phinizy Center.

The purpose of this call is to create an interactive, realistic, life-sized sculpture of an alligator for younger park guests to engage with. The sculpture will be located in a shaded area beneath a beautiful live oak tree, across a grassy sward from the play area where Phinizy’s younger guests usually spend part of their time while visiting.  The GIS coordinates to pinpoint the location on Google Maps are 33.386017, -81.964013.   

The sculpture is intended to last for 50 years minimum in good condition, and to be a touchable, climbable, realistic representation of an alligator that the younger park guests can interact with. (The most requested animal to see at Phinizy Center’s Nature Park is an alligator.)

Every artist who applies for this call is strongly encouraged to research the history, purpose, programs, scholarship, and physical grounds of the Phinizy Center online at https://phinizycenter.org/. In-depth questions about the Phinizy Center can be answered by Ruth Mead, Education Director.

Selected artists will receive a stipend of $15,000 to cover all expenses associated with the envisioning, creation, transport and installation of the sculpture, and any and all other expenses the artist might encounter.

Installation: February 2024

This sculpture call is made possible by a generous grant from Georgia Rehabilitation Institute, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation that serves to better the lives of persons with disabilities and the elderly population in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA). To increase access to the arts for those without easy access to indoor art installations, GRI will support the fully accessible installation of public art in Augusta, GA.  This request for proposals is part of the Phinizy Center's long-term plans to increase accessibility to its walking trails, and its desire to incorporate mission-related public art into its site.

Artists may apply up to 5 times with separate proposals.  Please do not submit different concept proposals in one application.  Each application must be for one, individual design.  Applications that contain multiple proposal designs will be disqualified.

Phinizy Center & Swamp Nature Park:

A non-profit providing leadership for sustainable watersheds and economic vitality through research, education, and by connecting people with nature.

The vision of Phinizy Center is that every community will have a healthy environment that includes clean water and watersheds.

Our organization values:

• being a source of knowledge, science, and recreation
• conservation and stewardship of our finite freshwater resources
• environmental education for everyone
• unbiased work that advances knowledge
• building bridges between economic activity and environmental concerns

Augusta, Georgia:

Augusta, Georgia is the third largest city in the state of Georgia with approximately 200,000 residents, and around 500,000 in the larger metropolitan area, which spans both sides of the Savannah River, into South Carolina. Augusta was established as a strategic trading city along the geological “fall line” of the Savannah River. 

The climate in Augusta, GA is generally lovely, ranging from an average 45 degrees in winter to 82 degrees in summer. It does reach freezing temperatures for a few days a year, and can reach the high 90s in summer. It can be humid and does receive strong thunderstorms and the occasional tropical storm winds. Any outdoor sculptures must be made to withstand the full range of weather for at least fifty years.

Selection:

All individual pieces will be scored by the Phinizy Center leadership team. The top scoring proposal will be offered the project, and upon confirmation by the artist, contracts will be finalized between Phinizy Center and the artist.  If the selected artist declines, or a contract cannot be finalized, the next highest scoring proposal by a different artist will be selected.

Selection criteria include:

• Resident of the Regional Southeast of the United States (pass/fail)
• Qualifications and Experience of the artist in creating and installing sculptures in public spaces
• Clarity and Organization of the proposal as a reflection of artist's professionalism and ease of collaboration
• Aesthetic appeal of the images presented in the artist's portfolio of past work
• Aesthetic appeal of the images of the proposed sculpture
• Appropriateness of proposal vis a vis the purpose of the sculpture as a durable, safe to interact with, life-sized, realistic sculpture of an alligator
• Clear plan for installation
• Feasibility of proposal in terms of scope of work in relation to project budget and timeline
• Professional references
   

Eligibility:

The request for proposals is open to all professional sculptors and artist teams residing in the Southeast region of the United States (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee).  Proof of residency is required.  All members of any team that applies must be at least 18 years of age and reside in the United States. Phinizy Center employees are not eligible to apply.

Sculpture:

The Phinizy Center is seeking proposals for an original sculpture in any media suitable for long-term installation in outdoor public space. All sculptures must meet the following basic requirements:

1. The proposed work must be structurally sound and durable, and require little to no maintenance beyond routine cleaning.
2. The proposed work must be capable of withstanding adverse weather conditions common to the Augusta River Region, including hot summers, cold winters, humidity, heavy rain, wind, thunder storms, and occasional snow.
3. The proposed work must be suitable for pedestrian interaction with a low exposure to injury. The public must be protected from possible injury from materials and the work must not include sharp parts.  If the artwork is meant to be sat upon or climbed on, the climbable area must be no higher than two feet from the ground, and it must not present a public hazard, especially to young children. There must be no danger of children catching their fingers or toes in gaps.
4. The proposed work must recognizably, and preferably realistically, represent an alligator.
5. The proposed work (and any base) must exist within the following dimensional profile: 
   Not higher than approximately half a meter in the area where a child might sit
   2.5 – 5 meters in length
6. The proposed work must be of an aesthetic quality that would appeal to a variety of ages and cultural backgrounds.

General Information:

Installation: 

The selected artist is responsible for transportation of their work to the site and sculpture installation. Installation costs regarding site preparation will be the responsibility of the Artist.

Payment: 

The artist will be paid $15,000 for the commission and installation of the Phinizy Welcome Sculpture. 

• First payment will be made to artist upon execution of contract with Phinizy Center in the amount of $5,000.
• Second payment will be made to the artist upon satisfactory communication of mid-way progress in the creation of the artwork, at an agreed upon date between the artist and Phinizy Center, in the amount of $5,000.
• Final payment will be made to artist upon satisfactory installation of the sculpture at the designated site, in the amount of $5,000.

Schedule:

• RFP available: June 12 -July 17, 2023
• Selection process: July 24 – August 1, 2023
• Notification to selected artist: August 4, 2023
• Contractual process: through August 25, 2023
• Installation of sculpture: February 2024

Application Requirements

Application Requirements:

Required to include from Cafe Portfolio: 3-7 images of past work.

• Artist resume
• Image of Phinizy Interactive Alligator Sculpture proposal in PDF or JPG format
• Description of proposal
• Installation plan
• Project budget
• Professional references
• Proof of residency in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility:

This request for proposals is open to all professional sculptors and artist teams residing in the Southeast region of the United States (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee).  Proof of residency is required.  All members of any team that applies must be at least 18 years of age and reside in the United States. Phinizy Center employees are not eligible to apply.