Call Description

Sculpture Design Competition

You design it, we build it!

The challenge: Design a steel sculpture based on the theme “Elevating 30” within the design parameters. Be creative with it, and not too literal!

The prize: $1800 and we build your sculpture!

Living Design Studios, an award-winning metal fabrication studio is celebrating 30 years of elevating ornamental and architectural metalwork with a Palooza-style celebration on September 6, 2024, at our shop in Erie, Colorado. 

We fabricate works for artists like Adam Kuby and Ken Bernstein and will fabricate your sculpture with the same quality and care. To get an idea of our work, take a look at our website.

The winning sculpture will be unveiled at the celebration and auctioned off as a fundraiser for Groundworks Art Lab's Capital Expansion Campaign. Groundworks Art Lab is a local non-profit, whose mission is to cultivate the artist in each of us by inviting creative collaboration in the study, practice, and advancement of the studio arts. As an arts teaching organization, classes are made accessible to everyone. 

We are excited to fabricate your design and share the sculpture with the world!

Design Parameters:

We will be fabricating this in-house, so materials and processes are limited to what we have in the shop.

If you have questions about the parameters, please email us for clarification. We will compile a list of FAQ's to send out upon request. 

Materials: Steel only - ⅛” and ¼” hot rolled steel sheet, and hot rolled and cold rolled steel stock (flat bar, tube, etc.) in standard sizes. Check Ryerson's website for what sizes/shapes are available if you aren’t familiar.

Number of parts: Maximum of 30 parts for assembly

Available Fabrication Processes: Welding, waterjet cutting, freehand plasma cutting, bending/forming w/ oxy-acetylene torch, drilling/bolting. Not available: machine rolling, press brake, forging/smithing.

Finishes: Raw steel/rust, paint, powder coating (using stock Cardinal colors).

Sculpture Size: 3’ W x 3’ D x 10’ H, mounted on a 3’ x 3’ concrete pad.

Sculpture Weight: Preferably under 500 lbs.

Estimated Project Timeline

• June 24, 2024 - Call deadline
• June 24 - July 1 - Review of applications
• July 8 - Winner will be notified
• July 15 - Fabrication begins
• August 30 - Fabrication ends
• September 6, 2024 - Dedication event

Selection and Review Process

All applications will be reviewed by a panel of local arts professionals, architects, and metal fabricators. Judges will rate each entry based on the following criteria:

1. Does the design excite the mind with ideas about "Elevating 30"?
2. Does the design utilize the metal and techniques within the parameters in a way that elevates the natural qualities of metal?
3. Will the sculpture hold up over time?

The winner will work with the project team to finalize the design to prepare it for fabrication. Final decisions about the design and fabrication will be made by Living Design Studios.

The winning artist will be honored at the celebration and unveiling. We highly encourage the winner to be present at the event.

Application Requirements

All applications must include:

• Images of your design (per CaFE media requirements), with at least 1 image to-scale of your design, with a labels of dimensions and materials used. This can be anything from hand sketches to 3D renderings and must fit the size and materials requirements outlined in the call.

Optional uploads:

• A 3d model was requested, but CaFE doesn't accept this type of file. Please submit 2d instead.
• A pdf with scaled images of your design
• Your portfolio (provided that these images are labeled clearly and are easily identifiable by the judges as separate from the submission image)
• Your resume

Eligibility Criteria

Everyone is welcome to apply!