The City of Roanoke, through the Roanoke Arts Commission, is accepting submissions now until midnight, February 3, 2025 for freestanding sculpture responding to the theme “Larger than Life.” The installation will celebrates the 15th anniversary of a well loved work of public art, Trojan Dog, by artist Ann Glover, with a call for oversized reimaginings of everyday objects. Both proposed work and finished pieces will be considered.  

The two-year lease of each work (not to exceed $4,500 per piece) will be funded through Roanoke’s Percent for Art fund.

This invitation is extended to all artists 18 and older or supervised student groups under an applicant instructor or institutional program. Innovative approaches are welcomed, including the establishment of partnerships between emerging and established artists or between artists and fabricators. Regional artists and teams with connections to Roanoke are strongly encouraged to apply, as are women and artists of color.

In the spirit of bringing fresh perspectives on our collective journey and the world around us, the Roanoke Arts Commission invites submissions of 3-D work. 

• Concepts and finished work must directly respond to the theme: “Larger than Life.” In the concepts, we invite consideration of everyday items, with their likeness rendered at a grand scale.
• Work can be new or proposed. New work is encouraged.
• Materials used might reflect:
  - Roanoke’s natural environment;
  - the city's industrial and cultural history;
  - the knowledge-based activity of the Innovation Corridor, including new materials and methods; and 
  - strides in inclusion and equity as the city reconsiders and invests in itself and this place.
• The use of materials will reflect the strength, resilience, imagination, aspirations, and inclusive nature of the city and its creative cultural community.
• The development of the work will reflect innovative and collaborative approaches that explore new ways of looking at both at the resources at hand and the processes deploying them.
• Works must be:
  - of a scale and material suitable for outdoor display, 
  - designed to withstand an outdoor, high traffic, unmonitored environment,
  - require little or no maintenance for the two-year duration of the show,
  - original,
  - suitable for family viewing, and
  - constructed so that they can be securely anchored.

The Art Walk includes up to seven (7) available pads surrounded by native plantings.  Each pad is 6’ by 6’ and can hold up to 1,500 lbs. Work cannot be over 15’ tall or 6’ wide. Anchor bolts are required and must be set at least six inches from the edges of the pads. 

CALENDAR

> Application is required by February 3, 2025 at 11:59 PM. Application will be through CaFÉ.

> Chosen artists or teams will be selected and notified by Friday, February 23, 2025

> Installation is to occur between Monday, May 5 2025 and Thursday, May 15, 2025. Because park facilities are frequently busy with the set up and break down for weekend festivals, installation is recommended to take place between Monday afternoon and Thursday afternoons.

> Works are to be picked up between Monday, April 26 and Thursday, May 6, 2027 

Application Requirements

Each artist may submit a total of up to 3 proposed sculptures or concepts for consideration. 

To apply, please submit to the call as posted on the CAFÉ website. Submittals are due by 11:59 p.m. EST February 3, 2025. To apply, go to the CaFÉ homepage at CallForEntry.org, and create an artist account. CaFÉ is free to use, and there is no entry fee for this call. Under “Find Calls” search for Roanoke. Follow the instructions for submission, upload the required images and files, and submit. The links are also available at www.roanokearts.org/elmwood. 

PROPOSALS MUST INCLUDE:

+ A brief Artist(s) Statement (300 words max) to introduce the selection panel to your artistic practice 

+ A project statement (500 words max) that describes the response for this project, demonstrates an understanding of the community, and explains how the work relates to the context and theme of “Larger than Life.” 

+ Concept or sculpture images (included in the work samples image upload section)

+ An illustration of how the piece will be anchored to the pad (included in the work samples image upload section.)

+ An anticipated project budget, including travel, materials, etc. Note: the maximum payment is $4,500.

+ Contact information for two professional references for which the Offeror has done design or art work in the last five years.

For technical questions about CaFÉ, please click on Help on the CaFÉ website.

All responses to this call shall be submitted through CaFÉby February 3, 2025 at 11:59 PM. 

Proposals received after the specified date and time may not be accepted. 

Eligibility Criteria

A selection panel representing diverse interests and expertise will review submissions and recommend at least six artists or artist teams to the Roanoke Arts Commission.  Each proposal will be reviewed in accordance with the provisions demonstrated herein, and the City reserves the right to issue multiple awards.

Works will be evaluated for selection on the basis of those most qualified to meet the requirements of this call. The City of Roanoke will use a weighted scoring system when evaluating selection criteria. Major criteria to be considered in the evaluation may include, but shall not necessarily be limited to the following items:

Experience: The background, education, and experience in providing similar services or items elsewhere, including the level of experience in working with municipalities and the quality of work created. 35 points

Cost/Fee: Reasonableness/competitiveness of proposed fee and/or benefits to the City, although the City is not bound to select the Offeror who proposes the lowest fees or most benefits for services. The City reserves the right to negotiate fees and/or benefits to the City. 10 points.

Compliance: The responsiveness and compliance with the requirements and conditions. Determination that their are noncontractual relationships which would result in a conflict of interest. 10 points

Approach and Methodology to Meet Need: The ability, capacity, and skill to fully and satisfactorily create the work, demonstrating artistic merit and excellence. The quality of performance in comparable and/or similar projects. Whether the work can be delivered in a prompt and timely manner. 45 points. 

The following criteria will be used to assess artistic excellence and artistic merit

• Quality and design of the art work or proposal
• Responsiveness of the proposal to the call’s theme and community context
• Appropriateness for the site, including aesthetic content and public safety
• Feasibility given timeline and budget
• Artist’s or team’s experience meeting deadlines in client-based projects. For student teams or artists stretching their practice to include public sculpture, the thoroughness of issues being considered in the design and description will be considered.
• Durability – The art work’s ability to withstand weather and interaction in a highly public area over the 2 years of the exhibition
• Diversity – The exhibition will be curated to reflect the diversity of the community and to display a diversity of approaches
• Other criteria not outlined above may be considered as well.