OPPORTUNITY OVERVIEW: THE WATER STREET ARCHES PROJECT

 The Peekskill Arts Alliance (PAA) and HV MOCA, with funding from the Peekskill Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), seek proposals from professional artists or artist collectives interested in creating a design for a site-specific art installation as part of the Enlighten Peekskill Public Art Project. The artwork will serve as a welcoming introduction to Peekskill  as residents and visitors move from the Hudson River Waterfront area to Downtown.   The project will be installed on a series of 10 arches located at the intersection of South Water Street and Central Ave. The art work will be printed on vinyl banners, fitted to the arches that support the Rt. 9 Overpass.  Artists should produce works that are interconnected by theme or imagery across the span of the 9 individual arches, each 23' h x 16' w.  The 10th arch will be reserved for informational signage.  We ask artists to be mindful that the arches location is a major site, large and prominent, visible from the passing trains, cars and passerby.  Art work should be warm, welcoming, and appealing to the general public.  It should grab the viewer’s attention – “stop them in their tracks”.

 Please review all details in this document before making your submission.

RFP DEADLINE: Proposals must be submitted online via the link provided by  March 21, 2025 11:59PM, E.S.T. Artists will be notified of their selection as a finalist by April 1, 2025.

 BACKGROUND:

 In 2019, the City received a DRI grant award of $10 million. The grant included funding for a Public Art Project known as Enlighten Peekskill. The Enlighten Peekskill Public Art Project includes the Five Elements Arches mural, installed on the arches at Requa and South Streets, four illuminated sculptures sponsored by HVMOCA, and Making Connections, a PAA-sponsored series of mural installations at 13 downtown Peekskill sites.

Together, the murals and sculptures create art corridors that connect the Peekskill Waterfront to the City’s downtown, and serve to engage residents and visitors in a unique cultural and historic experience, increase foot traffic and tourism, and improve the attractiveness of the downtown. This RFP builds upon the work that has already been done as part of this project to strengthen Peekskill’s identity as an “Arts Community” and provide outdoor visible signs of artworks by local and nationally known artists. This installation will be the fourteenth site for a mural installation.

To date, the public artworks have:

·       Been strategically placed to highlight gateways, local geography and cultural history.

·       Created art corridors that serve as wayfinding landmarks, or a navigational map.

·       Provided opportunities for community engagement and participation in creating public art.

·       Remained sensitive to the architectural integrity of historic areas while celebrating and enhancing our city’s identity.

·       Resulted in a cohesive and thematically unique display of public art.

·       Included artwork that is site-specific, designed to best suit its location and be appropriate for a public audience of all ages.

·       Stimulated business activity through art tourism in downtown Peekskill

The sites at which Making Connections installations have been completed include the following:
1. BeanRunner Café (Private)
2. Peekskill Coffee House (Private)
3. Police Station (Municipal)
4. The Fern Tree (Private)
6. The Bruised Apple (Private)
7. Outside Lincoln Depot Museum (Municipal)
8. Pugsley Park (Municipal)

Sites in process:

10. Baxter’s (Private)

11. Birdsall House (Private)

12. Jan Peek Square (Municipal)

13. Sidewalk Quotations (Municipal)

Sites 1-8 engaged artists via an RFP process.
Sites 9-13 recruited artists and residents through several community- based approaches.

THE OPPORTUNITY: THE WATER STREET ARCHES PROJECT

This Request for Proposal (RFP) seeks to add to and enhance the public art in Peekskill by replacing the beautiful but worn artwork, “Life,” created and installed by Peter Bynum a decade ago. The existing art features 9 large panels depicting abstract shapes that evoke (depending on the viewer microscopic cellular activity, undersea coral, vascular pathways or algae, plus a panel with information about the mural. “Life” was part of the Peekskill Project 6 exhibition organized by Hudson Valley MOCA (then called Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Arts) in 2015.

 The call for new art in this location should include a series of nine (9) designs that relate to each other,  welcome visitors to Peekskill and celebrate the many unique characteristics of the city. Visitors will admire the creative public art presentations as natural extensions of what Peekskill is and will be. 

Application Requirements

Artists interested in being considered for this opportunity must submit the following:

1. A current resume/CV, particularly highlighting relevant experience (required)
2. Artist statement (required)
3. Minimum of 5, up to 10, images of original completed artworks (Work Samples) (required)
4. Work Samples Checklist (required)
5. Letter of interest (required)
6. 3 professional references or reviews of completed artworks

Eligibility Criteria

Artists and artist collectives with a proven track record.