The St. Michaels Public Art Project seeks a permanent public sculpture for the town of St. Michaels, Maryland to be positioned on the grounds of the St. Michaels Museum in St. Mary’s Square.

St Michaels is an historic tourist town, located between 2 bodies of water, on Maryland's Eastern Shore in Talbot County. There are approximately 1094 residents, augmented by week enders and tourists. There are many vacation homes, locally owned and operated as short term rentals. The Town is 3/4 white and 1/4 African American; there is no sizable Hispanic community.

There are 3 museums and numerous opportunities for recreation: boating, sailing, kayaking, biking, and walking, particularly on a mile long Nature Trail, soon to be extended 1/2 mile, as well as fine dining and shopping. The Town hosts many festivals and parades and a weekly seasonal farmer's market. There is an active art league which hosts art shows and hangs banners, decorating the streetscape. The walkable town, with its charming historic houses and waterscapes, will benefit immensely from the sentiment and history which art conveys.

The location of this proposed artwork is on St. Mary's Square, the original center of St. Michaels as designated in the 1778 town plan, a narrow square, a quarter the length of a soccer field, bordered by a narrow one way road. Across the restricted street is the site of the St. Michaels Museum with many exhibits informing visitors of early life in St. Michaels, notably as a shipbuilding center and then with seafood processing businesses. This park, while significant historically, is often overlooked as it is relatively off the beaten path. We hope that by calling attention to the art, it will increase the visitation and appreciation of the Square and of the Museum.  

The artwork should be:

·       Representative of St. Michaels history, particularly the unique culture of the people post 1800s

·       Promote gathering by creating a feeling of engagement or interaction from the viewer

·       Evoke emotion of a positive nature

·       Enhance the aesthetics of the grounds without disruption

·       Depict one or more figures of half or full size (3-6’)

·       Consistent with the historic nature of the grounds and fit in with the existing landscape of tree and grass and historic buildings (not highly modern)

We recommend the artist make a visit to St. Michaels. 

We will reimburse gas mileage for distances greater than 35 miles each way from St M. Please include receipt with application.

Materials for the sculpture should be durable, permanent, and require minimal maintenance.

It is recommended that the artist learns about the history of the Town and its people. Sources are listed below:

·       St. Michaels Museum: stmichaelsmuseum.org

·       History of Talbot County Maryland by Oswald Tilghman

·       Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum: CBMM.org

·       Talbot County Public Library, Maryland Room:tcfl.org/mdroom

Application Requirements

Interested artists should submit the following with their application through Café

1.       Professional Resume/CV

2.       Letter of interest: tell us what interests you in this project, including what related experience you have in creating three-dimensional work. If you have any experience or knowledge of the Eastern Shore please write about that. A visit to St. Michaels is recommended.

3.       Draft vision statement: describe a concept(s) you have for this sculpture.

4.       Portfolio: 3-8 images of past or current projects which are similar in concept or scale.

5.       References: please provide contact information for 3 references which can attest to your previous work.

Eligibility Criteria

This opportunity is open to artists aged 18 years or older. The lead artist must be a resident of Maryland.