Call Description

PUBLIC ART FOR DOWNTOWN PARK, AUBURN, WA

PROJECT BUDGET: To not exceed $97,500 (Budget is inclusive of design, fabrication, installation, travel & inclusive of all taxes)

ELIGIBILITY:  Artists residing in Washington and Oregon

APPLICATION: Submission of an online application is required; please review all guidelines before applying.

DEADLINE:  Tuesday, June 10, 2025, 10:59PM

PROJECT BUDGET AND BACKGROUND

The City of Auburn, Washington is requesting qualifications from talented artist(s) and/or artist team(s) to create new and engaging public artwork(s) for a new Auburn Downtown Park that will be the centerpiece of Auburn’s creative district in the heart of the downtown core. The Park is a cross-block connection and gathering space that seamlessly ties together a soon-to-be build theater, the Postmark Center for the Arts, new residential housing, and the east side of Main Street, an historic commercial area of downtown.

Downtown Park adds a new, significant green space for the downtown core and seeks an art element that strengthens its ties to the arts, inspires creativity, and enriches the experience of plaza visitors and the community.

The City is seeking an artist(s) to be a collaborative team member to work with the plaza design team to shape an art element that is truly integrated to the plaza design and experience.

We welcome art that may be:

• integral to the park design, be it a singular element, multiple elements, or art throughout the plaza.
• multi-sensory (i.e. – sound, light, textural/tactile)
• interactive
• dynamic… with an experience that may seem to change thought the day/night, in different weather or during different seasons.
• unexpected
• magnetic- drawing people to seek it out, engage with it and return to do so again and again.
• memorable

Artists are encouraged to submit works/projects that display the above qualities and are created in close collaboration with design teams led by Landscape Architects or Architects. The artwork(s) should be site specific and incorporate universal design concepts of inclusivity, accessibility, and usability regardless of age, disability, or other factors.

The awarded artist/ team should display a strong portfolio of engaging, complex, and interactive public art projects. They should have experience and effectiveness working with a variety of stakeholders to receive and implement feedback. The project awardee should be capable of managing their fabrication and installation, while coordinating and communicating effectively with City Staff.

ABOUT THE CITY

Auburn is in the heart of the Green River Valley, located between Seattle and Tacoma in the shadow of Mt. Rainier. Auburn is a south King County city with roots in the railroad and farming communities. Auburn is a growing city with over 75,000 residents, and a charming historic Main Street that leads to a commuter transit hub. The White and Green Rivers intersect in Auburn, and it is on the ancestral lands of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe.

For more information about the City of Auburn and its arts programs, please visit: www.auburnwa.gov/arts

BUDGET

This is an all-inclusive budget, not to exceed $97,500. The selected artist/ team are responsible for their own items, as well as fabrication and installation beginning to end. This may include, but is not limited to travel, costs associated with the design such as engineering approvals, materials, fabrication, delivery, site preparations, physical installation, liability insurance, and all taxes.

PROJECT PARTNERS

City of Auburn with consultation from Berger Partnership Landscape Architects

PROJECT LOCATION

125 E Main Street, Auburn, WA 98002

ARTIST SELECTION SCHEDULE

Schedules are subject to change. Applicants are expected to be available for interviews if selected as a finalist.

June 10, 2025, 10:59pm - Deadline for Entry                                                               

June 11-12, 2025 - Selection Panel                                                                    

June 13, 2025 - Finalist Notification                                                                                         

July 7, 2025 - Finalist Interviews                                                                

July 8, 2025 - Notification of Selected Artist                                                  

ARTWORK PROJECT SCHEDULE

August/September 2025 - Collaborative Design Phase                                               

December 31, 2025 - Final Design/Engineering/Bidding Documents Completed                        

2026 - Fabrication and on-site Installation                                 

SELECTION PROCESS

The artist/artist team for this commission will be selected through an open call process. A selection panel comprised of representatives from the City of Auburn, the art and design community, and community stakeholders, will review all eligible applicant materials received, and will select up to three (3) finalists to interview. The final commission will be awarded on the basis of interviews.

The panel reserves the right to not make a selection from the submitted applications, interviews or finalist proposals.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The artist will be selected on the following criteria:

• Quality and strength of past work as demonstrated in the submitted application materials
• Ability to create artwork appropriate in concepts, materials and scale for a public, community facility
• Interest and/or experience creating site-specific artwork that reflects past or present Auburn communities
• Demonstrated experience with projects of a comparable scope and budget
• Availability to begin design work as soon as possible upon selection notification, and complete the artwork and installation in 2026.

ELIGIBILITY

This project is open to professional artists residing in the states of Washington and Oregon. City of Auburn Arts Commissioners, selection panel members, project personnel, and immediate family members of all of the above are not eligible to apply.

SITE DETAILS

The future park site is approximately 10,500 square feet, located on East Main Street, adjacent to the future Auburn Theater, Postmark Center for the Arts, as well as downtown businesses and housing.  The following images are the initial conceptual designs of the park that were used for grant funding applications. A more robust park design will be forthcoming when the Finalist Artist Selection notification is made on June 13.

Application Requirements

APPLICATION MATERIALS

The following materials are required of all applicants. 

1.       Online Application via Call for Entries

2.       Statement of Interest

Write a statement, (300 words or less) explaining why you are interested in this opportunity, how your past work is appropriate for this project, and how you meet the eligibility requirements and selection criteria of this call. If applying as a team please address how team members work together. Applicants are NOT asked to submit a proposal as part of the application.

3.       Work Samples and Descriptions

Applicants must submit 3-10 work samples to be eligible for consideration. Applicants are encouraged to submit work samples of past work that best illustrates their qualifications for the project. Applicants whose work is best experienced through time-based media, may submit up to three (3) of the ten (10) work samples as video samples with a cumulative run time of up to 3 minutes. Provide a description of the work sample(s) you are submitting. This applies to all work samples, whether uploaded or hosted externally. Include your titles (and/or track numbers) of the work(s) submitted in the order in which they are to be reviewed. Applicants are encouraged to include a brief description of the applicant’s role in the creation of the artwork, the medium(s), dimensions, completion date, commissioning entity, sale/commission amount, project partners, as applicable. 

Digital Work Samples: A maximum of ten (10) images may be submitted. Images must be under 5MB each. We recommend 1200 pixels or greater on the longest side. We accept JPG or JPEG files only. File names should indicate the order in which they are to be reviewed by the peer-panel. We recommend naming your image files like this: 01_LastName (e.g.: 01_Rodriguez.jpg, 02_Rodriguez.jpg). Files may be uploaded in any order. Note: Our system may append an account name and numerical code to your files. Images will be presented to the peer-panel, one at a time, in the order you indicated by file name (e.g. 01_Rodriguez). 

4.       Resume

Two-page (maximum) résumé. Artist teams should include two-page resumes for all members as one document. Keep the formatting as simple as possible. PDF is preferred; text (.txt) files will also be accepted.

Below are some suggested items to include:

• Contact Information: At the top of each page, include your name, address, phone and email.
• Education: List all academic degrees earned, and periods of study at schools or universities or training programs.
• Professional Experience:
• Commissions: List commissions with details including the project or artwork title, location, commissioning agency, project partners, project budget, and date of completion.
• Exhibitions: List the title of the exhibition, the exhibition space, and the city and state where the exhibition was presented. You may want to indicate if it was a solo show, group show, juried exhibition, or invitational exhibition, etc.
• Collections: List private collections, corporate collections, permanent public collections, etc. You may want to ask permission to list a private owner of your work.
• Experience: List experience that is relevant to your professional art-making career including teaching, technical experience, residencies, and lectures.
• Honors, Awards & Grants: List honors and awards, grants or other recognition of merit.
• Bibliography: List books, magazines, newspapers and catalogues that reference your artwork.
• Professional Affiliations: List professional organizations, national, regional, and local, to which you belong.

ON-LINE APPLICATION PORTAL

The City of Auburn is utilizing Call for Entries for all online applications. It is recommend initiating your on-line application at least one-week prior to the deadline.

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY

This project is open to professional artists residing in the states of Washington and Oregon. City of Auburn Arts Commissioners, selection panel members, project personnel, and immediate family members of all of the above are not eligible to apply.