Eligibility:  This juried exhibition is open to sculptors 18 years or older producing large scale sculptures suitable for long-term outdoor and public exposure.  
The show will be judged by a nationally and international recognized panel of jurors: Susan Cross, curator of visual arts at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts; Amy Podmore, Professor and Sculptor at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts; and Sculptor & Environmental Artist, Steven Siegel, New York, New York.
About ART IN THE PARK, Worcester, MA
The Art in the Park exhibition was created to present public art to a broad community, promote works by artists from New England Region, enhance outdoor spaces and enrich lives. Since 2008, a volunteer committee consisting of a core group of experienced cultural arts presenters and community supporters augmented with contracted public art professionals have organized the show. Art in the Park was one of six projects to receive the Gold Star Award in 2009 – a statewide award given by the Massachusetts Cultural Council to recognize exemplary cultural programs funded by a local cultural council. Art in the Park continues to be exhibited in Elm Park; a National Registry public park with both Olmsted designed and inspired elements, where it attracts an ethnically and socio-economically diverse audience of 10,000 people. Art in the Park, Worcester in partnership with the Arts and Business Council of Boston and the City of Worcester’s Parks Department will present Art in the Park 2015.  This program is supported by the Worcester Art Museum, ArtsWorcester and in part by a grant from the Worcester Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Stipends
Invited artists will each receive a stipend of $700 to install and exhibit their work. There is one stipend per artist regardless of the number of pieces accepted.
There will be a limited number of opportunities for artists to have their work displayed at educational, medical and others institutions in the Worcester, Massachusetts for a six month to a year period at the end of the exhibit. Included with this opportunity is the option to present a workshop at the receiving institution and receive an additional $300.00 honorarium. Past sites include the Ecotarium; Audubon, Worcester, Massachusetts; Bancroft School; Burncoat Middle School; Auburn High School; and UMASS Medical, Memorial Hospital Campus.
Artists are encouraged to offer their work for sale. If sold, 30% of the sale price is payable to Art in the Park, Worcester. Selected artists are expected to attend the opening ceremony on June 15th and are encouraged to participate in other related events.
Site Description
The five-acre Elm Park is centrally located and surrounded by two residential and two high traffic city streets. The park is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as one of the earliest public parks in the United States and contains historical landscape design elements of the Olmsted Firm. Park facilities include a boathouse, playground and winter skating. Prominent park features are three interconnected Mere Ponds with water wildlife in the center of the park and two arched bridges.  Due to the restoration of the border of one of the Mere Ponds and subsequent low water level in the ponds, for 2015 the ponds are not available for installations. 
Selection and Installation
Works selected for the exhibition will be based on quality, design, durability, scale, suitability for an outdoor environment, safety to the public, and stable mounting. Works should be able to be well anchored to a base platform, into the earth, in the ponds, or securely suspended from trees. The sculptures will be sited in Elm Park by the jurors and Art in the Park’s organizer(s) within guidelines set by the Supervisor of the Worcester Public Parks Department.
Artists are responsible for transporting, installing, and removing their works. Art in the Park presenters will provide at least two volunteers to assist with installation and removal. It is the responsibility of the artist to provide additional assistance, if needed. For works that require heavy-duty machinery for unloading and set up, equipment will be available on a limited scheduled basis. The organizers reserve the right to exclude pieces that pose safety, security or other risks. Artists will be offered the opportunity to correct any problems. Once installed, sculptures must not be removed prior to the end of the exhibition period.
Entry Specifications
         ♦  Each artist may submit proposals for site-specific pieces or images of up to 6 
sculptures. Artists are encouraged to visit the park prior to submitting their application and may specify possible location(s) for the sculpture. Organizers cannot guarantee the location, but every effort will be made to consider the applicant’s request. Submitted applications will serve as an agreement to the conditions herein stated for exhibiting in Art in the Park.
          ♦   Due Date:  All applications and materials must be received by January 15, along with a $20.00 entry fee. If submitting by check, please make it payable to Art in the Park/A & B C and mailed to Wheel Arts Administration, 205 Kenyon Avenue, East Greenwich, RI, 02818. Artists are not considered eligible until their entry fee is received. 
        ♦   Date of work:  Sculptures must have been produced within the past four years.
         ♦   Ownership:  All work must be the property of the artist.
         ♦   Size:  Sculptures should be large scale, heavy, and have the ability to be well anchored in a tree, to a 
base platform, in the ground or pond.
         ♦  Lifting equipment will be available at specific times to assist with unloading and setting up sculpture. Notice of equipment need is to be provided at agreement to display.  
         ♦   Safety:  Sharp, pointed pieces should be avoided to prevent injury to viewers.
         ♦   Media:  All media should be suitable for outdoor installation, safe for viewers and 
appropriate for extended outdoor exhibition and exposure to weather.
         ♦   No substitutions:  Sculptures accepted by the jurors cannot be substituted with 
other work without contacting the Art in the Park organizers.
         ♦   Artists are encouraged to submit pieces with strong color or bright metal so as to 
stand out in the Park. However, pieces will not be judged on the basis of color.
Key Dates
Entry Deadline:  January 15, 2015
Sculptors notified: March 10, 2015
Artist's acceptance to exhibit: March 19, 2015
Installation of sculptures:  June 9 & 11 (lift equipment available)
Opening Day of exhibition:  June 15, 2015
Removal of Sculptures:  October 13 & 15, 2015 (lift equipment available)
Brochure, Promotion, and Publicity:
For all works accepted for exhibition we will need high-resolution images to use in promotions and publicity.
We will print approximately 3,000 color exhibit guides and 25,000 rack cards for distribution to the public, civic groups, and fellow Worcester Cultural Coalition member organizations. Art in the Park exhibit is promoted across New England on radio, TV and in the print media, as well as on the internet via social media, Art in the Parks, the City of Worcester’s website and Facebook page, and Worcester Art Council’s sites. Participating artists will receive 10 complimentary copies of the brochure for their archives and distribution. Artists may be contacted for interviews.
Insurance
Works selected for exhibition will be insured by the Art in the Park organization for 70% of the stated retail value while installed in Elm Park.  Artists are responsible for insurance while the art is in transit.  A condition report will be completed upon arrival and departure. 
Security
The Art in the Park organization and the City of Worcester will exercise all practical care of the sculptures while in Elm Park.  Artists should be aware that the Park is a non-gated public park. While park staff and police patrol it periodically and there are lights, it does not have 24 hour surveillance.

Contact
For questions regarding CaFE, please email café@westaf.org.
For questions regarding Art In The Park, email Elizabeth Keithline: artinthepark3@gmail.com.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria

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