Call Detail
Parking Garage Artwork Design Competition
Entry Deadline: 10/23/17
Application Closed
Work Sample Requirements
Images | Minimum:Min. 4, Maximum:Max. 10
Total Samples | Minimum:Min. 4, Maximum:Max. 10
Call Type: Public Art
Eligibility: Local
State: Florida

The City of Sarasota is sponsoring a design competition related to a recently constructed downtown parking garage located at 1538 State Street between Orange Avenue and Lemon Avenue.  This design competition is limited to artists that reside or have an office/artist studio within a 150 mile radius of the City of Sarasota.  The parking garage sits just one block off the heart of Main Street.  The new garage stands six stories high and includes retail space on the first floor along State Street.  The façade of the parking garage gives an appearance of a structure other than a parking garage.

Along the State Street frontage, there are two pedestrian entrances with elevators and stairwells, and concrete atriums that are open to the ceiling of the structure.  The City desires to have artwork adorn the elevator/stairwell lobbies and levels on each of the interior floors (the sixth floor is an open parking deck) and as well as the atriums, stairwells, and possibly the concrete walls within the garage.  The intent is for artwork to provide a way-finding system useful in helping garage users identify the location of their parked car (i.e., each floor to have a different artistic characteristic – such as color, art scene, art design, etc).

This competititon will be judged based on a written description of your proposed artwork for this project and illustrations of the proposed artwork which are to be submitted in your response to this Call.

Selection Process

This Call to Artists is open only to artists that reside or have an office/artist studio within a 150 mile radius of the City of Sarasota. 

City staff will hold two meetings with interested artists at the State Street Parking Garage prior to the closing of this Call to Artists.  These meetings will be held at 9:00 am on August 10th and September 7th, 2016. Meet staff at the 1st floor office by the entrance to the State Street Parking Garage.  Please contact Clifford Smith, Senior Planner, clifford.smith@sarasotagov.com or 941-365-2200, ext. 4361, to schedule attendance at an orientation meeting.

Artists who are eligible to submit are requested to submit their original design ideas, all of which will be reviewed and initially ranked by the Public Art Committee at a public meeting.  Following this initial selection process, five artists who are selected as finalists will be invited to present their proposals to the Public Art Committee (finalists will be paid $500 honorariums to present their proposals in person and must include a site specific maquette and/or other visual depictions of the proposed artwork).  The Public Art Committee will rank the five proposals and make a recommendation to the City Commission, which grants final approval for the commissioning of this work.  More than one artist may be offered this commission, however the entire budget for the project will not exceed $100,000.  If more than one artist is offered this commission, artists may be assigned an individual level(s) on which to work so that each level will be individually distinguishable for the way-finding system.  An artist(s) may also be assigned to work on one or both atriums. 

Public comment is allowed during meetings of the Public Art Committee and City Commission.

The five selected artists for in-person presentations are responsible for transportation, lodging, food costs, and maquette/display materials when making their in-person presentations to the Public Art Committee.   

All applicants will be notified about the outcome of their submissions.  Please do not call or e-mail for an update on the status of the submission.

Design Criteria

Overall design criteria that will help guide the selection of artwork are:

Artwork that will complement the City and this downtown location.

  • Artwork will facilitate way-finding useful in helping garage users identify the location of their parked car (i.e., each floor to have a different artistic characteristic – such as color, art scene, art design, etc.).
  • Is designed to require minimal maintenance; please describe any required maintenance to properly maintain artwork.
  • Installation is to be in and around the two stair towers and elevator lobbies, including, an open concrete shaft (atrium) located next to each stairwell; placement on numerous blank concrete walls within the stairwells around the elevator lobbies; integrated into glass curtain walls located between the stairwell and elevator shaft and other locations as proposed by artist(s) and approved by the City.
  • Each design must ensure a high level of safety and mitigate risks where possible to avoid vandalism.  Any use of atrium space will be closely scrutinized/judged focusing on safety.
  • Artwork designs should be perceived effective during both daylight and LED lighting conditions (night).
  • Is of an original design (not reproduced).  The use of thematic designs are of interest creating artwork that represents the local area, culture, ecosystem, industry, people, history timelines, etc.    
  • Proposed work should be structurally sound; proposed work may require review and approval by a registered FL engineer (at the artist’s expense) - if safety concerns are associated with the proposed work.
  • The artwork will have an anti-graffiti coating.
  • The artist(s) will provide a two-year warranty on materials and craftsmanship.

There is no stated stylistic preference and a full spectrum of high quality artwork is anticipated to be of interest to the City.  However, the City does prefer designs that would make the users of the parking garage feel safe and comfortable when using the facility.  

The commissioned work of art will become part of the City’s permanent public art collection.  Artists are encouraged to submit qualifications, digital images, and a brief statement describing an initial concept idea for this project.  It is hoped that a full range of art mediums suitable for a public parking garage environment and styles will be represented.

For general information regarding the City’s public art program and images of completed works within the City's collection, please visit http://sarasotagov.org/PublicArt/index.html.

Artist Eligibility

Artists that reside or have an office/artist studio within a 150 mile radius of the City of Sarasota who have successfully completed projects of similar scale and budget. 

 Budget

The City’s project budget is not to exceed $100,000.00 (One-hundred thousand dollars). This artwork budget will reflect all costs associated with the project, including but not limited to such items as: design, engineering, production, transport, installation, site preparation, lighting needs, travel expenses, and required insurance.

Time-line

Orientation meeting(s): August 10th / September 7th 2016, each beginning at 9:00 AM EST.

Deadline for submission: October 23, 2016

General review of applicants by the Public Art Committee: November, 2016

Finalist presentations to the Public Art Committee: January, 2017

Recommendation of the Public Art Committee presented to City Commission: February, 2017

Artist(s) under contract: March, 2017

Anticipated project completion and installation: Prior to end of 2017

Installation may require application during low traffic periods of the public garage to avoid potential liability, operational conflicts, and distractions.

Application Requirements

Local Eligibility Requirement

To be eligible to submit to this Call to Artists, an artist must reside or have an office/artist studio with a 150 mile radius of the City of Sarasota.

Artist Statement/Proposal

Please provide a written description and illustrations (images, renderings, etc.) of your proposed artwork for the State Street Parking Garage - include title, type of media, dimensions, weight, and fabrication information.

Resume

Resume:  Please provide a brief current professional resume emphasizing art experience, public collections and public art commissions. Please be sure to include contact information including telephone number and email address.

Previous Works of Art

Please upload a file displaying examples of previous works of art.  For each example, please provide an image, title, type of media, dimensions, and year of completion.  Alternatively, you can upload images from your library/gallery, but be sure to include an ID sheet providing the requested information.

Proposed Budget Estimate for this Project

Please include a proposed budget estimate for this project.

Professional References

Professional References:  Please provide 3 or more professional references.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria