Call Detail
Entry Deadline: 3/14/19
Application Closed
Application Closed
Work Sample Requirements
Call Type: Proposals
Eligibility: Local
State: Washington
Eligibility: Local
State: Washington
CALL FOR CURATORS
Seattle Asian Art Museum
The Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), in partnership with Seattle Art Museum (SAM), is seeking a multi-disciplinary art curator/curator team to develop, manage, and coordinate temporary arts programming at the Seattle Asian Art Museum and Volunteer Park. The curator/curator team will work with ARTS and SAM to develop a series of free events, performance-based art (featured inside the museum and/or outside in the park) and temporary public art (featured outside in the park only) starting November 2019 (proposed reopening of the Seattle Asian Art Museum) and occurring intermittently for 9 months following the reopening of the museum.
BACKGROUND
Seattle Asian Art Museum is a 1933 Art Deco building in the Olmstead-designed Volunteer Park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. The building was designed by Carl F. Gould, a Paris-trained Seattle architect, and is now a heritage and landmark site. Serving as the Seattle Art Museum location until 1991, when the museum expanded into a downtown location, the building was rededicated as the Seattle Asian Art Museum in 1994. In 2017 the Seattle Asian Art Museum closed for its first significant renovation and expansion since the museum opened in 1933.
The renovation includes significant improvements to the heating and cooling systems, art storage, a new conservation studio, and seismic mitigation for the building. The expansion includes a modest addition to create a new gallery and more community and education spaces. Construction has commenced, and the museum is expected to reopen in November 2019.
Our world-renowned permanent collection includes extensive assemblages from Japan, Korea, China, and South Asia. From Buddha sculptures to our iconic early 17th-century Japanese Crows screen to the recently acquired Colored Vases by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, our collection has been imaginatively curated and expanded for 80 years.
This call seeks a curator/curator team to develop, manage, and coordinate a series of performances, projections, and/or site-specific programs to occur within Volunteer Park in conjunction with the re-opening of the Seattle Asian Art Museum. SAM will be coordinating a series of celebratory events for the re-opening, and the programming offered will be coordinated closely to align with SAM efforts. SAM wishes to celebrate this important re-opening while centering Asian/Pacific Islander experiences and perspectives and connecting to the overall mission of the museum, connecting art to life.
SITE LOCATION
Volunteer Park is a 48-acre historic Olmstead Park that is designated a Seattle Landmark and is located in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The park includes the Seattle Asian Art Museum, a Conservatory, water tower, reservoir, playground, public art, and grassy and forested open space. The Seattle Asian Art Museum is centrally located within the park with the address of 1400 East Prospect Street.
Volunteer Park and the Seattle Asian Art Museum are both Seattle Historic Landmarks, in which the Seattle’s Landmarks Preservation Board reviews any modifications, including temporary use. Programming offered will need to be planned and scheduled in consideration of the wide variety of events occurring at the park and museum and consideration of the landmark status of the building and park. Volunteer Park is a registered historic site, project proposals may be subject to review by the Department of Neighborhood’s Historic Preservation office.
Programming must be free and accessible to the public and locations can include Volunteer Park or certain SAM designated public spaces within the Seattle Asian Art Museum on free/no admission days. Free admission is planned for the first opening weekend of the Seattle Asian Art Museum, First Thursdays from 11am – 9pm, and the first Saturday of every month from 11 am – 2pm.
PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE
The curator/curator team will be selected, notified, and contracted by May 2019. The Seattle Asian Art Museum is anticipated to reopen in November 2019. The curatorial programming will begin with the opening of the museum, November 2019, and continue intermittently throughout the following 9 months (estimated through August 2020).
The final schedule of performances and other arts programming will be determined by ARTS and SAM in consultation with the curator/curator team. Coordination between the selected curator/curator team, SAM, and the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation will need to occur to avoid conflict with the wide variety of membership/private/park events that will occur in that same timeframe. Any programming to occur within the Seattle Asian Art Museum would need to occur on free admission days and not conflict with existing exhibits, programming, or events.
ELIGIBILITY
This call is open to curators/artists residing in Washington State. Employees of SAM or ARTS are not eligible for this opportunity.
The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture encourages diversity in its collection and programming. Artists whose work is well represented in the city’s programs are eligible to apply, but the artist selection panel will consider artistic diversity as one factor in the selection process.
SCOPE OF WORK
The selected curator/curator team, in collaboration with SAM staff, will develop and implement arts programming that launches to the public in conjunction with the re-opening of the museum, currently anticipated for November 2019. The curator/curator team will develop, plan, and implement all aspects of a range of temporary programs, events, and performances that celebrates the newly renovated and expanded museum, complements the mission of SAM/Seattle Asian Art Museum, centers Asian/Pacific Islander experiences and perspectives, and enhances the environment in and around Volunteer Park. A multi-disciplinary approach to programming could include, but not be limited to, temporary visual art installations (to be featured in Volunteer Park and not within the galleries), performance, video/film projection, pop-up events, dance, and music/sound.
Planning:
The total budget for the project is $120,000 inclusive of all taxes, fees, travel, permits, etc. The selected curator/curator team will receive a curatorial and management fee of $25,000 and will have a programming budget of $95,000. The project funding is through 1% for Art Funds and administered by the Office of Arts & Culture.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
10:59 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time), Thursday, March 14, 2019. Please allow ample time to complete your application; applications submitted after the 10:59 p.m. (PDT) deadline will not be accepted.
APPLICATION TIMELINE
Thursday, March 14, 2019, 10:59 p.m. (PDT): Applications Due
Friday, March 29, 2019: Finalists Notified
Wednesday, April 3, 2019, 2pm: Information Session with Finalists
Thursday, May 16, 2019: Interviews and Concept Proposal Presentation ($1,000 honorarium provided to finalists for development of the concept.)
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Please note the maximum number of submitted work samples is 15 total; there is no minimum. Work samples can include, but are not limited to, the following:
SELECTION CRITERIA
The curator/curator team will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:
SELECTION PROCESS
The selection process will take place in two parts. During the first round, a panel of arts professionals, client representatives, and community members will review the applicants’ images, qualifications, and other submitted materials. The panelists will select up to four finalists to develop a proposal and interview. Finalists will have approximately four weeks to develop their proposals and will provide them to the panel one week prior to the interviews. The interviews will consist of a presentation of the concept proposal and a series of questions. Finalists will be compensated with a $1,000 stipend for developing a concept proposal.
NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS
Finalists will be notified by end of March 2019 and invited to develop a concept proposal. An information session with the finalists is scheduled for Wednesday, April 3 at 2pm and can be attended in person or remotely. An outline of what to include within the concept proposal will be provided to the artists. Finalists will be invited for a concept presentation and interview on Thursday, May 16, 2019. All applicants will be notified of the panel’s decision by June 2019. The Office of Arts & Culture reserves the right to not select any of the applicants.
WE’RE HERE TO HELP
Please contact Maija McKnight, public art project manager at maija.mcknight@seattle.gov, 206.684.7311.
For assistance with the CaFÉ online application platform, contact CaFÉ tech support at 888.562.7232 or cafe@westaf.org, Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
Seattle Asian Art Museum
The Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), in partnership with Seattle Art Museum (SAM), is seeking a multi-disciplinary art curator/curator team to develop, manage, and coordinate temporary arts programming at the Seattle Asian Art Museum and Volunteer Park. The curator/curator team will work with ARTS and SAM to develop a series of free events, performance-based art (featured inside the museum and/or outside in the park) and temporary public art (featured outside in the park only) starting November 2019 (proposed reopening of the Seattle Asian Art Museum) and occurring intermittently for 9 months following the reopening of the museum.
BACKGROUND
Seattle Asian Art Museum is a 1933 Art Deco building in the Olmstead-designed Volunteer Park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. The building was designed by Carl F. Gould, a Paris-trained Seattle architect, and is now a heritage and landmark site. Serving as the Seattle Art Museum location until 1991, when the museum expanded into a downtown location, the building was rededicated as the Seattle Asian Art Museum in 1994. In 2017 the Seattle Asian Art Museum closed for its first significant renovation and expansion since the museum opened in 1933.
The renovation includes significant improvements to the heating and cooling systems, art storage, a new conservation studio, and seismic mitigation for the building. The expansion includes a modest addition to create a new gallery and more community and education spaces. Construction has commenced, and the museum is expected to reopen in November 2019.
Our world-renowned permanent collection includes extensive assemblages from Japan, Korea, China, and South Asia. From Buddha sculptures to our iconic early 17th-century Japanese Crows screen to the recently acquired Colored Vases by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, our collection has been imaginatively curated and expanded for 80 years.
This call seeks a curator/curator team to develop, manage, and coordinate a series of performances, projections, and/or site-specific programs to occur within Volunteer Park in conjunction with the re-opening of the Seattle Asian Art Museum. SAM will be coordinating a series of celebratory events for the re-opening, and the programming offered will be coordinated closely to align with SAM efforts. SAM wishes to celebrate this important re-opening while centering Asian/Pacific Islander experiences and perspectives and connecting to the overall mission of the museum, connecting art to life.
SITE LOCATION
Volunteer Park is a 48-acre historic Olmstead Park that is designated a Seattle Landmark and is located in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The park includes the Seattle Asian Art Museum, a Conservatory, water tower, reservoir, playground, public art, and grassy and forested open space. The Seattle Asian Art Museum is centrally located within the park with the address of 1400 East Prospect Street.
Volunteer Park and the Seattle Asian Art Museum are both Seattle Historic Landmarks, in which the Seattle’s Landmarks Preservation Board reviews any modifications, including temporary use. Programming offered will need to be planned and scheduled in consideration of the wide variety of events occurring at the park and museum and consideration of the landmark status of the building and park. Volunteer Park is a registered historic site, project proposals may be subject to review by the Department of Neighborhood’s Historic Preservation office.
Programming must be free and accessible to the public and locations can include Volunteer Park or certain SAM designated public spaces within the Seattle Asian Art Museum on free/no admission days. Free admission is planned for the first opening weekend of the Seattle Asian Art Museum, First Thursdays from 11am – 9pm, and the first Saturday of every month from 11 am – 2pm.
PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE
The curator/curator team will be selected, notified, and contracted by May 2019. The Seattle Asian Art Museum is anticipated to reopen in November 2019. The curatorial programming will begin with the opening of the museum, November 2019, and continue intermittently throughout the following 9 months (estimated through August 2020).
The final schedule of performances and other arts programming will be determined by ARTS and SAM in consultation with the curator/curator team. Coordination between the selected curator/curator team, SAM, and the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation will need to occur to avoid conflict with the wide variety of membership/private/park events that will occur in that same timeframe. Any programming to occur within the Seattle Asian Art Museum would need to occur on free admission days and not conflict with existing exhibits, programming, or events.
ELIGIBILITY
This call is open to curators/artists residing in Washington State. Employees of SAM or ARTS are not eligible for this opportunity.
The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture encourages diversity in its collection and programming. Artists whose work is well represented in the city’s programs are eligible to apply, but the artist selection panel will consider artistic diversity as one factor in the selection process.
SCOPE OF WORK
The selected curator/curator team, in collaboration with SAM staff, will develop and implement arts programming that launches to the public in conjunction with the re-opening of the museum, currently anticipated for November 2019. The curator/curator team will develop, plan, and implement all aspects of a range of temporary programs, events, and performances that celebrates the newly renovated and expanded museum, complements the mission of SAM/Seattle Asian Art Museum, centers Asian/Pacific Islander experiences and perspectives, and enhances the environment in and around Volunteer Park. A multi-disciplinary approach to programming could include, but not be limited to, temporary visual art installations (to be featured in Volunteer Park and not within the galleries), performance, video/film projection, pop-up events, dance, and music/sound.
Planning:
- The curator/curator team will work with SAM/Seattle Asian Art Museum, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) and Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation (Parks) to determine budget, locations, and program schedule.
- As part of the application process, finalists will be asked to create a programming proposal, which, if selected, will be used as a guiding document, and modified and revised as needed based upon information gained as part of the planning process.
- If appropriate, the curator/curator team will work with ARTS to develop calls for artists and will facilitate the artist selection process and contracting under the guidance of ARTS.
- The curator/curator team will work with SAM, ARTS, and Parks to develop a public outreach and marketing plan for the performances, events, and programs.
- Programming will be promoted/marketed in cooperation with SAM and distributed to audiences through the museum’s printed and online channels, such as SAM’s member magazine, e-newsletter, web listings, and social media. The scope of programming will be promoted as a cohesive series through consistent graphics and language. The curator/curator team, in collaboration with SAM staff, will be responsible for developing the descriptions, imagery, and organization of information.
- The curator/curator team can determine to use part of the budget for marketing and promotion in addition to the SAM/Seattle Asian Art Museum marketing provided.
- All onsite management and coordination of the participating artists and artwork programming will be the responsibility of the curator/curator team, and if on Seattle Asian Art Museum premises, must be completed in consultation with SAM staff.
- The hiring of consultants/equipment rental/production companies to assist with the production and presentation of temporary artworks and presentations will be the responsibility of the curator/curator team, and will be subject to any facilities requirements or other conditions reasonably requested by SAM and Parks.
- Associated in-kind costs for presentations within the Seattle Asian Art Museum public spaces during open hours (i.e., room rental during open hours) will be provided at no cost to the curator/curator team. Associated hard costs for presentation within the museum spaces (specialized security, a/v staff, etc.) will be part of the curator/curator team’s associated costs and included in the overall programming budget.
- The curator/curator team will be required to sign a contract with the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, and payment will be a series of deliverables that are outlined in the contract.
- Contracting will be done in two phases, the design phase that includes planning, meetings, and a final programmatic schedule and commission phase that will be the overall presentation of programming.
- The curator/curator team shall maintain at their own expense at all times during the commission stage of the project Commercial General Liability insurance with minimum limits of liability of $1,000,000 each occurrence bodily injury and property damage combined single limit. The curator/curator team shall have their authorized insurance representatives issue certification of insurance with an attached copy of the actual blanket of designated additional insured policy provision documenting that the City of Seattle and Seattle Art Museum as additionally insured for primary and non-contributory limits of liability.
- Performances or temporary programs that will occur within the SAM designated public museum spaces will be reviewed in advance by SAM Director of Museum Services and Chief Registrar, and/or Director of Facilities to ensure the safety of the exhibits and artwork on display, as well as the safety of the Seattle Asian Art Museum facility.
- Volunteer Park and Seattle Asian Art Museum are registered historic sites and project proposals may be subject to review by the Department of Neighborhood’s Historic Preservation office. The curator/curator team will be responsible for acquiring necessary permitting and approvals.
The total budget for the project is $120,000 inclusive of all taxes, fees, travel, permits, etc. The selected curator/curator team will receive a curatorial and management fee of $25,000 and will have a programming budget of $95,000. The project funding is through 1% for Art Funds and administered by the Office of Arts & Culture.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
10:59 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time), Thursday, March 14, 2019. Please allow ample time to complete your application; applications submitted after the 10:59 p.m. (PDT) deadline will not be accepted.
APPLICATION TIMELINE
Thursday, March 14, 2019, 10:59 p.m. (PDT): Applications Due
Friday, March 29, 2019: Finalists Notified
Wednesday, April 3, 2019, 2pm: Information Session with Finalists
Thursday, May 16, 2019: Interviews and Concept Proposal Presentation ($1,000 honorarium provided to finalists for development of the concept.)
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
- Statement of interest (2,000 characters maximum including spaces) OR a 2-minute audio or video recording* including:
- Statement of interest specific to this project
- General approach you would take for this project
- Description of your connection to and knowledge of local Asian/Pacific Islander artists
- Résumé (if team applying, include a résumé for each member of the team)
- Three references with contact information (if team applying, include references for each member of the team).
- Work samples* (maximum 15 total). Please include examples of past work that you feel are directly relevant to this project; detailed instructions for submitting work samples follow below. Work samples can include jpg images, videos, pdf documents, and/or website pages. If there is a work sample that you feel is relevant, but does not fit into these categories, please contact project manager Maija McKnight (maija.mcknight@seattle.gov, 206.684.7311).
Please note the maximum number of submitted work samples is 15 total; there is no minimum. Work samples can include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Images. Can include, but not limited to:
- Curatorial images of past exhibitions / series / performances
- Past personal artwork if relevant
- Promotional marketing images of curatorial work, events, etc.
- Other as relevant
- Documents. Can include, but not limited to:
- Curatorial / exhibition / event master plans
- Promotional marketing images of curatorial work, events, etc.
- Other as relevant
- Websites. Please note that the committee will not review entire websites and will not click through various sub-menus within a website. Videos as part of a website should be entered as videos (see details below).
- Relevant web projects in which the panel will be directed to one specific page
- Social media curatorial projects
- Other as relevant
- Videos. If videos are hosted on Vimeo, YouTube, or other online platform, please copy/paste the video's link and password, if applicable, into a pdf document and upload the document with your other work samples. Videos should not be longer than 1 minute; if longer, please provide the time code of the one-minute segment of the video you would like to share with the committee. If no time code is provided, the committee will only watch the first minute of your video.
- Work Sample Identification List. For each of the submitted items, please provide the file name or clear title, description, state the relevance of the work sample to this current application, and provide a time code for video samples longer than 1 minute. If applying as a team, list the name of each curator that was responsible for the project. Each description as part of this annotated list should be approximately 2 - 5 sentences in length. Please be sure to provide a specific file name or other clearly identifiable title for each of the work samples in the list, to allow the committee to easily match the description to the work sample.
- Demographic Questionnaire (optional, but requested).
SELECTION CRITERIA
The curator/curator team will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:
- Quality of concept and vision of past works
- Visual and technical sophistication
- Creativity of approach
- The ability to produce and organize outdoor contemporary art events
- A proven ability to coordinate and collaborate with project managers, arts professionals, and community stakeholders
- A proven ability to develop effective partnerships
- Demonstrated ability to complete and present projects on time and within budget
- Demonstrated knowledge of and connection to Seattle’s Asian/Pacific Islander artists and community
SELECTION PROCESS
The selection process will take place in two parts. During the first round, a panel of arts professionals, client representatives, and community members will review the applicants’ images, qualifications, and other submitted materials. The panelists will select up to four finalists to develop a proposal and interview. Finalists will have approximately four weeks to develop their proposals and will provide them to the panel one week prior to the interviews. The interviews will consist of a presentation of the concept proposal and a series of questions. Finalists will be compensated with a $1,000 stipend for developing a concept proposal.
NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS
Finalists will be notified by end of March 2019 and invited to develop a concept proposal. An information session with the finalists is scheduled for Wednesday, April 3 at 2pm and can be attended in person or remotely. An outline of what to include within the concept proposal will be provided to the artists. Finalists will be invited for a concept presentation and interview on Thursday, May 16, 2019. All applicants will be notified of the panel’s decision by June 2019. The Office of Arts & Culture reserves the right to not select any of the applicants.
WE’RE HERE TO HELP
Please contact Maija McKnight, public art project manager at maija.mcknight@seattle.gov, 206.684.7311.
For assistance with the CaFÉ online application platform, contact CaFÉ tech support at 888.562.7232 or cafe@westaf.org, Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time.