Call Description

Stapleton announces its initial public art opportunity with a commission of $100,000.

About Stapleton

The redevelopment of Denver’s former Stapleton International Airport by Forest City Enterprises, Inc. is one of the largest urban redevelopments in the nation. When fully developed in 15 years, the 4,700-acre Stapleton property will become a series of mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly, urban neighborhoods of 12,000 homes and apartments where 30,000 residents live within walking distance of jobs, retail, schools and public transportation. Stapleton is also projected to have 13 million square feet of offices and retail providing 35,000 jobs.

The new neighborhoods at Stapleton will be enhanced by more than 1,100 acres of new parks and open space. Stapleton’s commitment to “smart growth” has earned international and national recognition that includes awards from the Stockholm Partnership for Sustainable Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and The National League of Cities.

For more information about Stapleton and the Public Art Master Plan for Stapleton, please go to www.StapletonDenver.com


Project Description

The focus of this public art project is the ellipse at East 29th Avenue and Xenia Street, an important part of the larger system of parks and parkways that makes up the infrastructure of Stapleton. Forest City Stapleton's Development goal is to create a sustainable community - one that balances higher density uses with generous open space and landscape, one that uses appropriate materials, planned and designed for low life-cycle costs with respect to the regional environment and one that has a design character that adds value to the community.

The ellipse is located at the intersection of two important axes. The first, East 29th Avenue runs east and west - the first parkway to be constructed at Stapleton linking the 29th Avenue Town Center with Westerly Creek open space. This parkway has a generous median that begins with a very formal presence at the west end - with rectangular shapes, grids or rows of trees, shrubs and light poles - and sod and more ornamental plantings, and ends at the east as a curvilinear path with irregular masses of plantings and native grasses evoking the Westerly Creek naturalistic landscape. The ellipse is at the center of the transition between these two design characters. The median is an active place for walking, jogging and informal activities such as sports, picnicking or just relaxing.

The second, Xenia Street, runs north and south connecting Westerly Creek Elementary School and the Odyssey School at the south end with one of Central Park's main entrances at the north. This is a strong visual connection with a formal arrangement of plantings intended to invoke the character of the Denver Parkway from the City Beautiful era.

The ellipse itself was designed to reflect both axes and includes an elliptical walk that allows joggers and strollers to turn around, a central open grassy area that was intended for unstructured recreation, a low, tree-shaded, stone seating wall and plantings, including power for holiday lighting. The ellipse is approximately 160 feet at its widest point and about 400 feet long. It is bisected west to east by a box culvert positioned about six feet under the surface of the ellipse.

Criteria for Artwork

The Project Selection Committee considers this site as an opportunity for unique artwork appropriate to a residential part of the diverse urban community that is Stapleton.

The concept of sustainability with respect to construction and landscaping includes several other features that would pertain to public art in this development.

• Stapleton has adopted a Master Plan for Lighting including a “dark skies” initiative that addresses concerns for light pollution and energy efficiency as well as safety and security.

• The artwork must be designed to be durable, require low maintenance and low cost maintenance.

• Artwork would need to be able to withstand the intense sun and temperature extremes and fluctuations characteristic of the Denver area.

This site in a residential area is also a traffic corridor. The artwork should not impede or interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic. It should not obstruct sight lines or otherwise affect traffic safety. The artist will need to comply with all relevant guidelines and regulations required by the City and County of Denver.

Application Process and Materials
The Stapleton public art program is conducting an electronic application and selection process online as a pilot project in partnership with Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF). NOTE: No slides or hard copy materials will be accepted for this call. All materials must be submitted in digital format.

Several free Technical Assistance workshops for artists will be offered in the spring.

Each application must be submitted via the CaFÉ(tm) web site at www.callforentry.org and must include:

1 - A current resume for each artist and/or team member that highlights professional accomplishments as an artist or artist team.

2 - Eight (8) digital images of relevant work. Accompanying image annotation must list media, size, title, date and a brief description of the artwork if necessary. Note: Eight images are required for the application to be accepted.

3 - An artist's statement, not to exceed 250 words that addresses the artist's/team's preliminary concept for this project.

Deadline: The application, images and other required materials must be submitted electronically by midnight, Wednesday, June 22, 2005 to www.callforentry.org.

Estimated Time Line for Selection Process
• Deadline for submissions: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 by midnight.
• Image review: In late July, the Project Selection Committee composed of residents of Stapleton, the community and arts professionals will review application materials and images and invite three finalists to submit full proposals for consideration. Each finalist will receive a design fee of $1000.00.
• Proposal review and final selection: In mid September the Project Selection Committee will review finalist proposals, interview the finalists and make a recommendation for the commission. This recommendation will be reviewed by the Public Art Advisory Committee for Stapleton and then referred to the owner of the artwork, The Board of Park Creek Metropolitan District for final approval.

Additional Information for Applicants:
Eligibility: Applicants must be legal residents of the United States.
Equal Opportunity: It is the policy of The Park Creek Metropolitan District that minorities and women together with all other persons shall have maximum opportunity to compete for and participate in the performance of all contracts, subcontracts and services awarded for Stapleton’s Public Art Program. The Park Creek Metropolitan District and its contractors shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age or sex in the award and performance of all contracts.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria

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