City of Lee’s Summit Cultural Arts Division
Downtown Sculpture Walk 2021

The City of Lee’s Summit (MO) Cultural Arts Division is accepting applications for the 2021 Downtown Sculpture Walk temporary sculpture exhibit. Entries must have sculptures available from April 2021 through March 2022. Submission deadline is January 4, 2021.

Lee’s Summit is located approximately 22 miles southeast from the heart of Kansas City, Missouri. It is a fast growing suburban community with a population of just under 100,000 residents, making it the sixth largest city in the state of Missouri and the Kansas City metro region. Lee’s Summit is a composite of rolling farmland, award-winning parks systems and growing neighborhoods. This unique dynamic enables our community to celebrate our agricultural roots and humble beginnings while embracing progress, growth and cultural vitality.   

About Downtown Lee’s Summit: Downtown Lee’s Summit is comprised of 11 square blocks that echo the original 1865 plat that established the City’s founding boundaries. Downtown Lee’s Summit has won numerous state and national awards for excellence in downtown revitalization and management, including the Great American Main Street Award from the National Trust Main Street Center. Most recently in 2019, the American Planning Association designated our downtown as one of America’s Great Neighborhoods. Boasting a near 0% vacancy rate, our downtown is home to locally owned retail shops and restaurants, unique co-working spaces and an eclectic mix of small businesses. Downtown Lee’s Summit is the City’s primary cultural and entertainment district which hosts over 100 community and family oriented events each year that bring thousands of residents and tourists to the area. The district is also home to the Lee’s Summit History Museum and numerous commercial buildings, homes and neighborhoods are listed on both state and national historic registries.

EXHIBIT OVERVIEW
The Downtown Sculpture Walk seeks to increase walkable access to public art in Lee’s Summit. The exhibit contributes to current revitalization efforts taking place in our downtown district and to the long-term vision of creating a vibrant community. The sculpture walk complements our well-established Fourth Fridays Art Walks that are held April through August. It is also be a focal point for the many downtown events that take place throughout the year, including the Downtown Days Festival, Summit Art Festival, Mayor's Tree Lighting and our annual Halloween, Veterans Day and St. Patrick's Day parades. The Downtown Sculpture Walk is a collaboration between the City of Lee’s Summit Cultural Arts Division, the Lee’s Summit Arts Council and Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street, Inc. 

Up to ten (10) artists will be selected to install 3D sculptural works appropriate for long-term outdoor display. The exhibit will run from the beginning of April 2021 through the end of March 2022. Selected artwork may be installed in any of the designated locations in Downtown Lee’s Summit that includes concrete pads and open space grassy areas. The jury selection committee will determine the final location of each sculpture. Artwork may be installed on concrete slabs or grassy areas.

ELIGIBILITY

The Downtown Sculpture Walk is open to professional local and national artists over 18 years of age.

Artists must own the rights to all works submitted. Artwork must be of original work and be complete by the time application is submitted. No proposals or design renditions will be reviewed.

Artwork must be available for public display from April 2021 through March 2022. Artists should tentatively plan to install artwork April 5 – 16, 2021 and de-install the last week of March, 2022.

Artwork must be of professional quality and build and not the result of instructional guidance.

Any variety of materials may be incorporated, but the artwork must require no maintenance throughout the duration of the exhibit. The City will not be responsible for any maintenance needs.

Artwork must be of safe and professional design and construction and can be securely bolted to a concrete pad with anchor bolts, or sit safely on the ground. Artwork should be sturdy and durable as this is an outdoor public art program and artwork may experience public interaction.

Artwork must be suitable for long-term outdoor exhibition and able to withstand temperature and weather fluctuations common in Missouri (i.e. high wind gusts, freezing rain, snow, high humidity levels, and extreme temperature fluctuations.)

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Artists may submit up to two existing, completed sculptures for consideration. Each sculpture requires its own application.

Artists may submit up to three images from different perspectives per sculpture entered. The base should be visible in the images. Images should accurately depict the artwork. Image size should follow requirements identified on CAFÉ.

Each image must be labeled with an image number, artist name, and entry title. (Ex: Artist Name-Entry Title – 01)  

Artists must include a description of each sculpture in the application including title, medium, dimensions, weight, date of construction, sale price and installation method.

SELECTION PROCESS
Entries will be juried by a Selection Committee. The Selection Committee will be comprised of members from the City’s Cultural Arts Division, Lee’s Summit Arts Council Public Art Committee and the Downtown Lee’s Summit Cultural Arts Committee. Artwork will be selected based on artistic merit, artistic context, maintainability and suitability for public display. The Selection Committee reserves the right to reject any applications that do not meet eligibility requirements and/or are incomplete, or instances in which the artwork does not appear suitable for long-term outdoor display.

Once applications are submitted and are being reviewed, it is the artist’s responsibility to contact the City of Lee’s Summit Cultural Arts Division at 816-969-1032 or at Glenda.Masters@CityofLS.net if their work is no longer available.

Artist can expect to be notifed of selection results by January 12.

IF SELECTED
Artwork that is submitted on the application must be the same as the artwork that is delivered for installation in size, color, edition, etc. The Selection Committee retains the right to reject works differing markedly from the work depicted in the digital image submitted.

Selected artists will be required to sign an exhibition agreement with the City of Lee’s Summit. Artists will not be permitted to install artwork until the exhibition agreement is fully executed. 

Artists are responsible for delivering and installing their own work at the designated site. Artists are also responsible for all costs incurred associated with delivery and installation. All selected works must be delivered to the site designated by the Cultural Arts Division on the date and time agreed upon by the artist and Cultural Arts Division. Artists should tentatively anticipate installing their artwork the first or second week of April 2021. The artist and Cultural Arts Division will also select an agreed upon pickup time and date for the piece at the end of the program year.

If artwork selected for the Downtown Sculpture Walk is no longer available, the Selection Committee may choose to negotiate with the artist to have another one of their pieces on display. The Selection Committee may also choose to select another artist’s work.

Submitted artwork should require no maintenance during the exhibition period. The City of Lee’s Summit is not responsible for the maintenance of any artwork on display. The City of Lee’s Summit will perform regular evaluations of the installed piece and inform the artists of any maintenance needs.

All artwork must be for sale and remain the same price throughout the exhibition as submitted on the entry form. All artwork must remain on display throughout the exhibition period. This includes any artwork sold during the exhibit.

COMPENSATION
Selected artists will receive a stipend of $1,000 to offset costs associated with installation, travel and per diem. Stipend will be payable after completion and sign off on the installation process. First-time exhibitors will be required to provide a W-9 to the City of Lee’s Summit at the time of contracting.

Artist information will be listed on the exhibition website and publications so that works have the opportunity to be purchased by an individual or business. Any purchased artwork must remain on display throughout the program year.

Artists will receive 100% of the sale for any artwork sold during the exhibition.

MARKETING AND PROMOTION
This program will be promoted throughout Lee’s Summit and surrounding Kansas City Metro Region. This includes digital, social and print media.

The City of Lee’s Summit reserves the right to reproduce and distribute artwork images through print and electronic media for promotion of the exhibit. This includes images submitted through the application process, as well as photos taken of the piece throughout the exhibition year.

A plaque is installed along with each sculpture that includes the title of the piece, the artist’s name, website and sale price.

The artist retains the copyright for the work.

INSURANCE AND INSTALLATION
Sculptures are insured by the City of Lee’s Summit for the duration of the exhibit from installation to de-installation. It is encouraged that the artist insure their artwork during transportation to and from the installation site.

The artist is responsible for getting the artwork to the City of Lee’s Summit exhibit location and installing the work themselves. Artwork placed on concrete will be bolted to 4’x4’ concrete pads with 3/8” to ¼” anchor bolts. The City of Lee’s Summit will not be responsible for damage, or cover the cost of repairs for damage, to artwork during installation, exhibition or de-installation. Artwork placed on grassy surfaces must either be bolted/staked into the ground to prevent moving or tipping, or be heavy enough to be placed directly on the lawn without the risk of moving or tipping.  

Artists must work closely with the City of Lee’s Summit until installation is complete. The artist may sign off on installation once complete.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria