Call to Artists for Public Art: 13th Temporary Public Art Exhibition in Blue Springs, Missouri 64014

Issued by Public Art Commission, City of Blue Springs, Missouri on September 17, 2021   

Application Deadline: Sunday, October 31, 2021, Midnight Mountain Daylight Time

 Exhibition Overview"

The City of Blue Springs, Missouri established the Blue Springs Public Art Commission (PAC) in 2000 in order to enhance the artistic vitality of Blue Springs and to create a culturally rich community for citizens to live, work and shop. 

 This is our thirteenth year of offering a temporary exhibition of public art, which will be entitled “Regenerate”.  The exhibit will be placed for one year, from April 4, 2022 through April 1, 2023.  This “Call to Artists” seeks artists wishing to be considered by the Selection Panel for the exhibit.  It is open to all professional and emerging artists over the age of eighteen. Each selected artists will receive an honorarium of $2500 for display of their sculpture. In the past, one or more artworks have been purchased from each exhibition to remain in the City as permanent art.

For this exhibit, we are partnering with Colonial Gardens, a local agri-tourism business, to display four sculptures in outdoor spaces, in their retail business environment.  Colonial Gardens celebrates the concept of “soil is life” and the regenerative relationship of nature, plants and food for maintaining our bodies in much the same way that art encourages creativity, imagination and enrichment of our minds. 

Four artists will be selected to provide a sculpture for exterior display in the Exhibition. Two of the four artworks will be placed along a major thoroughfare with sidewalk access and two in high trafficked accessible locations. By placing these four sculptures within a local business, patrons and citizens will be able to participate more closely in the cultural experience that public art provides. Display of artworks within the heart of the community and business locations helps fulfill the purposes of the Public Art Commission.

Due Date of Applications: All applications should be submitted through Café not later than midnight October 31, 2021, Mountain Daylight Time

Theme:  Any proposed artwork should relate to the artist’s conception of the exhibit theme of “Regenerate”.  The intent of the theme “Regenerate” is how a horticultural environment and art have positive effects on our lives and our community.  The four finalist sculptures selected will be guided on how well their submissions translate to match this intent. Artworks should be appropriate in size and height to at least one of the placement sites.

Site:  The exhibition will be located in the southeast corridor of Blue Springs, MO at 27610 E. Wyatt Rd, 64014, one of our busy shopping/dining destinations. The artworks will be along the entry street of Colonial Gardens and within its’ open area business locations.  For information about Colonial Gardens, visit: https://colonialgardenskc.com.   

Photographs of the artworks site locations and should be appropriate in size and height to the placement site. For the allowed volume of space for sculptures appropriate to the sites, go to: http://www.bluespringsgov.com/2116/Regenerate

Media:  Media can include, but are not limited to, bronze, stone, wood, metal, mosaic, ceramics or other materials suitable for exterior display.  Kinetic or interactive art is encouraged.

Compensation:  Each Artist will receive an honorarium of $2,500 for the 12-month exhibition.  Artists may offer their work for sale but PAC or Colonial Gardens reserves the right of first refusal for any artwork purchase from the exhibit. If PAC or Colonial Gardens choose to purchase any artwork for permanent exhibit, the $2,500 will be credited toward the purchase price.  PAC will encourage the offer of sale to others if it does not choose to retain the art.

Installation:  Artists are responsible for transporting, installing and removing the artwork after the exhibition.  Most installation costs regarding site preparation and some on-site equipment may be provided by Colonial Gardens. Exterior artwork should be durable and require no maintenance during the 12-month exhibition period.  In western Missouri, heavy rains, high heat and humidity, high winds, and seasonal snow or freezing precipitation may occur, so consideration should be given to resistance to the effects of weather.  Attention to public safety issues and resistance to vandalism will also be important.  Approval of artwork will be contingent on satisfactorily addressing liability issues and assuring structural integrity. 

Installation and Exhibition Dates:  Installation of artwork will be between March 15, 2022 through March 31, 2022, as arranged between the Artist and PAC. Exhibition will be from April 4, 2022 through April 1, 2023.

Promotion:  Each artist will be interviewed and videotaped during installation for use by PAC in promotion of the “Regenerate” exhibition.  Artists will receive brochures about the artists and artworks of the display.   Artists will be invited to attend a dedication event for the exhibit during June of 2023.  Artworks will be promoted in local and regional publications and will be part of the City of Blue Springs and Colonial Gardens websites with photographs and a map of the location of each artwork. 

Selection Process:  An Artist Selection Panel composed of artists, art administrators, Colonial Gardens staff and community residents will review all submissions which meet the application requirements and deadline. The selected artists will be interviewed via phone by the Selection Panel to discuss their proposed artwork.  For this interview, selected artists are encouraged to submit any proposed sculpture drawings, models or 3D renderings that relate to the theme.

Determination of the finalist artists will be based on how well their body of work and/or any additional submissions relate to the intent of the theme.  After selection, each finalist artist shall provide an illustration of the proposed piece or photograph of a pre-existing artwork for approval by PAC. Artworks that are offensive or politically motivated or which do not meet community standards of decency will not be approved. Artist finalists must enter into a contractual agreement approved by the City of Blue Springs. An artist may request a specific site for an artwork but the decision will require the approval of PAC and Colonial Gardens. 

Application Requirements:  Interested artists should submit the following to be considered:

• Letter of interest. Please explain why you want to be considered for this exhibit.  Suggest your interpretation of how your art would fit the theme of the exhibit.
• Current Resume. Include information and details about educational background, previous work, gallery showings, and past experience in public art exhibits.
• Digital Images. A minimum of four and a maximum of six jpeg images representative of your body of work are required.  Also include with images: (1) title of work (2) dimensions of the work (3) materials used.  One additional video file is optional which includes a model or 3-D rendering of proposed sculptural works.
• CAFÉ. Any questions regarding file preparation should be directed to the homepage of CAFÉ which is https://www.callforentry.org.

Artist Timeline:

Questions: Contact CAFÉ administrator for “Regenerate” or email Justin Stuart at jstuart@bluespringsgov.com or phone (816)228-0105

Application Requirements

Application Requirements:  Interested artists should submit the following to be considered:

• Letter of interest. Please explain why you want to be considered for this exhibit.  Suggest your interpretation of how your art would fit the theme of the exhibit.
• Current Resume. Include information and details about educational background, previous work, gallery showings, and past experience in public art exhibits.
• Digital Images. A minimum of four and a maximum of six jpeg images representative of your body of work are required.  Also include with images: (1) title of work (2) dimensions of the work (3) materials used.  One additional video file is optional which includes a model or 3-D rendering of proposed sculptural works.
• CAFÉ. Any questions regarding file preparation should be directed to the homepage of CAFÉ which is https://www.callforentry.org.

Eligibility Criteria

NA