The City of Austin is accepting proposals from artists interested in creating public art at the future African-American Culture and Heritage Facility. The complex will be located on East 11th Street off of Branch Street.
Download the Request for Proposals (pdf) from the City of Austin's Art In Public Places (AIPP) program here. The deadline to pitch your public art project is midnight, January 10.
Alyson McGee, AIPP coordinator, said the city's is eager to find an emerging artist, someone who has not done a public art piece before.
"So they may be an artist who has done oil paintings, but this might be an opportunity for them to demonstrate how their other art work could translate into a public art project. So a painter might be able to translate their work into mosaic."
The public art piece will be displayed in the courtyard of the new East Austin culture complex. That means art pieces must be durable enough to withstand the Texas weather. The art must also reflect Austin's African-American culture.
Although a budget proposal is not required right now, McGee said artists will want to keep it in mind. The budget for the art installation is $65,000. And that's supposed to cover everything: artist pay, materials, labor, etc.
The City is hosting three information sessions for interested artists. The meetings are supposed to help guide artists in the complex bidding process.
Artist Information Sessions Wednesday, December 1, 2010 & Wednesday, January 5, 2011, 6:00-8:00 pm The DeWitty Center, Room 213 (2209 Rosewood Ave.) Learn more about the AAC&HF project and how to navigate the AIPP online artist registry and submission system (ASAPP!), including how to format digital images for uploading. Wednesday, December 15, 2010, 6:00-8:00 p.m. ProArts Collective, Suite 100 (1009 E. 11th St.) Meet one-on-one or in small groups with AIPP staff and Panel Members to discuss how to develop an effective proposal, including writing letters of interest and proposal narratives, estimating project costs, and determining what fabrication materials and methods may be appropriate for public art.
The African-American Cultural and Heritage Facility will be the anchor for the newly-established African-American Cultural Heritage District in Austin, which includes the neighborhoods near and around the Huston-Tillison University campus.
The facility was also part of a 2006 bond package and the African American Quality of Life Initiative. It includes the historic Dedrick-Hamilton House in the Robertson Hill area. The house was owned by the family of Mr. Thomas Dedrick, one of the first freed slaves in Travis County.
