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Texas Artists Wanted To Create Public Art In Seaholm District

Photo by City of Austin

The City of Austin says it will pay up to $166,000 in costs and labor for someone to create a piece of “exterior art that is engaging for families and children” near a bridge that will become part of the Seaholm District redevelopment project.

The bridge, as you can see in the image above, will link Shoal Creek Trail to West Avenue via Second Street. The City of Austin’s Art in Public Places Project, which has been doing this kind of thing since 1985, says applicants should focus on meeting these criteria:

  • be a unique work of contemporary art for the public;
  • be dynamic and engaging for children and families;
  • function well within the context of the site and its surrounding land uses;
  • create artwork that is easily maintained and safe.

You have to be a Texas resident older than 18 to qualify, and you have to submit your application through this website by February 13, 2012.  

The city has already chosen several artists to build other artwork in the Seaholm District, CultureMap Austin reports:

Already, AIPP has chosen artist Nader Tehrani's schematic design for their Seaholm Substation Wall project, Christian Moeller for the atrium piece in the Central Library, and artist Ned Kahn's designs for the Austin Energy Control Center.

Find out more on the bridge project by reading the entire Request for Qualifications. Here's an aerial view of the project site:

View Larger Map

Nathan Bernier is the transportation reporter at KUT. He covers the big projects that are reshaping how we get around Austin, like the I-35 overhaul, the airport's rapid growth and the multibillion-dollar transit expansion Project Connect. He also focuses on the daily changes that affect how we walk, bike and drive around the city. Got a tip? Email him at nbernier@kut.org. Follow him on X @KUTnathan.