The London Arts Council invites artists residing in London, Ontario or surrounding area to submit Expressions of Interest to create a permanent artwork integrated into the landscape of the East Community Centre. The selected artist(s) from this call will develop a proposal in consultation with the London Arts Council. This is a call for expressions of interest and qualifications. Submissions will be accepted until December 15, 2017 at 4:00 p.m.
ART OPPORTUNITY
The London Arts Council is seeking to commission an artist or artist-led team to create a permanent new creation to be integrated into the site of the East Community Centre, a multi-purpose recreation facility to be opened in early 2019. The commissioned artist(s) will be expected to complete the project by spring 2019. This project is administered by the London Arts Council on behalf of the City of London’s Culture Office as part of the City of London Public Art Program and funded by the City of London.
Artwork Goals
The goals of the project include:
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Supporting and enhancing the goals of the East Community Centre in providing a neighbourhood hub and destination centre for the East and Southeast area of London and in maximizing the potential for indoor and outdoor social space.
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Enlivening the outdoor social spaces of the East Community Centre and engaging the community in an enhanced visitor experience.
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Promoting the economic development and cultural identity of the neighbourhoods served by the East Community Centre.
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Building strong community connections by providing artistic expression of the cultural diversity of the surrounding communities.
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Providing accessible art that is relevant to London and Londoners through daily living, work, and play.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Location Description
The East Community Centre will be a multi-use recreation centre to replace East Lions Community Centre, located in East Lions Park in the Argyle neighbourhood. At 45,000 square feet, the new community centre will include community gathering spaces, indoor lap and leisure pools, gymnasium, change rooms, multi-purpose rooms, community kitchen, and Artisan Room. The building will be one floor.
East Lions Park is easily accessible through public transit and individuals from nearby neighbourhoods can easily access the park by walking or cycling. The siting of the building will redevelop pathway connections and enhance the experience of walking through and around the park. The building will take about 1/3 of the park but some existing park features such as the soccer field and courts will be enhanced.
Operated by the City of London, the centre will act as a community hub for the immediate neighbourhoods of Argyle, East London, Huron Heights, and Hamilton Road and as a destination community centre for the larger Southeast area of the city including Carling, Glen Cairn, Jackson, and Old Victoria. It is intended that this community centre will serve recreation and leisure users across multiple generations, providing a public space for neighbours, friends, and family to come together and build relationships. Through a wide range of programs and indoor aquatics, the East Community Centre will provide learning opportunities for individuals of all ages.
Design Parameters
Artist applications will be reviewed on the basis of professional qualifications and experience and other criteria listed below. An artwork proposal is not requested at this time.
Budget
Up to $67,000.00 is the total amount available for all related expenses of this Public Art project, including (but not limited to) artist fees, site preparation and restoration, technical consultation, travel to the site, fabrication, insurance, installation, permit fees, documentation, all applicable taxes, etc.
Timeline
The selected artist(s) will be expected to comply with the project’s general timeline dates, as highlighted below:
ARTIST SELECTION
Eligibility Criteria
This is a public competition open to professional artists residing in London, Ontario or surrounding area (i.e. Middlesex County, Elgin County, or Oxford County). Artist and/or artist-led teams are encouraged to apply.
Professional Artist
The London Arts Council defines a professional artist as someone who has developed skills through training or practice, is recognized by artists working in the same artistic tradition, has a history of public presentation, seeks payment for her or his work and actively practices his or her art. Short breaks in artistic work history are allowed.
Jury Process
Expressions of Interest will be reviewed by a jury of qualified persons. The jury will review applications on the basis of:
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Qualifications and professional experience of the artist(s).
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Demonstrated ability of the artist(s) to work collaboratively through the design and construction process and to execute a project of this scale under the criteria developed and with the budget and timeline set out.
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Demonstrated experience with and expressed desire to create public art for and in the public realm.
The jury will review the applications based on the project goals and selection criteria, and may recommend artists for a short-list. Short-listed artists will be requested to submit a full detailed proposal including an implementation plan, budget, design drawings, and maquettes to the London Arts Council. A Terms of Reference will be provided to the short-listed artists, which will detail technical and design parameters; site information and municipal plans (if applicable); geographical and cultural context, etc. Short-listed artists will be compensated to prepare their proposal. Please note that the London Arts Council is not compelled to award the project based on the submissions.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Artists wishing to be considered must complete all application requirements. Please complete all required fields of the online application form and submit the required application documents.
Online Submission
Incomplete and/or late applications will not be accepted. Faxed or e-mailed applications will not be accepted. The London Arts Council will not be responsible for applications lost in transit. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the application is submitted by the deadline.
Documentation
The following documents must be included in your submission:
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Written expression of interest (please note that a proposal is not requested at this time) detailing:
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A summary of qualifications and professional experience that outlines the artist’s suitability to this project, especially experience working with construction and design professionals.
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Why the context of the project is interesting or important to the artist.
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The artist’s experience and expressed desire to create artwork for and in the public realm.
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Demonstrated ability to successfully execute a project of this scale under the criteria developed and with the budget and timeline set out.
Please limit the written description to 600 words.
2. Your curriculum vitae that includes a brief statement of artistic activities in the last five years. Please
limit the CV to a maximum length of four pages.
3. References: names, addresses, phone and e-mail for two references who can speak to your art
practice and interest and/or experience in public art projects.
4. Documentation list: all visual support materials must be accompanied by a written list with artist’s
name, title of work, medium, dimensions (if applicable), location and date.
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5. Support materials:
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Up to 20 jpg image files (*please see Digital Specifications)
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Up to three recent reviews and news clippings
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Up to three programs, catalogues and other publications that include examples of your work (please highlight information specifically related to your work)
Digital Specifications
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Please be advised that total cumulative megabytes for all uploaded documents cannot exceed 20 megabytes.
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No individual uploaded document can exceed 10 megabytes.
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Written documents must only be submitted as .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, or .xlsx.
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Multimedia must only be submitted as .jpg, .png, .tiff, HTML, .mp3, .mp4, .mpeg, or .avi.
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Title each image with your initials and the number that corresponds to your documentation list (for example: TW01, TW02… TW20).
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Do not submit compressed files (ZIP).
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Do not submit materials that require software, plug-ins, or other extensions that need to be downloaded or installed.
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Do not embed photographs in documents such as Word or Powerpoint.
Please note that the London Arts Council is not compelled to award the project based on the submissions.
DEADLINE - Applications must be submitted by December 15, 2017 at 4:00 p.m.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - For additional information or questions please contact: Rachel Pennington, Public Art Specialist, London Arts Council, 519-439-0013 or email at rpenning@london.ca.