The city has sounded the bell for new public art. It is asking professional artists or artist teams to submit their proposals to undertake the design, development and installation of a new piece of public art to be located in the Rotary Park section of Riel Park, an area of family recreation near the mouth of the Sturgeon River as it meets Big Lake.
According to the call, artists are invited to create a “visually challenging and inspiring sculptural artwork exploring the theme ‘family’, which will reflect the innovation and optimism of the City of St. Albert while showcasing the powerful beauty of the natural outdoor setting.”
There are otherwise no parameters on what size, shape or subject matter will be considered by the jury during the two-stage selection process.
“We’re leaving it really open at this point,” stated Russell Bingham, the public art associate with the city. “This will give the jury a chance to see who might have a good idea for the site.”
The winning proposal will be a large, public, freestanding outdoor artwork.
The deadline for submitting proposals is 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 29. After that, the city will pre-qualify no more than five artists or artist teams. The second part of the selection process will be the release of an Invitation to Tender for the Supply of the Outdoor Public Art for Riel Park. This invitation will be given to the artists or artist teams selected from the pre-qualification process.
Bingham said this process is “an effective way of narrowing down the field and leaving a little latitude for artists to come up with ideas that you didn’t think about yourself in the first place.”
The total budget for the selected artwork is $78,000.
The city has had a successful run of new public art installations in the last year or two. Most recently, Edmonton sculptor Ken Macklin brought two new metal works to the Perron District in May while the team of Bella Totino and Verne Busby installed Our Nature, Our Place, a three-panel glass tile mosaic on the theme of Big Lake last September. It’s located at Beaudry Place, 50 Bellerose Drive.
Visit the city’s website at maps.stalbert.ca/apps/cultural/publicart to learn more about St. Albert’s Art in Public Places program.
For more information or to obtain an application, contact Bingham at 780-459-1596 or via email at [email protected].
