Project Overview

Public art is an essential component in the creation of a civic identity. Its presence contributes to a shared heritage and serves to honor a community's history and culture. The Long Beach Redevelopment Agency (LBRDA) recognizes the importance of public art in enhancing the visual character of our City and has partnered with the Arts Council for Long Beach to select artists who share our vision of creating innovative artwork to enhance targeted areas throughout our community.

Through collaborative planning, LBRDA and Arts Council staff determined that artists/artist teams will be selected for the Mobile Exhibits - storefronts program, a program designed to use temporary artwork to enhance the visual character of vacant storefronts in the City of Long Beach's redevelopment areas. The program aims to eliminate blight and increase the economic viability of neighborhoods.

Program Description

"Give an artist a space and revitalize a place," is the motto behind the Arts Council for Long Beach's Mobile Exhibits project.

In partnership with the LBRDA, the Arts Council is occupying vacant storefronts with temporary art exhibits to engage the public and revitalize the community. Temporary storefront art galleries merge art, culture and the community for the benefit of everyone who lives, works and visits the City of Long Beach.

Historical / Cultural Background

The City of Long Beach is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse cities in the nation. As the fifth largest city in California, Long Beach plays an important role in shaping the identity of the state. Long Beach is an attractive and accessible coastal gateway that serves as an important tourist attraction and is home to the Queen Mary, Boeing Aerospace, the Long Beach Aquarium, an expansive beach front and one of the largest ports in the world.

Scope of Work

The LBRDA is seeking to create a pre-qualified pool of artists/artist teams for the development of artistic enhancement and/or site-specific artwork for vacant storefronts in the City of Long Beach. Artists/artist teams will be commissioned to temporarily transform vacant storefronts through the addition of sculptural elements, the embellishment of existing structural and/or architectural elements and/or the development and incorporation of temporary site-specific works. Temporary public artwork will remain installed for a period of four months to one year depending on site location and LBRDA priorities.

Budget

The budget for Mobile Exhibits - storefronts is $5000. The budget includes all costs associated with, but not limited to: artist's design fees; project materials; travel; insurance; fabrication; installation and artwork documentation.

Artist Eligibility

This is an open call to all interested professional artists/artist teams. All costs associated with travel should be considered in the overall project budget; travel stipends will not be granted. Artists applying as a team must have worked together on prior projects. Selected artists must be available to meet in the Long Beach area.

Selection Process

The Arts Council and the LBRDA strive to make the selection process as fair, transparent and impartial as possible and make every effort to follow best practices in artist selection established nationally by Americans for the Arts through the Public Art Network.

A selection panel comprised of representatives from the LBRDA, the Arts Council and the Arts Council’s Advisory Committee for Public Art will review the submissions and create a short-list of finalists. The criteria for evaluation of initial submission will be based on the following criteria:

• Record of artistic achievement as evident by resumé and portfolio
• Appropriateness of artwork medium and concepts as they relate to the project site and location
• Demonstrated ability to complete quality public art projects on time
• Experience in design, fabrication and installation of artwork

What to submit

Letter of Interest / Artist Statement
Submit a one to two-page letter of interest defining you and/or your team members’ experience in public art and a brief artist statement.

Resumé
An artist resumé, which includes public art experience detailing completed projects, locations, budgets and two professional references.

Images
Twenty images: Up to ten images of your Mobile Exhibits proposal and ten images of past work. Images must be numbered 1-20. Images should be in jpeg or tiff form, formatted to 300 dpi and approximately 4”x 6” image size.

Annotated Image List
Submit a document listing each image in sequence. Include title, medium, dimensions, location and estimated budget for proposal images.

Please note the following:
Provide all information, including submission documents and portfolio images on a CD or DVD. Documents should be either PDF format or Word documents and images should be in jpeg or tiff format as detailed above. Do not send originals and/or materials not specifically requested.

Postmarks will not be accepted. Late and/or incomplete submissions will not be accepted. Dates are subject to change.

Schedule
January 15, 2009: Deadline for Application Materials

Selected Finalists will be notified in writing of next steps.

Mobile Exhibits Request for Proposals | Arts Council for Long Beach
http://www.artslb.org/news/mobile-exhibits-request-for-proposals

For more information contact:
Erin Harkey
Associate Director of Public Art & Design
erin.harkey@artslb.org
562.570.3811