City of Spokane Parks & Recreation and Spokane Arts announce the commission of a second piece of interactive art as part of the renovation of Spokane’s Riverfront Park. The call for artists is open now, with a deadline to submit qualifications by February 21. Details about the call and a link to the submission portal can be found www.spokanearts.org/opportunities.

The site for the 2nd art piece will be in Riverfront Park, with the exact location to be determined as part of the design process. The artwork should be interactive, accessible and welcoming to the public. One goal of the artwork will be to create an inviting destination for citizens, neighbors, and visitors to the park. A successful project will be made of durable materials suited to an urban park location, including but not limited to a sculpture or sculptures. Applicants should reference the existing Riverfront Park Master Art Plan to gain a sense of already-identified opportunity sites that would activate underused spaces in the park and/or provide engagement along existing pedestrian corridors. Projected installation date for this art piece is TBD, dependent on the location and the construction schedule of other bond-funded redevelopments in the park.

“The addition of engaging, interactive elements in our urban park creates community gathering space for people of all ages and backgrounds, provides destinations for visitors, and develops cultural touchstones that, over time, become part of the fabric of Spokane and a source of civic pride,” says executive director Melissa Huggins. “Public art like Ken Spiering's ‘Childhood Express’ (known as the Big Red Wagon), and Sister Paula Turnbull's Garbage Goat, are widely beloved; they continually delight residents and tourists alike. This new piece of artwork will build on and expand that tradition.”

This project is funded by the 2014 voter-approved bond to renovate Riverfront Park and adheres to the City of Spokane’s 1% for public art policy. The selected artist will consult the Riverfront Park art master plan and work with Parks staff, the Joint Art Committee (a six-member group that includes representatives from the Park Board and Arts Commission) and other stakeholders to determine the final site location. Applicants are STRONGLY encouraged to review the Riverfront Park Art Master Plan, downloadable from the Spokane Arts website (www.spokanearts.org/opportunities). This opportunity is open to individual artists/artist teams working or living in the Inland Northwest region of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. Preference may be given to Spokane-area artists. One artist or artist team will be selected for the project.

PROJECT BUDGET: $85,000 (not to exceed; includes design, artist’s time/labor, fabrication, installation, taxes, insurance, and other related expenses)

SELECTION PROCESS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA

There will be a two-phase selection process, beginning with a request for qualifications (RFQ). Interested artists will apply online by submitting their qualifications and images of past work. Based on the strength of their qualifications, three artists/artist teams will be selected as finalists, and invited to present a design proposal to the Joint Art Committee, a six-member group that includes representatives from the Spokane Park Board and Spokane Arts Commission. The committee will evaluate each of the design proposals using pre-determined criteria that includes artistic merit, experience with projects of this scale/budget, demonstrated ability to manage projects and deliver work on time/on budget, experience with the proposed materials, and more. Following the interviews, the committee will deliberate and submit a recommendation to the Park Board regarding which artist/team should be selected for this project. Once approved, the selected artist will finalize design and select a site for the artwork in consultation with the committee, Parks staff, and other project stakeholders.