For Kids
The City of Spokane Parks Department and Spokane Arts are commissioning a second piece of interactive art as part of the renovation of Spokane’s Riverfront Park. The addition of engaging, interactive elements in our urban park creates destinations for local residents and visitors/tourists alike, community gathering space for people of all ages and backgrounds, and creates cultural touchstones that, over time, become part of the fabric of Spokane and a source of civic pride. Public art like Ken Spiering’s “Childhood Express,” often referred to as the Big Red Wagon, and Sister Paula Turnbull’s Garbage Goat, are widely beloved and continually delight residents and visitors to Riverfront Park. This new piece of artwork will build on and expand that tradition.
The site for the future art piece will be in Riverfront Park. 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/sculptures. Applicants should reference the existing Riverfront Park Master Art Plan to gain a sense of already-identified opportunity sites. Site location will be determined in partnership with Parks staff, the Joint Art Committee (comprised of Park Board members and Spokane Arts Commissioners), and potentially other community stakeholders to determine site location.
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.
Complete details regarding this opportunity can be viewed on the application portal, found here: https://smr.to/p64488
There will be a two-phase selection process: Phase I – Qualifications, work samples, and statements of interest shall be submitted in accordance with the instructions. Specific proposals are not requested and will not be reviewed at this time. Up to three (3) artists/teams will be selected by a Selection Committee. The Committee may include representatives of the Park Board, Spokane Arts Commission, community stakeholders, and visual arts professionals.
General Review Criteria: Consideration of artists in the selection process will include but is not limited to the following: • Aesthetic excellence of past projects • Experience in materials and methods appropriate to the scope of this project • Demonstrated ability to manage projects on time and on-budget. Demonstrated delivery of projects with similar budgets will be reviewed.
Phase 2: Three finalist artists/teams will be asked to prepare a conceptual design to present to the selection committee as part of an interview session. The jury will be open to either site-specific design proposals or designs that could be successful in a variety of locations.
After interviews, the committee will make a final decision. The selected artist will finalize the design and select a site for the artwork in consultation with the committee.
Applicants are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to review the Riverfront Park Art Master Plan, which was designed by the lead artist for the Riverfront Park redevelopment, and subsequently adopted by the Joint Arts Committee and the Park Board. The art master plan identifies existing artwork locations, as well as opportunity sites already been identified as ideal for the installation of new work. Artists or artist teams selected as finalists (following the Phase 1 review of submitted qualifications) will be expected to be familiar with this document: SpokaneRiverfrontParkArtsMasterPlan_HYA_01
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.