Opportunity: Five Mile neighborhood roundabout call for art

The Five Mile Neighborhood Council is seeking proposals for a public art project at the roundabout located on Five Mile and Strong roads. This is an opportunity for an artist or artist team to create public art in the Five Mile Community that will define the Five Mile Prairie by embracing the diversity and heritage of the area. Artists are invited to submit proposals for artwork appropriate to the location that will be sited with the existing columnar basalt and landscaping. Proposals may include either the creation of new work OR the sale of an existing sculpture if it fit the project goals and site requirements.

The art shall create a sense of place and be associated with the identity of the Five Mile Area (both Spokane City and Spokane County). The artwork will be located within a roundabout. See site photos and drawings here, where two siting options within the roundabout have been identified by city engineers. The site of the work is accessible from Five Mile Road and Strong Road and is flanked by the Five Mile Grange, Five Mile Prairie School to the west and county and city lots to the east. Though accessible mainly by vehicular traffic, there are also bike and walking paths adjacent to the proposed site.

Project Goals and Scope

• Design, fabricate and install an original landmark art piece. The artist is responsible for the design, fabrication and installation of the artwork within the given project budget. The artist will be asked to develop a design proposal with a detailed budget which will not exceed $24,000 including all applicable expenses including sales tax, insurance, engineering, fabrication and installation.
• The artwork should invoke a sense of place and a relationship to the project site and welcome people into the Five Mile Neighborhood (without text).
• Artwork should be highly visible, designed to be seen and appreciated from a distance. Artists should avoid highly reflective materials or finishes, as well as significant amounts of colors associated with traffic warnings (particularly red and yellow).
• Artwork should be made of durable materials suitable for the location and require little to no maintenance.
• The selected artist will need to work with Spokane Arts and City of Spokane staff to ensure artwork complies with all applicable laws and restrictions.
• Final selection will require a conservation report of all materials and processes used should the piece require maintenance and repair.

Vision

Artists who submit proposals are encouraged to be innovative and think creatively for this piece. By facilitating a sense of arrival, or departure, the roundabout serves as a navigational space. The Five Mile Roundabout Art was identified by the City of Spokane as an ideal location to provide future public art.  This commitment to nurturing a creative and vibrant community will help build the City’s urban experience by promoting growth that connects people to place and builds upon cultural, historic, and natural resource assets and further promotes the County’s mission to enhance and protect the quality of life for all citizens. This public art project is funded by a grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce, in partnership with the City of Spokane.

Submission deadline July 29, 2021, 11:59 p.m. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. Please allow yourself additional time to address any technical issues you may have when submitting your application. Email Mika@Spokanearts.org with questions.

Artist must submit the following through the SmarterSelect application found here:

• Artist’s resume
• A brief artist’s statement which describes the proposed artwork including but not limited to: the materials, dimensions (height x width x depth), proposed site location, installation method, anchoring procedure, and any necessary maintenance to be provided. (If the artist’s proposal is selected, then engineered drawings concerning the artwork and base and anchoring procedure will be required to be furnished.)
• If the artist is proposing a new work of art, they should include proposal sketches and/or photos of a maquette constructed to scale with material samples or specification sheets.
• If the artist is proposing an existing work of art for placement, they should include photographs of artwork, including a reference to human scale.
• Expected project budget for design, fabrication and installation of the artwork which will not exceed $24,000 including all applicable expenses, sales tax, insurance, engineering, fabrication and installation. (Proof of insurance will be required at the time of contract execution.)
• Up to ten images of the artist’s previous work, PDF only, and a works list including title of work, media and dimensions (HxWxD & weight).