CALL TO ARTISTS AND REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

 

Scope of Work The proposed location is in front of Nash Library on the college campus near 17th street. The location will serve as an entry and welcome feature to the campus community and will be visible to campus and community residents as they drive down 17th Street as well as from most points on our central oval. The work may be either figurative or nonfigurative. A selection committee will look for a work located on a national historic district but which makes a strong aesthetic statement about the nature and future potential of the college. To view photos and a map of the site, go to www.usao.edu/Call-for-Entries. The library building which will back the sculpture was built in 1949 and is an example of the International Style.

 

Oklahoma architect Paul Harris designed the structure. The primary feature of the three-story building is its front portico and veranda. Harris’ intent was to complement the entrance to the Administration Building directly across the central oval. The staging area at the Library entrance is large enough for holding convocations, concerts, and outdoor dramas.

 

Budget The total budget for the project is about fifty thousand dollars ($50,000). This amount must cover the artist’s design and costs related to placing the artwork. Site preparation, liability insurance, and lighting will be the responsibility of the college.

 

A Brief History of the USAO The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, the state’s public liberal arts college has been, for the fifth year in a row, named the No. 1 public “comprehensive bachelors” college in the western United States by U.S. News and World Report’s America’s Best Colleges. That makes USAO the highest-ranked public college in Oklahoma in the annual rankings by U.S. News. Created in 1908, it was the first higher education institution created by the First Oklahoma State Legislature.

 

It was the last of only seven state women’s colleges with similar missions ever created in the United States, one of two west of the Mississippi River. The college became coeducational in 1965. The campus is listed as a national historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. The college’s mission--providing residential liberal arts education--has never changed. Indeed, it has the second oldest original mission of any Oklahoma state college or university and is one of the oldest public liberal arts colleges in the United States. Then and now, USAO brings a long and distinctive heritage to Chickasha, and to the state of Oklahoma.

 

Selection Process The USAO President has appointed a Public Art Committee to oversee the artist(s) selection. This committee will reflect both campus and community interests. The Public Art Committee will review all submissions and invite a short list of artists to develop a final proposal to be presented to a Artist Selection Panel with a public presentation as part of the final interview. Finalists, artists on the short list who will participate in interviews, will be paid a $2,000 honorarium for their proposals. The honorarium shall cover all proposal-related costs such as models, drawings, and travel to and from Chickasha, Oklahoma. Models and drawings will be retained by USAO for archival purposes. Finalists’ proposals will include a written description of the concept, estimated project budget, and a visual presentation (computer generated renderings, presentation boards, or models, and sample materials) conveying the initial concept or approach to the project.

 

Selection Criteria The Public Art Project at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma is open to all professional artists working on any appropriate media who can demonstrate implementation experience in the field of public art and creating art for public places. The Public Art Committee will also consider artists who can demonstrate sensitivity to the site and surroundings. Artists must be able to commit and effectively work within the aggressive project timeline and collaborate with the college’s administration.

 

Application Procedure:

The following materials are due at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Attention: Public Art Committee, 1727 West Alabama, Chickasha, OK, 73018, by 5 p.m. on Monday, October 31, 2005.

 

1. Preliminary Narrative: One-page maximum letter should state interest in the project, outline artist’s approach to public art and highlight relevant past experiences.

2. Professional Résumé: Please outline your experience as an artist on no more than two typed pages. Alternatively, you may submit a narrative description of your experience as an artist on one typed page.

3. A CD-ROM with eight to twenty digital photographs in JPEG or TIF format. All images must have a resolution within the range of 72 to 150 dpi and a size not larger than a 5x7.

4. Annotated image/slide list: An image list corresponding with the filename on the CD-ROM should include the following: artist’s name, title of artwork, medium, size, date of artwork completion, location and project details (i.e. budget commissioning agency, etc, if public art). The list should be sorted in desired priority of viewing.

5. Applications mailed to:

Public Art Committee
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
1727 West Alabama
Chickasha Oklahoma 73018

 

6. Additional information: For more information about this project, contact Julie Bohannon at (405) 574-1320 or email jbohannon@usao.edu.

 

Projected Timeline:

Deadline for Submissions……………… October 31, 2005, 5 p.m.

Announcement of Finalist(s)………………November 28, 2005

Presentation by Finalist(s)……………… Scheduled during the first two weeks of February 2006

Announcement of Project Winner……… February 17, 2006

Complete Design Work……………………To Be Determined

 

The above timeline may be adjusted by the USAO Public Art Committee as necessary. All parties involved in the commission process will be notified of any adjustments to the timeline.