PROJECT Artful Intersections: Cabbage Hill
ISSUE DATE March 08, 2021
DEADLINE March 22, 2021, 11:59pm EST
ARTIST FEE $5,000
COMMISSIONS AVAILABLE 1 (open to artist teams)
Background
The City of Lancaster’s Department of Public Works and Office of Public Art, in partnership with the SoWe Neighborhood Group, and the Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership were awarded funding to create a temporary street mural at the intersection of West Strawberry Street, West Vine Street, and South Mulberry Street as part of the Bloomberg Foundation's Asphalt Art Initiative.
The intersection sits at the top of “Cabbage Hill,” as the surrounding neighborhood is known. The five-way intersection is integral to the neighborhood and can sometimes be a confusing space for city-wide traffic circulation. A small pocket park, which includes a large tree, a bench, and a memorial to neighborhood war veterans, anchors one corner and offers the potential to help define the larger space. Other anchors are a vacant commercial space and a former school that now houses an IU13 program. Two majestic London plane trees on the north and south corners help define the space. Recent street improvements include bike shared lane markings on W Vine St, a bike lane on Mulberry St, ADA-compliant curb ramps, crosswalks, and curb extensions that reduce crossing distance from one corner.
Project Overview
The City of Lancaster recognizes the opportunity for improvements to the street layout at this intersection, not only to augment pedestrian and bike safety but also to allow for better usage of this public space. Through art projects that activate site neighbors, the City can learn how the community wants to use the space. Blomberg Philanthropies has found that community-based street murals like these can have positive effects on safety and neighborhood development. This project will measure how it impacts those factors in Lancaster at this site.
This project can be a temporary art installation that slowly fades into memories. It can also act as a pilot that catalyzes the City and the neighborhood to make the improvements realized in this process permanent.
The Office of Public Art is asking an artist/s to engage Cabbage Hill neighbors to reimagine this space through one or more participatory projects at the site in Spring 2021. The artist/s will learn from these ideas and visions to develop the design of a temporary street mural that the neighborhood can help paint in. The neighborhood project team will work with the artist/s to determine a final design. From there the artist/s will prepare the artwork for street application. In the Fall of 2021, with assistance from hired help and volunteers, the artist/s will lead the community in installing the mural and work to bring it to a finished state as determined by the artist.
The artist fee covers artist time including travel. Costs for all materials will be covered by the City.
Eligibility
This Public Art commission is open to all professional artists, or a team thereof* that live-in South-Central Pennsylvania. Applicants must be 18 years or older and have proven experience with mural painting and public engagement. Nondiscrimination Clause: The City of Lancaster, PA, and the PAAB will select artists without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity; familial, marital status, or pregnancy; guide dog or support animal; race, color, religion, ancestry, or national origin; gender, including sexual harassment; age; handicap or disability; possession of GED.
*Due to COVID-19 related restrictions, artist teams may only be made of people that already live in the same household or those that work remotely together but not in the same physical space.
Selection Process
A project team has been assembled by the Office of Public Art with assistance from the SoWe Neighborhood Group, which includes site neighbors, arts professionals, and a member of the Public Art Advisory Board. This team will serve as the selection committee. A member of the Office of Public Art and Department of Public Works staff serves as a non-voting advisor to the committee and facilitates the meetings.
March 8 Artist Call Released
March 17 Office of Public Art Informational Session
March 22 Deadline for Submissions
Week of 29 Held for Finalist Interviews.
April 6 Finalist Notified and given the notice to proceed.
April 7 Selected artist/team publicly announced.
*Submissions will be judged based on examples of relevant work, experience, and recommendations. Experience making large-scale paintings and working collaboratively to complete projects is preferred, but not required.
Deadline
Received by March 22nd at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Late applications will not be reviewed.
Scope of Work
The artist/team shall briefly describe their approach to completing the following minimum tasks on time and within the prescribed budget. Please review all of the information in the 'scope of work' before completing the form below.
Task 1. Public Engagement
Artist/s will submit a plan for at least two (2) mini participatory projects that will be used to engage the neighborhood and users of this intersection to inform and inspire the conceptual designs. The plan should include descriptions, a timeline, and a budget for materials.
a. At least 2 Mini participatory project(s)
- Goal is to generate interest and input around reimagining the site.
- Will be able to use the fence along the former St. Joe’s school property.
- Will be able to use the center pocket park.
- May be able to close off specific areas of the street.
- Will collaborate with members of the Department of Public Works to generate project ideas that impose on the public space but do not create safety hazards.
- Artist/s will be required to document what they are learning from the community through the mini-project(s)
Task 2. Concept Design
a. Artist/s will develop 2-3 concept sketches inspired and informed by what has been learned through the Spring engagement for the neighborhood project team to review.
b. Goal is to work with the neighborhood to create an artwork that collectively reimagines the intersection.
c. Sketches of available street space suitable for mural art will be provided to the artist/s.
Task 3. Final Street Mural Design
a. Artist/s refines the concept and develops a final design.
Task 4. Installation
a. Artist/s prepares the artwork for street application and determines assistance need.
b. Artist/s develops an installation plan with City staff and SoWe representatives. Artist/s leads the project installation with hired assistance and help from staff and volunteers.
c. Will be responsible for getting the mural to completion.
Additionally, artist/s will be responsible for attending (8) project team and neighborhood meetings
Project Timeline
March - Artist search and selection
April 6 - Artist is given the notice to proceed
May 3 - Project team meeting – share engagement plan and dates for participatory projects
June 30 - Present concept designs to the project team
July - Mural design finalized - Final design due by July 15
August - Installation plan due to project team August 2
September - Project installation - September 11th, Rain Date Sept. 18th
October 4 – Submit maintenance schedule to the project team
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RESOURCES
For assistance with assembling and/or submitting your application materials, please contact Yarlyn Rosario at yrosario@cityoflancasterpa.com
To learn more about similar projects visit https://asphaltart.bloomberg.org/.