Public Art Call for Artists – Atlanta Central Library

Fulton County Arts & Culture (FCAC) Public Arts Program invites experienced professional artists or artist teams to submit qualifications to create original and site-responsive public artworks using the theme of ‘Light and Enlightenment’ for the Atlanta-Fulton Central Library Branch, part of the Atlanta Fulton Public Library System’ (AFPLS). 

Artists and artist teams with at least 5 years professional public art experience and residing in the continental United States are eligible to apply. Students, Fulton County employees and FCAC contractors are ineligible to apply.

Budget Description
Total Project Budget: $246,000
At least two commissioned pieces valued between $100,000 and $150,000. These amounts are inclusive of all expenses including design, fabrication, transportation, installation, travel, insurance, taxes and fees.

Project Description
Fulton County Arts & Culture (FCAC) Public Arts Program invites experienced professional artists or artist teams to submit qualifications to create original and site-responsive public artworks using the theme of ‘Light and Enlightenment’ for the Atlanta-Fulton Central Library Branch, part of the Atlanta Fulton Public Library System’ (AFPLS). The following spaces are being considered for the commission – building façade, lobby, lobby staircase, central lightwell and the children's space on level 4. Any proposal, particularly for the façade, should be respectful of the building’s style, context, and social value.

After a Community Public Art Selection panel reviews qualifications, up to six finalists will be invited to attend an information session and site visit in November 2018, where necessary, travel stipends will be provided. Complete full proposals will be due in January 2019 and shortly after the finalists will present their proposal in person to the Selection Panel. Each finalist (artist or artist team) will receive a $1,500 honorarium to complete the full proposal. The final selected artist(s) will enter into a contract with Fulton County to refine the design and implement the proposed commission. 

Funded through Fulton County’s Percent for Art allocation, there will be at least two commissioned pieces valued between $100,000 and $150,000. These amounts are inclusive of all expenses including design, fabrication, transportation, installation, travel, insurance, taxes and fees.

All materials must be submitted through PublicArtist.org by Thursday, September 20th, 2018, 11:59 pm EST. Submissions that are incomplete, late or received by unauthorized means will not be considered. 

Applicants are encouraged to submit in advance of the deadline so that unforeseen problems with materials can be addressed. Staff are available during office hours Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5 pm to answer questions. There is no fee to submit qualifications.

Artwork Location Description
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library - Central Branch 
1 Margaret Mitchell Sq NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

Site History
The Atlanta Central Library building opened to the public under the leadership of Ella Gaines Yates, the first African-American director of the library system in May 1980. The building was designed by prominent Bauhaus-movement architect Marcel Breuer, with support from his associate Hamilton Smith. Breuer is considered to have been an extremely influential modernist designer and this commission became the last building he ever designed following his death one year after opening. The building reflects a brutalist architectural style, with a façade consisting of precast concrete panels that were bush-hammered for texture.

In 2002, a major renovation of the Central Library was completed and the library system celebrated the centennial of the year in which public library service in Atlanta began.

Eligibility
Eligibility:
Artists and artist teams with at least 5 years professional public art experience and legal residency in the continental United States are eligible to apply. Students, Fulton County employees and FCAC contractors are ineligible to apply.

Full details at https://www.publicartist.org/c...