Fort Greene Park

The Daily Plant : Monday, December 6, 2010

Clare Weiss Emerging Artist Award: 2010 Application Guidelines

The future site for the Clare Weiss Emerging Artist Award recipient at Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn.

THE AWARD
Clare Weiss (1966-2010) was the Public Art Curator for New York City’s Department of Parks and Recreation. During her tenure she curated more than 100 outdoor public art installations throughout the city and organized complex, thought-provoking and visually compelling thematic exhibitions for the Arsenal Gallery. Clare’s passion, humanity, energy, courage, and collaborative zeal were valued by all who knew her.

The Clare Weiss Emerging Artist Award will be granted annually to one emerging artist who submits the most compelling proposal for an outdoor sculpture in a New York City park. The location will change annually and will be determined based on the site’s visibility and proximity within a neighborhood underserved by public art.

Ft. Greene Park in Brooklyn has been chosen as the inaugural park. The sculpture will be placed at the entrance of the park at the corner of Washington Park and Myrtle Avenue. The sculpture will be exhibited for a maximum of one year. No proposals for sculptures previously exhibited will be accepted. This award is open to New York City-based emerging artists only.

Artists submitting proposals are strongly encouraged to visit the specified location at Ft. Greene Park before submitting a proposal. Applicants must take into account the site’s terrain and submit proposals that will stand up to the park’s particular urban outdoor environment. Sculptures installed in New York City’s Parks must meet safety requirements and be able to withstand the effects of weather and public interaction.

DETAILS
The chosen recipient will be granted an award in the amount of $7,000. The recipient is highly encouraged to procure in-kind support and other additional funding necessary to support this installation.

The Award recipient shall be solely responsible for the installation and removal of the artwork and shall provide at his or her sole cost and expense, all labor, services, and supervision necessary. Additional expenses the artist will be responsible for include fabrication, insurance and maintenance. At the end of the award term, the artist is responsible for returning the park location to its original condition. This project must adhere to Parks Department specifications for public art.

The Parks Department will assist the awarded artist with technical logistics such as permitting and site specifications. The artist will be responsible for engineering documents if they are necessary. The Award recipient will be selected through an open application process. Proposals will be reviewed by a jury comprised of an artist, an independent curator, and a Parks Department representative. Proposals will be judged according to artistic and creative merit and suitability to the site.

ELIGIBILITY
Proposals will only be accepted from New York City-based emerging artists. Artists who are enrolled in a school, college or university are not eligible for the Clare Weiss Emerging Artist Award.

TIMELINE (all dates are subject to change)
Tuesday, January 18, 2011: Proposals due. Proposals can be submitted earlier.
Monday, February 14, 2011: Award Recipient announced
Monday, March 14, 2011: Installation plan and budget submitted for review
Thursday, May 19, 2011: Sculpture installed in Park
Thursday, May 26, 2011: Dedication ceremony and opening reception

APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Proposals must include:
• Resume with current contact information
• One-page statement describing artist’s work in general
• Proposed sculpture
o detailed description of no more than 2 written pages
o representative drawings or renderings if sculpture has not been fabricated
o images of sculpture if it is already fabricated
o list of materials proposed/used; dimensions (including weight)
o installation recommendations
o maintenance recommendations
• Names and full contact information of two references who are familiar with artist and artist’s work
• 5-6 images of previous work (8x10 color prints or if emailing jpegs no larger than 1mb each); each image should be labeled and succinctly described
• Self-addressed, stamped postcard if you would like to receive notification that your proposal was received.
Materials will not be returned. All materials must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 18, 2010. Proposals should be sent or emailed to:

Clare Weiss Emerging Artist Award
Art & Antiquities
City of New York Parks & Recreation
The Arsenal
New York, NY 10065
artandantiquities@parks.nyc.gov

DONATIONS
Those interested in contributing to the Clare Weiss Emerging Artist Award can send checks made payable to the City Parks Foundation, a non-profit, 501(c)(3), to the above address. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY
“I never know what I think about something until I read what I've written on it.”
William Faulkner
(1897 - 1962)