Public Art Committee Contemplative Sites Program 2022-2023
Call for Artists February 25, 2022
Locations: North and South Campuses Project: Contemplative Sites: Exterior Public Murals (3) and one landscape installation.
The University at Buffalo Public Art Committee is pleased to announce a Call For Artwork (CFA). Professional artists are invited to submit proposals to be considered for custom or commissioned work for the University at Buffalo for one-year public art installations.
This call seeks artwork for the new Contemplative Sites program at the University at Buffalo’s North and South Campuses. UB’s Contemplative Sites are one-year public art installations designed to enhance our campus experience and engage our university community in contemplating key issues of our time.
Project Name: Contemplative Sites Art Project
Submission Deadline: Friday, April 1, 2022; 5:00 P.M.
Deliverable Date of Artwork: August 1, 2022
Eligibility This Call For Artwork is open to all professional artists, artisans or artist-led teams currently residing and legally permitted to work in the Western New York region, including UB faculty and staff.
Project Description What is UB’s Contemplative Sites Program UB’s Contemplative Sites are one-year public art installations on North and South Campuses designed to enhance our campus experience and engage our university community in contemplating key issues of our time. The first of these installations was the Progress Pride Paths artwork in Knox Quad. In October 2021, the Public Art Committee invited the university community to submit thematic ideas for this round of Contemplative Sites. Each submission required sponsorship by a recognized UB entity such as a department, office, club, association, committee, or institute. Joint submissions by multiple entities were encouraged.
A UB entity may collaborate with a non-UB entity as appropriate. The submitting entity commits to organizing one educational event around the project theme during the academic year. Nominators were asked to submit ideas:
• Reflect UB’s values on diversity and inclusion • Encourage reflection and community building • While not mandatory, we encouraged submissions that are directly connected to the history of UB. The call for ideas generated 24 submissions. Four projects were selected.
This Call For Artists will focus on three themes (four sites) of these ideas:
• Walking Labyrinth on South Campus. This will be a landscape installation approximately 20’-30’ in diameter. Materials have not been identified but the installation will require easy maintenance for the duration of the installment. The committee will work with the artist on the exact location on South Campus. Attached is more information from the nomination submission.
• Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Title IX. This project will be located on North Campus in the Athletics Precinct. The project will be a painted mural. For more information on Title IX,
• Celebrating the 1958 UB Bulls Football Team. The award-winning 1958 men’s football team made national news when they refused an invitation to play in the Tangerine Bowl against Florida State on December 27, 1958, upon learning the local school district banned integrated games. Here is a link to the ESPN article
There will be two art projects with this theme:
North Campus Site: Ellicott Complex. In 2021, the university renamed the Porter Quadrangle to Willie Evans Quadrangle. Wille Evans was a member of the 1958 UB Football team. This project will be a mural on a substrate that is attached to the building.
South Campus Site: Campus perimeter at Winspear St. and Bailey Ave.
The mural will be on a mounted substrate measuring approximately 10’ x 30’ (to be negotiated with the artist). Please see the attached diagram.
BUDGET DETAILS
Up to four artists/teams will be selected, one per site. Each site will be allocated a combined artist’s and production budget of $10,000. This production budget for each artwork installation covers all expenses associated with, but not limited to the design, labor, fabrication, project management, materials, tools, contracted services, operations and meetings, travel required to complete the artwork installation, installation, permits, licenses, taxes, insurance, transportation and delivery of the artwork to the site. If special installation requirements are needed for large and/or complex pieces, the artist is responsible for working with the University at Buffalo Public Art Committee, to coordinate all aspects of the installation. The Buffalo Public Art Committee will provide reinforced, structured attachment points on which the artwork can be mounted. The university will provide the substrate if applicable.
Selection Process Artist and/or artist teams may submit their work for consideration and selection by the Selection Committee as defined below. The artist’s work that is selected will be announced through the email to all submitters. Letters/emails will be sent to the selected artist with details of the purchase process. The selection committee may select a shortlist of artists to be interviewed prior to making a final selection and requesting a proposal.
Evaluation Criteria:
• Artwork reflects the themes identified above. • Artwork compliments the campus environment. • Artwork translates well to a large format. How To Apply Artists and artist-led teams interested in the project should email one copy of each of the following criteria. Each item should be labeled with the artist’s name.
• Images (10-15) of the artwork along with size and media of the artwork
• Artist Resume (if a team- one from each team member) with current contact information • Artist Statement of intent (one page maximum)
• Images of installed past work (three examples maximum) • Please send entire package as a single PDF that does not exceed 10 MB
• Artists are encouraged to tailor their submission based on one of the two available project sites How To Submit Interested artists must send images of the material by Friday, April 1, 2022 at 5:00 P.M. Submissions received after this date will not be considered for this project but will be kept for possible review and consideration for other public art projects.
Submission material may be delivered by:
Email to: Kelly Hayes McAlonie, FAIA, LEED AP Director of Campus Planning and Chair of the Public Art Committee kmhayesm@buffalo.edu
Questions Please direct all questions to: Kelly Hayes McAlonie, FAIA, LEED AP Director of Campus Planning and Chair of the Public Art Committee kmhayesm@buffalo.edu
Legal Agreement
The University at Buffalo Public Art Committee reserves the right to alter any aspect of the selection process or overall project in any way for its own convenience at any time. This Call For Artwork does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract and these provisions are subject to change. ‘- 4 1958 Football Team Title IX Anniversary ‘ – 5 1958 Football Team Walking Labyrinth Proposed Location for mural
University Facilities Campus Planning
119 John Beane Center, Buffalo, NY 14260
716.645.6035 (F) 716.645.7300. www.buffalo.edu/facilities/cpg.html
