Lansing, Michigan
Lansing Board of Water & Light – REO Town ArtMovesREO Project
Call for Artist
Submission Open: June 1, 2024
Deadline: Monday, July 1, 2024, 11:59 p.m. EST
The Arts Council of Greater Lansing announces a call for artists for a public art project, funded by public resources through the Lansing Board of Water & Light. The #ArtMovesREO project will be an ART PRINT as an ongoing rotation of art installed on S. Washington Ave. on the southwest corner of the Central Substation. We are seeking bold, innovative images that will engage and reflect the community and serve as a welcoming beacon for travelers in and out of REO Town.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The Central Substation is part of BWL’s plan to replace the Eckert Power Station and adjoining Eckert Substation in order to continue providing affordable and reliable power to its customers in the Lansing region.
This art print installation is one part of an ongoing project, based on a commitment from the BWL to invest $20,000 every three years to enliven the Substation with public art. It will be a rotating temporary installation aimed at showcasing many different area artists.
Located in the City of Lansing at the southwest corner of S. Washington Ave. and W. Malcolm X St., the Central Substation creates a link between downtown Lansing and REO Town, increasing access to Cooley Gardens and the renovated Scott Sunken Garden.
Artists who submit to the call will be reviewed by a panel that will include representatives of the BWL, City of Lansing, REO Town Commercial Association and the Arts Council of Greater Lansing.
ARTWORK CRITERIA
The BWL will facilitate printing and installing one large (18 ft. H X 45 ft. 4 in. W) art print on the southeast wall of the Central Substation. The image should exemplify strong, imaginative design and content and should contribute to a visually stimulating environment that lends itself to thought and adds character to the site.
The BWL is seeking images of existing or new art, including digital art and photography. This may be a photo of a painting, a sculpture, collage, original photography, digital art, etc. Submissions should be in a high-quality format, and ultimately able to be available in 300 dpi resolution for printing.
The mural concept should be vibrant, colorful, prominent and appropriate to its surroundings. Submissions should be topical, but not utilize the BWL logo or focus on the three stacks of REO Town. No propaganda, advertisements or nudity will be considered.
ELIGIBILITY
The Call is open to all visual artists based in Michigan, with a preference given to artists who live or work in Ingham, Eaton or Clinton counties. Interested artists will have demonstrated the capacity to create two-dimensional artworks that are innovative and highly visual.
PROJECT BUDGET
The commission budget for the mural image is a one-time licensing fee of $1,000, with opportunities to engage the chosen artist through signage, QR code and local businesses. The budget is meant to be all-inclusive of the artist’s licensing fees and pay for the time and creation of the art. Costs associated with printing and installing the piece are outside of this budget and will be covered by the BWL.
PROJECT TIMELINE
Call for Artist Opens: June 1, 2024
Deadline for Submission: July 1, 2024
Proposal Review, Selection and Notification: Week of July 8
Artist Contracting: Week of July 8
Expected Mural Installation and Unveiling: August/September
PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL
Each proposal that responds to this Call should include the following documents (all uploads must be submitted in pdf format):
- Artist Contact information
- Proposed Image for Art Print
- Artist’s Statement
REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS
In addition to the Arts Council of Greater Lansing staff, representatives from the BWL, REO Town Commercial Association and the City of Lansing will serve on the review committee to select the final proposal. The selection of the finalists will be based on the following criteria:
- Artist’s consideration of the scale of the mural space available to house the art print.
- Artist’s professional experience represents a developed and successful body of site-specific public murals of similar scope and size as demonstrated by visual documentation.
- Ability to understand sense of place and design in a context-sensitive manner as demonstrated by visual documentation.
ARTIST’S LICENSING AGREEMENT
The selected artist will enter into a two-party Agreement between the BWL and the artist to secure the use of the image chosen.
SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Submit To: The application, images and other required materials must be submitted electronically through the online program, Slideroom, found at https://lansingarts.slideroom.com. A free login is required.
Contact: Meghan Martin, executive director, Arts Council of Greater Lansing (517) 372-4636 ext. 1 or by email at Meghan@lansingarts.org
The Arts Council of Greater Lansing and the Board of Water and Light reserve the right to reject any or all applications, to reissue the Call for Entries, or to terminate the selection process or project at any time without prior notice.