Please join the Artist Roster for the opportunity to create art for Lexington’s Legacy Trail!
The Legacy Trail Public Art Consortium (LTPAC) seeks to create a roster of artists from Kentucky who work in any media, and who are interested in creating public art along the Legacy Trail in Lexington. The Roster will be used to commission artists to create three groups of projects – flags (blazes), trail surface paintings (tapis) and custom-designed road crossings during the summer of 2010, encompassing Phase One of the Public Art Master Plan for the Legacy Trail. In later years, Roster Artists will be chosen for other projects (Phases Two & Three), including sculptural and environmental, as funding allows. Phase One artists will be notified in mid-May and will be asked to submit designs for their assigned project within 3-6 weeks, depending on which project they are assigned. The Master Plan provides opportunities for artists, who work in all media, and artists who are experienced in working with public art, as well as those who are not. LTPAC invites you to learn more about the Legacy Trail and to apply to be a Roster Artist!
About the Legacy Trail
The Legacy Trail is a nine-mile long hiking / biking trail that will run from Downtown Lexington to the Kentucky Horse Park, passing through both urban and rural settings. This multi-use corridor will be a wonderful connection from urban Lexington to rural Fayette County. Over time it will tie into the other great trails being established here, such as the Town Branch Trail, as well as into our north side neighborhoods.
The trail, which will be built and managed by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, is currently under construction and will be completed in time for the World Equestrian Games in September 2010. To gain a broader understanding of the existing conditions, artists should review the Legacy Center website, www.legacycenter.ning.com, where they can find detailed maps of the trail and other important documentation.
The goal for the first phase of public art along the trail is to create a continuous ribbon of experience for all visitors, and to make the trail visible to people who are passing by on roads or in parks. To the extent possible, these projects should be inspired by specific narratives that are relevant to the trail corridor, including geography, geology, history and the environment. These narratives will be available in printed format for review by the artists selected to participate in Phase One.
About LTPAC
The Legacy Trail Public Art Consortium is comprised of five organizations: the University of Kentucky Department of Art’s Museum Studies class, Blue Grass Community Foundation’s Legacy Center, Lexington Art League, LexArts, and Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. Its mission is to promote the commissioning of public art along the Legacy Trail and to further the understanding of local
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narratives that can be used to inform the artists’ work. Members of LTPAC, as well as other selected arts professionals, will comprise the Artist Selection Task Force, for Phase One.
Description of Public Art Projects
LTPAC sees the Legacy Trail as a unique public art venue full of opportunity for many local, regional, and national artists. The consortium envisions public art, specifically art which draws on select narratives, as a way to enhance the overall experience of the trail, engage visitors in a multitude of educational opportunities, and communicate the true legacy of the Bluegrass.
Urban designer Todd Bressi and artist Stacy Levy, who are working closely with the members of the LTPAC, are planning the public art component of the trail. The plan calls for artworks that will be realized in phases over several years with deadlines throughout the course of the project. Phase One will focus on blazes, tapis, and crossings, all of which are expected to be installed by the time the trail opens in September, 2010. Phases Two & Three will consist of temporary and permanent art installations, and will be introduced in coming years. (For more information on these projects, please view the art planning consultant’s presentation on the Legacy Center website: www.legacycenter.ning.com.)
For this first phase, LTPAC is seeking artists who will work on three separate artistic opportunities outlined in the master plan as blazes, pavement tapis, and crossings.
Blazes are flags printed with imagery designed by the artist.. The blazes are impermanent and will be replaced every 1-2 years with newly-designed blazes. They will be organized in clusters of three, four or five poles, strategically located at important visual moments along the trail. LTPAC intends to select one artist to work on each cluster. Artists will be asked to prepare designs for the flags, which will be fabricated through a coordinated process. Blazes will be placed in approximately 15 proposed locations, each consisting of 3-5 poles with flags approximately 2’ wide x 12’ long. Artist design fee: $1,200 for creating a design and making a digital file for printing the flags.
The pavement tapis will be painted directly on the trail surface by the artist with epoxy acrylic paint. Tapis will be located all along the trail, and we intend to select one artist for each tapis. The locations of the tapis will be determined by the LTPAC. Artist fee: $1,500 for a design mock-up/maquette and for painting the design onto the pavement. Materials will be supplied.
The crossings will be at all major crossroads and feature a signature design that will be formed in thermoplastic markings. We will select one artist to execute all of the crossing designs, which will involve preparing designs and working with fabrication and installation crews. The number of crossings that will be designed will depend on the cost of the work; the design will be carried through in future phases of the trail. Artist design fee: $3,500 for creating a design and working with the thermoplastic fabricator and installer. The cost of materials and installation are not the artist’s responsibility.
About the Roster:
By submitting the application form (last page) and the below list of application materials, an artist will automatically be added to the Legacy Trail Artist Roster. The Roster is a consolidated list of artists who are seeking a commission for artwork on the Trail. Roster Artists who are not chosen for Phase One will remain on the Roster and will also be considered for Phases Two & Three. When future projects are ready to move into the commissioning process, a Selection Committee will be assembled to review the Artist Roster. New calls to artists will also be issued, to ensure a wide enough pool to choose from.
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Timeline
LTPAC will accept submissions to the roster beginning immediately. After an initial deadline of May 7, review of applications will begin. Applications received after May 7 MIGHT be considered for Phase One projects, but will be retained and considered for Phases Two & Three. Selected artists will be notified by May 19 and interviewed at that time to determine their interest and ability to meet the specific schedule and deadlines for the project. Artists will be expected to make firm commitments to specific schedules and deadlines, and those who cannot work with the pre-determined schedule will have to decline the opportunity. Selected artists will also be asked to attend a mandatory Artist Workshop on Saturday, May 22 during which artists will walk the trail, learn about the trail narrative, and get specific information about the materials that they will be asked to work with. The timeline for each project (blazes, tapis, and crossing) will vary, but all of the work will be completed by September 18.
Eligibility
The roster is open to professional artists who:
· Work in any media, including but not limited to, sculpture, painting, printmaking, quilting, writing, photography and graphic design. We especially encourage artists who have not had public art commissions in the past.
· Must reside in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
· Have an interest in working with other design professionals and in exploring historical, environmental and cultural narratives as an inspiration for their work.
LTPAC is committed to providing opportunities to people regardless of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, or age.
Required Documentation to be Included with Application
· Letter of interest in these types of projects (up to one page maximum): Describe the artist’s approach to creating artwork, interest in these opportunities, and approach to working with local narratives. Please state in this letter if you are interested in working on the blazes, tapis or crossing formats. Provide one printed copy.
· Resume – artist must submit a resume up to three pages. Provide one printed copy.
· Visual Documentation of Past Realized Artworks: One cd or dvd of ten digital images of past realized works. The images should be jpg files, 1920 on the largest side by 72 dpi and should be labeled: last name_first name_number.jpg (for example, jones_mary_01.jpg). This number should correspond to the image identification sheet
· Image Identification Form: a description of images including materials, size, date, location if applicable, and artist’s role in the project if this is not clear in the images.
For additional Information on the Legacy Center and the Legacy Trail, please visit:
· www.artbeatlexington.com/2010/02/24/things-we-learned-at-the-legacy-trail-public-arts-consortium-forum/
· www.legacycenter.ning.com
· www.kentucky.com/2010/04/13/1221234/artists-needed-to-create-public.html
Questions on the Public Art projects and the application process may be directed to:
Kate Sprengnether, Public Art Manager of the Legacy Trail
859-225-3343 Legacy Center Office / 859-321-7935 cell
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LEGACY TRAIL ROSTER APPLICATION FORM
Name of artist/designer …………………………………………………………………………………...……….
Street address……………………………………………………………………………………………….………
City…………………………………………………..…………State………… Zip code………………………..
E-mail address………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Website…………………...……………………………………………………….…………………………………
Phone (home)………………………… (cell) …………………………… (work) …………..…………………
County of residence………………………………………………………
CHECKLIST (please make sure that you include all these things):
¨ Letter of interest (printed, up to one page) describing your interest in these projects.
¨ Resume (printed, up to three pages) includes recent exhibitions and projects and biographical information.
¨ Images: CD / DVD of 15 images of realized work: jpg files 1920 longest side x 72dpi. Each image labeled with last name_first name_number.jpg
¨ Image identification form (printed) a description of image including materials, size, date, location if applicable, and artists role in the project if this is not clear in the images.
INTERESTED IN WORKING ON: (check as many as apply)
¨ Blazes
¨ Tapis
¨ Crossings
Mail Application Form & all other materials to: Legacy Trail Public Arts Consortium, c/o Blue Grass Community Foundation, 250 West Main Street, Suite 1220, Lexington, KY 40507.