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Mayo County Council Public Art – Artist Brief Ballina, Pearse Street
Mayo County Council
Comhairle Chontae Mhaigh Eo
Public Art Commission Artist Brief
Project: Ballina, Pearse Street
Mayo County Council invites submissions for a public art project in Ballina. The project is being commissioned by Mayo County Council and the funding for this project has been provided by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government under the Percent for Art Scheme, and from Ballina Town Council.
Background Information:
Ballina is a large, lively and busy town in the North of County Mayo by the river Moy. It is known as the Salmon Capital of Ireland and is famous for its fishing and indeed has its own annual Salmon festival. It is a cultural town with a thriving Arts Centre which is due to be redeveloped into a state of the art venue for the county. The town has a wealth of history and places of historical interest. Further details about the town and surrounding areas can be found via www.northmayo.ie
Ballina has seen, and is undergoing, a lot of changes, developments and regeneration. Some areas have suffered due to dated unoccupied housing estates and issues with anti social behaviour and in some cases these are challenges still to be overcome.
The Town Council and community have much aspiration for the future of the town and this scheme is one of many projects and activities to improve the area, celebrate it, and contribute to its ongoing cultural growth.
Objective:
Mayo County Council invites artists to develop proposals for this commission. It is envisaged that the final piece will be sculptural due to the nature of the chosen site and the fact that Ballina has very few examples of sculptural work, especially in the town centre.
Whilst the brief is not intended to be prescriptive the funders are keen to see reference to the town’s status as the Salmon Capital of Ireland. This does not have to be a literal reference and artists would be encouraged to incorporate this in as creative a way as possible. Although it is the wish of the representatives of the town council to have a sculptural work in the town, the panel will be open to other artforms and artistic expressions other than sculpture, however the artwork should be permanent.
It is important that the local community are consulted during this project in a creative way. The details of this involvement will of course be dependant on the individual artist and their preferred way of working, for example workshops with local children, exhibition of designs locally, artist talks, consultation regarding the design or incorporated elements of the design, or participation though planned activities around the launch of the work. Ballina has an active arts centre and events and activities could be planned there if appropriate in negotiation with the arts centre director.
Location:
The chosen site is on Pearse Street in Ballina. It is a central and very busy part of the town. The street is to undergo major improvements and the attached map indicates the plans for the street. The artwork is hoped to be sited within the Pedestrian Social Hub, indicated in the close up map, and outside the library is considered an appropriate location though artists are welcome to suggest any location within this area.
Budget:
Maximum budget is €52,800 for design, supply and installation, inclusive of all costs, VAT, insurance and other charges. The budget should cover the cost of appropriate signage/plaque and all artist’s expenses in relation to the scheme. Any costs arising from consultation/workshop/community based activities should also be a part of the overall budget.
Schedule:
Stage 1 Submission: Friday 3rd April 2009
Stage 2 Submission: mid May
Commission and Contract: end May
Proposed finish date of December 2009 (negotiable)
Competition Process
This is a two-stage competition, open to all artists with appropriate experience. Applications without evidence of previous commissions of a similar scale will not be considered.
Submission:
Submissions for stage 1 must contain:
· Textual description outlining the concept of the project (max. 2 A4 sheet)
· Supply drawings, images or alternative expressions to communicate the content of the project. (these can be in format of maquette/Audio tape/CD/VHS video/DVD)
· outline costing
· Outline of any consultation/community involvement
· CV with visual examples of previous work/commissions
A panel will shortlist the applications and a small number of artists will be invited to develop their proposal for Stage 2.
Submissions for Stage 2 will include fully developed proposal of concept, including
fully developed budget and plan for consultation activities
Each participating artist for Stage 2 will be paid an honorarium of €500 on receipt of a fully developed bona fida site specific submission.
Selection criteria
Artistic Merit
Quality of the concept
Level of community engagement
Relevance to social, physical and cultural context of the built environment
Previous experience / demonstrate ability to carry out the project
Value for money
Clarity and practicality of the proposal
A selection panel, including arts experts and representatives of the local community, will assess all submitted proposals.
Funding: % for Art Scheme
Commissioner: Mayo County Council
Selection Panel: Relevant Arts expertise, Mayo County Council and Local community representatives.
Submissions: Submissions to be delivered to:
Gaynor Seville
Public Art Co-ordinator
Arts Office
Mayo County Council
Aras An Chontae
Castlebar
Co Mayo
Rep of Ireland
by the relevant submission date outlined above.
For further information contact Gaynor via
Email:
Tel.: +353 (0)94 904 7561
Selection: Mayo County Council retains the right not to commission if a selection is not recommended by the selection panel.
Health & Safety: A Health and Safety Report may be carried out by relevant expertise within Mayo County Council, on the recommendation from the selection panel. No commission will be offered without an approved Health and Safety Report.