Lansing Seeks Artist for Public Art Installation

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 project will be a public art print to replace art currently installed on 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.

This art print installation is one part of an on-going 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 temporary installation, that will lead to more pieces going into the future.

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.

‍Read: BOARD OF WATER & LIGHT AND ARTS COUNCIL REVEAL CENTRAL SUBSTATION MURAL PROJECT TEAM

ARTWORK CRITERIA

One large (18 ft. H X 45 ft. 4 in. W) artwork will be printed and installed on the southeast wall of the Central Substation (see attachment for placement.) The artwork 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. No propaganda, advertisements or nudity will be considered.

ELIGIBILITY

The Call is open to all professional 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 artwork 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.

All materials, production and installation costs will be covered by the BWL.

Read: HOW TO LICENSE YOUR ART: A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO ARTWORK LICENSING

PROJECT TIMELINE

Call for Artist Opens: Friday, June 10, 2022

Deadline for Submission: Sunday, July 31, 2022, 11:59 p.m. EST

Proposal Review, Selection and Notification: Week of August 1, 2022

Artist Contracting: Week of August 1, 2022  

Expected Installation and Unveiling: August 2022

PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL

Each proposal that responds to this Call should include the following documents (all uploads must be submitted in pdf format):

1) Artist Contact information

2) Proposed Image for Art Print

3) 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 and experience in the creation of large-scale artworks.

• Artist’s professional experience represents a developed and successful body of site-specific public work 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

Website: www.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.‍