LA Arts News.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS IS FEB 14, 2020 AT 5 PM

Overview
As part of a Maine Arts Commission Creative Communities = Economic Development (CCED) grant to support the implementation of Cultural Plan LA, the Public Art Working Group of Lewiston and Auburn invites proposals for public artwork that will activate a gateway or key corridor within the community. Both new and existing works are eligible. The artwork may be temporary or permanent. The submission deadline is 5:00 pm on Friday, February 14, 2020. One work (or works) will be selected for installation in the City of Lewiston and another for installation in the City of Auburn. Each project has a $25,000 budget. Projects may be installed as early as May of 2020 and as late as August of 2021. 

Background
The CCED grant was awarded to the LA Metro Chamber of Commerce and L/A Arts in 2018 to support implementation of Cultural Plan LA. Specifically, grant funding was awarded to “utilize arts and culture to enhance LA’s image to attract residents, tourism, and new investment” and to “further the position of arts and culture in local government.” Among other strategies for achieving these goals, two works of public art will be installed, one in each city, to generate interest in and support for public art as a community-builder and driver of economic development. 

Budget
Project budgets of up to $25,000 per project will be considered. A budget proposal must cover all design, fabrication, transportation, documentation, insurance, and installation expenses. The Commissioned Artist(s) will be required to provide evidence of appropriate liability, property damage, and workers compensation insurance while working on the site. 

Project Intent and Location
The artwork will be a signature work designed to engage the public and activate one of the City’s gateways or key corridors. This might be an entrance into the downtown or another neighborhood; a strategic location within a current or emerging economic development corridor; or a strategic location along or within the river or a canal. The location will be publicly-owned or controlled. The City of Auburn especially welcomes proposals that would activate Anniversary Park in New Auburn. Questions regarding the viability of a proposed site may be submitted to publicartmaine@gmail.com.

Eligibility
Maine-based artists age 18 and over, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender identity, age, military status, sexual orientation, marital status, or physical disability may apply. Artist teams are eligible to apply, including teams of artists from multiple disciplines.

Selection Criteria
An initial proposal that reflects Project Intent as described in this document, with attention to the question of how the proposed artwork will activate or enhance the proposed space and how it will engage diverse audiences, including the local community, visitors, and tourists.
A body of work reflecting artistic excellence as shown through vision, originality, and understanding of craft. 
Experience working in public settings and public process.
Experience fabricating and installing artwork suitable for the outdoor environment in Maine.
Capacity to complete the proposal on time and within budget.

Selection Process
A Selection Review Committee (SRC) will evaluate submissions for the project. The SRC will review the materials to determine whom to invite for a second round of evaluation. Artists selected for the second round will receive a $500 design fee for refining their proposals. Final proposals will include detailed models, drawings, renderings, samples of work, and/or materials depending on the nature of the proposal. Please do not submit detailed models, drawings, samples, or final proposals for the first round of the selection process. The SRC reserves the right to solicit additional information from the artist(s) and to refuse any or all proposals. The final recommended proposal will be subject to review and approval of the respective City Council.

Submission Deadline and Required Materials
Friday, February 14, 2020, 5:00 pm is the deadline for submission of materials. Materials received after this date may be excluded from consideration. 
Materials must be submitted online in PDF format. All images must be in a jpg or PDF format and sent via email to publicartmaine@gmail.com.
Proposals must include:
A current resume for participating artist(s) (2 pages maximum). If submitting as a team, an individual resume should be submitted for each team member.
A brief written proposal (2 pages maximum) describing your past work and how you plan to address the potential site. Discuss what your concept and approach will be in addressing the public art space(s) of the site, including environmental and weather conditions. Please do not submit detailed models, samples, or final proposals for this round of the selection process. A simple sketch may be included to clarify your idea if desired.
An itemized budget estimate to give cost expectations (include design fees as well as anticipated fabrication, transportation and installation costs). A more precise budget may be requested for those invited past the first round.
A brief anticipated maintenance plan required for the artwork. Please do not include this in the narrative of your proposal.
5-10 digital images of at least three recent works. If an artist team or artist organization applies, they may only submit five images for all artists. The optional proposal sketch does not count as an image. (Please include any sketches with the narrative portion of the proposal.) Do not upload A/V files of any kind. Only jpg or PDF files are eligible for review.
Optional: Each artist may include up to three selections of support materials such as reviews, news articles, web links, and other related information.

For Immediate Release

Contact: Rebecca Swanson Conrad, Committee Co-Chair

rebeccaswansonconrad@gmail.com

(207) 576-5561

Yarrow Thorne, Founder and Executive Director, The Avenue Concept, Providence, RI, launches the series on Thursday, October 24 at Callahan Hall, Lewiston Public Library

LEWISTON, ME, October 10, 2019 – The LA Public Art Working Group announces noontime presentations to raise awareness of the benefit of public art plans and ordinances for communities. The events are free and open to the public and lunch is provided. Each event begins at 11:45AM and ends at 1PM.

The first two talks focus on New England communities with successful public art programs and the third addresses public art process and how to set up strong plans.  Anyone who is interested in learning how public art enhances a community’s economy, tourism, and overall civic engagement, as well as gaining practical information on municipal ordinances that address funding, site and art selection, installation, and maintenance should attend.

On Thursday, October 24 at Callahan Hall, Lewiston Public Library, 200 Lisbon Street, 11:45AM-1PM, Yarrow Thorne, Founder and Executive Director, The Avenue Concept, Providence, RI, shares insights on how his organization nurtures and supports public art ecosystems by investing in permanent infrastructure, funding public art projects, documenting and promoting the work of artists, using art as a tool for education, and advocating for policies, processes, and partnerships that develop sustainable avenues for public art. Founded in 2012, The Avenue Concept was Providence’s first privately administered public art program. Since then it has installed or exhibited more than 150 works of public art, and invested $1.1 million in both artwork and infrastructure. 

Yarrow Thorne

On Tuesday, October 29 at LA Arts Gallery, 221 Lisbon Street, Lewiston, 11:45AM-1PM, Maine artist and Auburn native Andy Rosen and Bill Needelman, Waterfront Coordinator, Economic Development Department, City of Portland, ME, will discuss the installation of Rosen’s work atop pilings on the Portland waterfront and emerging from the rising sea near the Ocean Gateway marine facility. The artist will explain how temporary public art captures the community’s attention on specific topics and grows support for permanent installations. Needleman coordinated the installations and will provide observations from the municipal perspective.

Andy Rosen

This presentation series is part of the LA Public Art Working Group’s management of a Maine Arts Commission (MAC) grant awarded to transform the Twin Cities into a vibrant public art community. The group formed in February 2019 after the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce with LA Arts was awarded a $75,000 MAC Creative Communities = Economic Development Phase 2 Grant for implementation of Cultural Plan LA. The working group is drafting a public art plan and ordinance and encourages attendance at the events on October 24, 29 and November 15 to learn more about how public art will have a positive impact on the Lewiston Auburn community.

Appointees to the working group were made by the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, LA Arts, Arts and Culture LA, and the municipalities of Lewiston and Auburn — all partners in the implementation of Cultural Plan LA. Working group members include: 

• Sabrina Best, Recreation Director, City of Auburn
• Shoshona Currier, Director, Bates Dance Festival 
• Jody Dube, Art Teacher, Lewiston High School
• William Low, Curator, Bates Museum of Art and LA Arts Board Member
• Heidi McCarthy, Economic Development Specialist, City of Lewiston
• Tom Platz, AIA, Principal, Platz Associates
• Darby Ray,  Director of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships at Bates College and LA Arts Board Clerk (group co-chair)
• Shawn Rice, Art Teacher, Edward Little High School
• Rebecca Swanson Conrad, Cultural Plan LA Advisor, LA Metro Chamber of Commerce member (group co-chair)
• Sheri Withers Hollenbeck, Owner, The Curio and Founder, Sunday Indie Market 

In 2015, LA Arts was awarded the MAC Creative Communities = Economic Development Phase I Grant to develop a cultural plan. That project was sponsored by The City of Lewiston, The City of Auburn, LA Arts, and ACLA. Cultural Plan LA outlines priorities and recommendations for action which, coupled with cross-sector partnerships, will catalyze LA’s potential as a creative metropolis.

Since 1973, LA Arts, the arts agency for the cities of Lewiston and Auburn Maine, has pursued a mission to engage and inspire a vibrant community through arts and culture. The agency works with government arts agencies, city governments, businesses, and local arts and cultural organizations to create opportunities for community members across the generations to experience, learn, and participate in the arts. LA Arts organizes arts and culture programs and initiatives, supports the work of local artists and art organizations, and highlights the essential role the arts play in shaping an economically vital, socially integrated, and forward-looking future for its community. Learn more at www.laarts.org.

The membership of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce represents more than 900 area businesses. The staff and board of the Chamber have put arts and culture at the center of many of its programs to attract businesses to the area, to support the development of a community of young professionals, and to promote Lewiston and Auburn as a tourist destination. More information is available at www.lametrochamber.com.

Photos attached: Andy Rosen, Yarrow Thorne

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For Immediate Release

Contact: LA Arts

alison.gibbs@laarts.org 

(207) 782-7228

LA Public Art Working Group Kicks Off Planning 

LEWISTON, ME, March 28, 2019 – At a kick-off meeting Monday, the newly formed LA Public Art Working Group committed to using a recent Maine Arts Commission (MAC) grant award to transform the Twin Cities into a vibrant public art community.

The group formed in February, 2019 after Lewiston Auburn was awarded a $75,000 MAC Creative Communities = Economic Development Phase 2 Grant for implementation of Cultural Plan LA. Proceeds of the grant will be used to improve the image of Lewiston Auburn and spark greater private and public support for public art.  

“Public art communities are great places to live, work, recreate, and go to school,” said Rebecca Swanson Conrad, co-chair of the working group and Cultural Plan LA Advisor to the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. “We’ll use this grant award to develop best practices for sustaining a robust public art process in LA.”

“We’re fortunate to already have a groundswell of excitement around public art here in LA,” added Darby Ray, co-chair of the working group, Director of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships at Bates College, and LA Arts Board Clerk. “There’s great anticipation for the spring opening of the Hartley Block in the Lewiston Arts District with its Marsden Hartley-inspired mosaic tile installations,  for a planned sculptural walk alongside the canal and through the Bates Mills complex, and for the expansion of crosswalk murals and related projects in the downtown. These initiatives lay the groundwork for and add to the timeliness and relevance of this group’s work.”   

Appointees to the working group were made by the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, LA Arts, Arts and Culture LA, and the municipalities of Lewiston and Auburn — all partners in the implementation of Cultural Plan LA. Working group members include 

• Sabrina Best, Recreation Director, City of Auburn
• Shoshona Currier, Director, Bates Dance Festival 
• Jody Dube, Art Teacher, Lewiston High School
• William Low, Curator, Bates Museum of Art and LA Arts Board Member
• Heidi McCarthy, Economic Development Specialist, City of Lewiston
• Tom Platz, AIA, Principal, Platz Associates
• Darby Ray,  Director of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships at Bates College and LA Arts Board Clerk (group co-chair)
• Shawn Rice, Art Teacher, Edward Little High School
• Rebecca Swanson Conrad, Cultural Plan LA Advisor, LA Chamber of Commerce (group co-chair)
• Sheri Withers Hollenbeck, Owner, The Curio and Founder, Sunday Indie Market 

In 2015, LA Arts was awarded the MAC Creative Communities = Economic Development Phase I Grant to develop a cultural plan. That project was sponsored by The City of Lewiston, The City of Auburn, LA Arts, and ACLA. Cultural Plan LA outlines priorities and recommendations for action which, coupled with cross-sector partnerships, will catalyze LA’s potential as a creative metropolis.

Since 1973, LA Arts, the arts agency for the cities of Lewiston and Auburn Maine, has pursued a mission to engage and inspire a vibrant community through arts and culture. The agency works with government arts agencies, city governments, businesses, and local arts and cultural organizations to create opportunities for community members across the generations to experience, learn, and participate in the arts. LA Arts organizes arts programs and initiatives, supports the work of local artists and art organizations, and highlights the essential role the arts play in shaping an economically vital, socially integrated, and forward-looking future for its community. Learn more at www.laarts.org.

The membership of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce represents more than 1,000 area businesses. The staff and board of the Chamber have put the arts and culture at the center of many of its own programs to attract businesses to the area, to support the development of a community of young professionals, and to promote Lewiston and Auburn as a tourist destination. More information is available at www.lametrochamber.com.

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February 28, 2019 – The Maine Arts Commission has awarded the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and L-A Arts a MAC Creative Communities = Economic Development (CCED) Phase 2 Grant of $75,000 for the implementation of Cultural Plan LA. Proceeds will be used to improve the image of Lewiston-Auburn and spur economic development through public art installations in each city. MORE