City of Memphis | UrbanArt Commission
Frayser Library | Call to Artists
Release Date: Thursday, May 6, 2021
Budget: $150,000 (includes three finalist honoraria of $1,500 each)
Deadline: Thursday, June 17, 2021 at 11:59 pm
Eligibility: Any artist living and working within the Memphis metropolitan area. Artists are invited to submit collaborative work if desirable.
BACKGROUND
The Frayser neighborhood began as a small farming community in the 1800s, growing rapidly after the construction of a railroad between Covington and Memphis. It is a resilient neighborhood with a strong sense of pride, where residents value entrepreneurship and community activism around home ownership, environmental concerns, and youth activities and education.
Opened on September 11, 1961, the Frayser Branch Library was named for the area’s first practicing physician, Dr. John R. Frayser. A few years after settling in Memphis in 1835, Dr. Frayser built a summer home north of the Wolf River in rural Shelby County. In 1873, a train stop called Frayser Station was built near the doctor’s home, and five years later a post office was also named for the Memphis physician. Shelby County built a hospital for the neighborhood in 1892, and in the 1920s several churches and schools opened in Frayser. The area became an important industrial location when International Harvester built a major plant there in 1947, which remained in operation until 1985. Annexed by Memphis in 1957, Frayser remains one of the city’s most significant neighborhoods.
The UrbanArt Commission (UAC) works to create opportunities for artists and neighborhoods to connect and shape spaces through public art. Since 2002, UAC has managed the City of Memphis’s Percent-For-Art Program, which allocates funds annually to develop public art in connection to capital improvement projects. UAC also facilitates public art projects throughout the city working with various partners and clients to support artists and new experiences with art.
SITE SPECIFICS
The new Frayser Library facility has been highly anticipated by the neighborhood and will feature a number of exciting amenities and flexible space for community gatherings. Approximately four times larger than the current branch, the new 20,000 sq. ft. facility will be the first government building in the city with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The LEED sustainability of the facility includes solar panels for green and renewable energy, green building materials, electric vehicle recharging stations and energy and water efficient systems. The building is designed with large, open collections rooms and library stacks, comfortable seating and study areas, and covered outdoor seating areas in the public plaza at the entrance. There will also be a sensory children’s garden, and game and media rooms to support a variety of experiences and activities.
SCOPE OF WORK
UAC is partnering with the City of Memphis to produce a mural for the entrance of the new Frayser Library branch. The available project budget will support a multidimensional wall-bound mural project that could include mosaic or sculptural elements. The selection committee expresses an interest in a public art piece that will:
Highlight the environmentally conscious and sustainable concepts and amenities of the new facility
Reflect the activities and experience of a modern-day library, including its function as a flexible community gathering space and hub for the exchange of information and ideas
Reference the history of Frayser as a farming community and a neighborhood that values entrepreneurship and growth with a bright future ahead
Consider existing nearby public art
Following the selection committee’s review of artist submissions, three finalists will be invited to submit site-specific design proposals. The commissioned artist or artist team will be selected based on the above eligibility requirements and scope of work.
The finished project must require little to no regular maintenance. Final artwork should complement the characteristics and neighborhood identity of the site. The artists selected shall be expected to collaborate closely with site engineers, landscape architects, and any necessary party for the successful installation of the project, including the community. NOTE: Commissioned artists are permitted to work with outside contractors to fabricate the actual work of art.
UAC is committed to equity and inclusion in our work, both in the artists and organizations supported through the development of public art. UAC is especially interested in applications from artists who have not previously received public art commissions. People of color, differently-abled persons, indigenous peoples, LGBTQ+, seniors, and women are strongly encouraged to apply.
Rendering of the new library entrance, orange indicating the location for the mural project.
DESIGN & FABRICATION SUPPORT
The selected finalists will have the opportunity to work with a professional artist or fabrication studio in a consulting capacity to support their proposal development. The commissioned artist will be able to continue that support in revising, developing, and executing their design. The mentorship component of this project will be responsive to the needs of the selected artists and is intended to support artists expanding their practice on a large scale. Project funding will include a stipend or professional fee for the participating mentor or studio.
FINALIST REQUIREMENTS
The artist selection committee will select three finalists based on their applications, professional qualifications, ability to work within a budget, meet deadlines, and successful completion of previous public art projects. Each finalist will be asked to prepare a design proposal, followed by a presentation to the artist selection committee. Each finalist will receive a $1,500 honorarium for an original design developed specifically for the site, leading to one finalist being commissioned to implement their concept.
SELECTION COMMITTEE
Shelley Moore – City of Memphis Frayser Library Branch Manager
Annar Brown – Frayser resident
Theodore King – Frayser Community Schools
Jeanelle Jones – Frayser resident and artist
Mary Wallace – Frayser resident and artist
Lurlynn Franklin – Memphis-based artist
Jamie Stempel – Haizlip Studio
Hussein Ghelichkhani- City of Memphis Engineering Division (non-voting)
PROJECT BUDGET
Total project budget is $150,000, including artist honoraria - up to three finalists will receive a $1,500 honorarium for a site-specific proposal - and consulting fees. Design budget $36,375; Fabrication budget $109,125 all-inclusive.
PROJECT TIMELINE
Thursday, May 6, 2021 RFQ released
Thursday, June 17, 2021 RFQ deadline
By Friday, July 9, 2021 Notify finalists of RFP invitation
August 2021 RFP deadline
APPLICATION GUIDELINES
UAC posts all open opportunities and accepts applications online through Submittable. Follow the steps below to apply to an open UAC opportunity through Submittable:
To apply to this call, go to www.uacmem.org/calls-to-artists. Click on the opportunity that you are interested in to view more details.
Clicking on the Submit button will redirect you to our Submittable page, which contains all of our current open opportunities. Click the Submit button next to the opportunity that you wish to apply for, or if you are already within an opportunity, scroll down to the Create your account / Have an account? Sign in form.
If you already have a Submittable account, click the Have an account? Sign in tab to sign in to your account. If you don’t remember your password, use the Forgot? link.
If you don’t have a Submittable account, you must create one to apply. Create your free account by filling out the Create your account form. Fill in all information and click the Create Account and Continue button to continue with the submission process.
From there, you will be able to complete and submit your application.
Please submit the following materials online by following the “Frayser Library” link at www.uacmem.org/calls-to-artists:
Completed application form
Up to 20 images of recent 2D and/or 3D art and design work
A typed letter explaining your interest in the project and your general approach/concept to its design and production. Please do not submit design proposals at this point.
Résumé or CV (not to exceed 2 pages)
List of three professional references, including current phone and email.
INFORMATION SESSIONS
UAC will host a virtual information session for interested artists on Tuesday, May 26, 2021 from 5:30 to 7 pm. The virtual session will be recorded and a link made available to applicants who are unable to attend during that time. Interested artists who have not completed a public art project previously or not completed a mural at this scale are strongly encouraged to reach out to the UAC team in advance of submitting their application. Artists may also schedule a meeting with UAC staff to review their application and portfolio. Appointments are available until 1 week prior to the close of the call to artists. See project contact information below.
Zoom registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvdu-srz0sE9QxzK_64G9lOVxdIf0nMDTB
DISCLAIMERS
UAC is committed to equity and inclusion in our work. People of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, differently-abled and neurodiverse persons, indigenous peoples, youth, seniors, and women are strongly encouraged to apply.
Applicants will be notified as to the status of their application. Commissioning of artists by UAC and the pursuit of all UAC activities are implemented without preference to racial or ethnic origins, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disability, or age.
UAC reserves the right to modify this solicitation and to request additional information from participating artists.
UAC reserves the right to accept or reject, at any time prior to the commissioning of a work, any or all proposals when the acceptance, rejection, waiver or advertisement would be in the best interest of the project.
The UAC team will be responsible for all correspondence and communication by and between applicants and members of selection panels. Discussion regarding these projects by and between any applicant and any member of a selection panel outside of regularly scheduled meetings during the selection process may be grounds for the disqualification of the applicant. Such determination shall be at the discretion of UAC.
For more information about this project, please contact:
Lauren Kennedy | Executive Director| 901.552.3934 | lauren@uacemem.org
