This spring the Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) is offering an intensive two-day basic training overview on how to work successfully in the area of commissioned public artwork. Invested in cultivating and training the next generation of public artists, ARTS has created a free training to prepare artists who are ready to translate their exhibition experience to the public realm.
Public Art Boot Camp is open to artists living in Washington state who have not received a temporary or permanent public art commission (an artwork that is created by an artist at the request of an entity: public agency, corporation or individual). Up to 30 artists will be selected to participate in the Public Art Boot Camp.
“Investing in artists as much as artwork is one of the missions of the Office of Arts & Culture,” says Ruri Yampolsky, Public Art Program Director. “We are dedicated to expanding opportunities and cultivating new artists who can create culturally relevant artworks that represent the diverse population of the city.”
The two-day training will help to demystify and simplify the process of creating publicly commissioned artwork. Artists selected for the Boot Camp are required to attend both full day workshops on May 9th and May 16th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., held at the Experience Music Project. Topics and presentations will include submitting a competitive application, the selection process, contracts, navigating design teams, public presentations, fabrication and installations and dedications. In addition, artists who are selected for and complete the two-day boot camp will be eligible to apply for an opportunity to create a temporary artwork in one of two sites later this summer at either the Seattle Center campus or the Central Area. There is an optional workshop for first time applicants on Monday, March 30, 6-8 p.m. at the Garfield Community Center – Arts & Crafts Room, 2323 East Cherry St, Seattle, Washington 98122.
Artists can apply online through April 13, 2015. For more information, contact Marcia Iwasaki at (206) 233-3946 or Elisheba Johnson at (206) 684-0182.
Image: Artist Megumi Shauna Arai, installing “A Tribute”. Image courtesy of Bruce Clayton Tom
