Forecast Public Art is excited to announce its newest public art project on University Ave, Echoing Voices, a billboard installation by artist, Kao Lee Thao. With support from the Jerome Foundation, Forecast Public Art selected Thao from a pool of local applicants to create a design for a billboard at the intersection of University Avenue and Cleveland in St. Paul. Thao chose to use the public visibility of the project to create a visual dialog about a topic close to her life, the Hmong Secret War.
“I was one of the first Hmong children born in America, each year my birth is a constant reminder of those who were left behind and continue to fight for my freedom. My aspiration was to create a painted billboard that speaks out about the injustices of the remaining Hmong soldiers called Freedom Fighters from the “Secret War†during the Vietnam War.
Inspired by Hmong textiles and vibrant colors of my culture I divided the billboard representing the two worlds I live in. My spirit is still trapped in the Jungles of Laos and my soul is in America living out my dreams. I want to inspire young minds to pursue their passion, but remind us not to forget how we won our freedom to America. I hope someday we can end the “Secret War†and bring peace to those remaining in Laos still fighting…†– Kao Lee Thao,
The Echoing Voices and a companion website (www.echoingvoices.com) will be installed on Monday September 21, 2009 and will remain on view through November at the intersection of University Avenue and Cleveland in St. Paul, MN.
Call for projects 01SJ Biennial
CITY OF SAN JOSE – SAN FERNANDO CORRIDOR PROJECT
Last Sunday, ON SAN FERNANDO, Arcangel Constantini "activated" Brendan Rawson of 1stACT, DJ Tommy Aguilar, and artist Pilar Aguero-Esparza with his electro-shock art "icpiticayotl", which ZER01 presented at the Mariachi Festival. Propose your own activation project on San Fernando.
GENERAL INFORMATION
San Jose Public Art and ZER01 invite artists to submit qualifications and letters of interest to install temporary artworks on the San Fernando Street corridor in Downtown San Jose. These artworks will be installed in June 2010, be a feature of the 3rd 01SJ Biennial (September 15-19, 2010) and will continue their display through October 2010.
PROJECT BUDGET: Varies depending on site. See complete RFQ for details at http://www.sanjoseculture.org/?pid=4500
ARTIST ELIGIBILITY: U.S. residents are invited to apply, or those who have a US Social Security or Tax Identification Number by the application deadline.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Submissions (described below) must be received as a complete application in CaFÉ™ by no later than 12 midnight Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) on Thursday, October 8, 2009.
APPLICATION PROCESS: All materials will be submitted online, via CaFÉ™ website (www.callforentry.org). There is no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system. To view the application, go to www.callforentry.org, register a username and password, navigate to “Apply to Callsâ€, and search the list for “City of San Jose – San Fernando Corridor Projectâ€.
Ghost Siege
Andréa Stanislav, Ghost Siege, 2009, 70 ft L x 70 ft W x 22 ft H, steel, nylon, sound. Socrates Sculpture Park, NYC, NY. Photo courtesy the artist.
Andréa Stanislav’s Ghost Siege opened Sunday, September, 13th at Socrates Sculpture Park, NYC, NY as part of the Emerging Artist Fellowship Exhibition.
A site specific installation/formation of ghost flags comprised of 50 strategically located flag sculptures, made from reflective silver fabric, and steel flag poles. The flags have no markings or signifiers of conquest or elements of communication. Instead, the flags serve notice that the location has been conquered by time.
Opening Day Performance
Set within Ghost Siege, dancer/choreographer Leah Schrager will dance to music composed by Kenny Aronoff, preeminent drummer and percussionist.
Ghost Siege from Leah S on Vimeo.
Each year, EAF artists are awarded a grant and a residency in the Park’s outdoor studio and are also provided with technical support and access to tools, materials and equipment to facilitate the production of new sculptures and installations for exhibition in the Park. The artists develop their projects throughout the summer in the open studio and on site in the landscape, offering visitors the opportunity to experience both the creation and presentation of their works. Representing a broad range of materials, working methods and subject matter, the diverse sculptural works in this exhibition are presented against the Park’s spectacular waterfront view of the Manhattan skyline.
Public art commissions 01SJ Biennial
Adriene Jenik, SPECFLIC 2.0, part of the 1st 01SJ Biennial, 2006, San Jose Public Library, San Fernando and 4th St.
For Artists
San Fernando Corridor Project – Request for Qualifications
San Jose Public Art and ZER01 invite artists to submit qualifications and letters of interest to install temporary artworks on the San Fernando Street corridor in Downtown San Jose. These artworks will be installed in June 2010, be a feature of the 3rd 01SJ Biennial (September 15-19, 2010) and will be continue their display through October 2010.
Background: San Fernando Street
San Fernando Street is a significant east/west corridor through downtown San Jose that connects Diridon Station, the major train, light rail and bus center on the west side of downtown; continues through the sports, retail and cultural district; and defines the north side of San Jose State University at downtown’s east edge. The street passes from the station, beneath State Highway 87 and over the Guadalupe River before entering the downtown core. As such, the street offers a variety of opportunities for the creation of artworks in different media ranging from static to electronic, sound, projection, light-based, interactive and mobile or networked. The artworks will be accessible to anyone who works, lives or visits downtown San Jose.
Background: 2010 3rd 01SJ Biennial
The 3rd 01SJ Biennial will take place September 15-19, 2010, throughout San Jose and Silicon Valley. Its theme, “Build Your Own World,†is about how powerful ideas and innovative individuals from around the world can make a difference and come together to build a unique, city-wide platform for creative solutions and public engagement. It is about the inspiration needed to build a world we want to live in and are able to live with. The 2010 01SJ Biennial is predicated on the notion that as artists, designers, engineers, architects, marketers, corporations and citizens we have the tools to (re)build the world, conceptually and actually, virtually and physically, poorly and better, aesthetically and pragmatically, in both large and small ways.
PROJECT BUDGETS: Vary depending on site
ARTIST ELIGIBILITY: U.S. residents are invited to apply, or those who have a US Social Security or Tax Identification Number by the application deadline.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Submissions (described below) must be received as a complete application in CaFÉ™ by no later than 12 midnight Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) on Thursday, October 8, 2009.
APPLICATION PROCESS: All materials will be submitted online, via CaFÉ™ website (www.callforentry.org). There is no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system. To view the application, go to www.callforentry.org, register a username and password, navigate to “Apply to Callsâ€, and search the list for “City of San Jose – San Fernando Corridor Projectâ€.
For full details and application process read the Request for Qualifications.
DOCUMENTS FOR REFERENCE IN APPLYING FOR PROJECTS WITH THE CITY OF SAN JOSE PUBLIC ART PROGRAM
Design Contract – Boilerplate (PDF)
Fabrication Contract – Boilerplate (PDF)
City of San Jose Standard Specifications (External)
Temporary Manhattan art park
Canal Street Getting Public Art Park No One Knew it Needed. Via Curbed
via Curbed.
It’s not entirely clear what will be happening here, but the basic idea is that while the property owner waits for the real estate market to revive, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council is working with architects Interboro Partners to create Lentspace, a temporary public park and exhibition with event programming. Excellent.
“LentSpace’s landscape design features a tree nursery that provides shade while incubating street trees to be planted throughout the downtown neighborhood at a later date. In addition, a custom operable fence opens the space to encourage a variety of social encounters, incorporating benches for seating and a display surface for a c ommissioned graphic design series. LentSpace is a free outdoor cultural space open to the public from 7am to dusk, made possible by LMCC.”
Who woulda thunk that Canal and Sixth would become the greenest intersection in town? Photo: Curbed.
The visual arts exhibition curated by LMCC’s curator Adam Kleinman includes work by artists: Olivier Babin, Olga Chernysheva, Eli Hansen & Oscar Tuazon, Graham Hudson, Tobias Putrih, Ryan Taber, and Corban Walker. Opening September 18.
Success!
Camille Utterback and Alan H. Davidson installing touch sensitive handrail for interactive light work.
Over the past week, Camille Utterback has been installing her as-yet-untitled (suggestions?) interactive sculptural artwork for the lobby of the Showplace Theaters in The West End, St. Louis Park, MN. It’s all working!
Camille Utterback, untitled interactive artwork, The West End, St. Louis Park, MN
There are 6 tubes with LED lights hanging over the staircase in the lobby of the theater. The LEDs react to people touching the handrails along the balcony. Each touch of a hand rail creates an upward “blip” in the corresponding LED light, which is the color of the rail at that moment. The length of the blip is determined by the duration of touching the rail. If all 6 rails are touched simultaneously, the lights rain down blips.
Camille Utterback, untitled interactive sculpture, The West End.
The balcony railing still needs to be stained, so the touch sensitive sections will not be permanently installed till next week, but it’s all working and ready of for the opening of The West End, which will begin in stages after September 15.
See Alan H. Davidson’s excellent documentation on flickr and previous posts on Public Address.
American Institute Of Architects 2009 Housing Award
The Bridge Homeless Assistance Center with public art by Gordon Huether receives an American Institute Of Architects (AIA) 2009 Housing Award.
The Bridge Homeless Assistance Center in Dallas, Texas was developed from a reclaimed industrial warehouse opened in May 2008.
It is a multi-purpose facility dedicated to serving homeless men, women and children, with a primary focus on the chronically homeless. The artist worked with the homeless to create seven art glass windows incorporating brightly colored mouth-blown glass, etched and silk-screened with text from writings of the shelter’s clients. The text is superimposed over the glass panels.
Dry run with funnoodles
Dry run installing Camille Utterback's new project at West End. Photo: Alan H. Davidson.
On Monday, Camille used some “funnoodles” to mock up final location of her interactive lighting installation in the theater at the new West End development.
Funnoodles to mock up hanging locations for interactive LED lights. Photo: Alan H. Davidson
More pictures here.
Today they install the real thing.
Installing at West End
Camille Utterback, West End project (studio). "Studio before we sent out the lights. The lights are 'naked' as all but one test acrylic tube had already been shipped."
Camille Utterback begins installation of her West End project today. I’m excited to go visit and see the installation. They plan to hang some styrofoam pool “funnoodles” as a mockup to lock in the column heights/locations.
Prior site visit photos.
Here’s a link to a set of photos from a site visit last week checking out the wood railing by Utterback’s collaborator, Brett, who did the engineering on the project.
"A good shot of one of the Railing Sensor housings in place."
"Our clear test cable guard (will be stainless steel)."
Gimme Shelter
Schuykill Center for environmental education presents functional woodland shelters made from recycled and reused industrial materials as well as sustainable harvested bamboo. This is a really cool environmental exhibition for anyone interested in the environmental sustainable architecture or industrial design concepts. The projects presented were chosen from over 80 designs submitted by 65 teams from across the US and internationally. Check out the winning designs at http://www.schuykillcenter.org/gimmeshelter/
United Nations Mural
Centenarian Swiss artist Hans Erni created a 60-mitre-long ceramic tile mural entitled “Tu panta reiâ€, which adorns the security entrance of the United Nations building in Geneva, Switzerland.
America’s Best Public Art
June 20, 2009—Forty of the best public art works in the United States, including projects from 32 cities in 15 states, were recognized at the 2009 Americans for the Arts annual convention held in Seattle from June 18–20. The works were chosen from more than 300 entries across the country. More here or download pdf
.
Nancy Ann Coyne, Speaking of Home. IDS-Macy’s skyway over Nicollet Mall, between 7th and 8th Streets in downtown Minneapolis, MN. Co-presented by Forecast Public Art, Family Housing Fund and the Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Minnesota. http://www.speakingofhome.org/
Power to the solar
“Designed by public art team Harries/Heder, the installation consists of 15 flower-like solar photovoltaic panels located on a pedestrian and bike path between the village of Mueller and Austin’s highway I-35.”
via Inhabitat
“It’s called the GreenPix Zero Energy Media Wall, and with 2,292 individual color LEDs, comparable to a 24,000 sq. ft. monitor screen, it’s said to be the largest color LED display in the world. The wall is solar-powered too — photovoltaics are integrated into the wall’s glass curtain, and it harvests power during the day, to illuminate the display at night.”
via Metaefficient
Solar Collector by Gorbet Design
“In a collaboration between the community and the sun, Solar Collector gathers human expression and solar energy during the day, then brings them together each night in a performance of flowing light patterns.”
Ken Gregory’s Sun Sucker: Solaris consumis
“Sun Suckers are machines. They are classified in the order Real Artificial Life. Sun Suckers have stout flat bodies. The skin is a large photovoltaic cell and usually shiny although in a few species they are dull and opaque. Sun Suckers have one large compound eye (photoresistor) situated on the top of the body. This large eye can read how bright the sun is during the day and detect when night falls. Beside the eye is a thick whisker. This sensor (thermistor) measures the ambient temperature in close proximity of the Sun Sucker.”
via Parks & Wildlife
Pascal Glissmann & Martina Hoefflin, Elf
“elfs are small, analog creatures reacting to light, calling the attention of the observer with their delicate sounds and movements.”
Bjoern Schuelke, solar-kinetic object
“The Pearl Avenue Branch Library in San Jose, Calif., features a public art display that combines photovoltaic cells and art glass in an architectural application. Artist Lynn Goodpasture collaborated with Peters Glass Studios in Portland, Ore., in the creation of Solar Illumination I: Evolution of Language, an artwork that incorporates four art glass windows in the building’s southwest corner that convert sunlight to 24-Vdc electricity.”
via Solar Glazing
Give me a V-I-C-T-O-R-Y for art
Mel Bochner’s Win! (2009) will be painted directly on the walls opposite the monumental staircase in the northeastern portion of the stadium.
There must be something in the water in Dallas. According to Artinfo, Dallas Cowboys co-owner Jerry Jones philosophized about football and contemporary art and the public:
“Cowboys Stadium isn’t just a place to go and see a game or a concert, it’s an experience you share with your family and your community. That will include things that a lot of people wouldn’t anticipate seeing at a stadium — like contemporary art. Football is full of the unexpected and the spontaneous — it can make two strangers into friends. Art has the power to do that too, to get people talking, and looking, and interacting.”
Doug Aitken’s star (2008), which was acquired for the stadium, will be installed in the elevator lobby.
“The program kicks off with 14 commissioned works, including contributions by heavyweights Franz Ackermann, Annette Lawrence, Lawrence Weiner, and Olafur Eliasson, as well as acquisitions of existing pieces by Doug Aitken, Wayne Gonzales, Jacqueline Humphries, and another work by Eliasson. Pieces will mainly be installed in high-traffic locations, such as the four principal entries and the walls above the main concourse concession areas, which measure 15 by 114 feet. Some will wrap around stadium walls.”
Meanwhile, over at the American Airlines Arena, there are eleven large, high resolution LED “Super Screens.”
“Eight of these screens, 4 on each side of the plaza, move on horizontal tracks to allow for a myriad of configurations and motion possibilities. These screens can also be combined in sets of four to create 31’x53’ super screens with HD resolution. High fidelity sound and a theatrical lighting system heighten the experience to an immersive level.”
Originally, the screens solicited digital art submissions and commissioned work by the likes of Jennifer Steinkamp (below),
although the Victory Park website currently states:
“Victory Park is NOT currently accepting submissions for its Victory Arts Program: Stylized live-action, stunning visual storytelling, cutting-edge motion graphics, experimental animation or very short films.”
Let’s hope that the V-I-C-T-O-R-Y for art at the Cowboys Stadium is not quite so short-lived.
Public Art Network Year in Review 2009
In June, Americans for the Arts presented their annual review, The Public Art Network Year in Review 2009 (from Arts Watch). Janet Echelman and Mildred Howard were the curators. 304 projects were reviewed from 2008 with 40 winning finalists. It is wonderful that two projects from the Twin Cities Metropolitan area were among the top 40 public art projects. The St. Cloud Library Project entitled “Natural Rhythmâ€,
by Chicago artist Lucy Slivinski and Minneapolis artist Nancy Ann Coyne’s
“Speaking of Homeâ€. Forecast Public Art.org was the public art project consultant for the Library project and consultant/co-funder of the “Speaking of Home†project. For the serious public art patron a CD of the projects can be acquired from the Americans for the Arts bookstore.