Each spring Downtown Iowa City’s public art program announces a set of new opportunities for artists. For 2022, the Iowa City Downtown District is excited to bring back BenchMarks and the Iowa City Mural Project and announce the new Doors Downtown program. The three programs are sponsored by GreenState Credit Union, continue to provide opportunities for local artists, and support artistic vibrancy in downtown.
There are currently three calls for submissions that are open for work this spring and summer with deadlines quickly approaching. Available submissions are for the Iowa City Mural Project and Doors Downtown program. Artists selected for BenchMarks have just been announced and can be seen below. The available calls are looking for submissions that are highly original, gives a strong sense of place, and has a timeless quality. Information and details about each project and location can be seen below, but we highly encourage artists to take a walk past the sites to familiarize themselves with the wall, its surroundings, the texture of its surface, and how big or small the wall feels to tackle.
DOORS DOWNTOWN
The Iowa City Downtown District is excited to invite artists or teams of artists to submit proposals for a new alleyway public art program, Doors Downtown, centering on doorways and vestibules that face onto the public alleyways downtown. Artist proposals will be reviewed, and up to seven artists will be selected and awarded a contract to execute their design on a set of doors downtown.
The doorways in the alleys vary in size and shape, some being double doors, some single, some with adjacent walls where the door is recessed, and some with doors that are flush. All doorways are on the downtown alleys that service the backsides of buildings downtown and once painted, will provide welcome beautification, surprise, and visual contrast within the alleys.
KEY DATES:
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March 20: Invitations for Qualifications
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May 15: Deadline for Qualifications
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Week of May 15: Applications are Juried and Finalists are selected
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Subsequent weeks: Design is finalized for location and mural is contracted
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August 31: Deadline for Completed Artwork Installation
IOWA CITY MURAL PROJECT
RFQ process for the Iowa City Mural Project will work in phases for 2022:
- The Phase I – artists selected to complete designs will be paid for their design proposals.
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Phase II – the murals are inclusive of all costs associated with the project, including but not limited to: artist fees, artist expenses, administration, subcontracting, travel/lodging, supplies and materials, development of maintenance plans, safety equipment, scaffolding and/or elevation equipment, related permits, taxes, and insurance. A detailed itemized budget must be provided in your final proposal.
The mural is to be completed on-site. Artist qualifications will be reviewed, up to three artists will be selected and paid to put together formal design proposals, from which the mural design will be chosen. The wall is located on Plaza Center One at 125 S. Dubuque Street in Iowa City, Iowa, along the Pedestrian Mall.
KEY DATES:
- March 20: Invitations for Qualifications
- May 10: Deadline for Qualifications
- Week of May 15: Portfolios are Juried and Finalists are selected
- June 15: Artists designs are produced and submitted
- Week of June 15: Design selection is made and mural is contracted
- September 31: Deadline for Completed Artwork Installation
The mural is to be completed off-site and installed. Artist qualifications will be reviewed, up to three artists will be selected and paid to put together formal design proposals, from which the mural design will be chosen. A mural proposal is being sought for the east facing wall to be painted on DiBond or UltraBond, and installed on the wall so that the mural may be removed for repairs and saved in the event of a change in tenant or ownership.
KEY DATES:
- March 9: Invitations for Qualifications
- May 15: Deadline for Qualifications
- Week of May 15: Portfolios are Juried and Finalists are selected
- June 15: Artists designs are produced and submitted
- Week of June 15: Design selection is made and mural is contracted
- September 31: Deadline for Completed Artwork Installation
BENCHMARKS
The BenchMarks program looks to artists and designers to transform benches in original ways that surprise, amuse, or alter the expectations of our shared urban space. All of the benches in 2022 will face the playground, outside of the Iowa City Public Library similar to last year. The benches will be completed at the start of this summer in June.
Congratulations to the 2022 BenchMarks’s artists:
- Yuchen Liu
- Barbara Santucci
- Eleanor Lindhorst
- Alicia Errthum
- Stacey Jackson
- Hannah Jannusch
- Ariane Parkes-Perret
- Amanda Stout
- Amira Qidwai
- Brittany Todd