Project Summary
DESCRIPTION:  Lake Superior College requests for qualifications from professional artists to create public artwork(s) for the Academic and Student Services Addition in Duluth, Minnesota.

ELIGIBILITY:  Open to all artists or artist teams, working in any media.  This call is open to all professional artists nationally who have demonstrated artistic excellence and community-arts experience. Artists living in Duluth and the surrounding region of northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin are encouraged to apply. Artists of color are encouraged to apply. Up to five finalists may be selected. This is an excellent opportunity for artists working in two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms.

PROJECT BUDGET:  Part I: $40,000 commission; Part II: up to $39,000 in purchases.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION:  4:30 p.m. (CST), March 5, 2007

Overview
The Lake Superior College Arts Committee will commission an artwork or artworks for the Academic and Student Services Addition in Duluth, Minnesota.  The facility will house academic classrooms as well as student services and administrative departments.

The college seeks timeless, highly visual, original artwork that reflects the educational mission and/or community connections of Lake Superior College. The artwork(s) will be sited in a prominent location or locations inside the building. The college seeks work that can become a signature piece for a college with a large and thriving art program. The piece(s) commissioned may be free-standing, hang on walls, or be suspended from a two-story ceiling.  Available areas include an entrance hall, waiting area, main corridors, and recessed areas.

The media should be low maintenance, permanent, safe for children and adults, and be compliant with ADA regulations. Works in a variety of media and forms will be considered. 

Budget
The public art budget for the project is $81,000.  The budget will be divided into one $40,000 commission and several smaller purchases. This budget includes all costs associated with but not limited to: artist design fees; travel; project materials; fabrication; engineering; installation cost; project plaque and documentation of the work(s).

Eligibility

The project is open to all artists working in any media. Artist teams are eligible to apply, including teams of artists from multiple disciplines. Artist living in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin are encouraged to apply. Artists of color are encouraged to apply.

Schedule 

Selection Process
An Art Selection Committee will review all artists’ submissions. Three to five finalists will be selected and invited to submit full proposals for the $40,000 commission. Finalists will be invited to tour the site to prepare their proposals. Finalists may be asked for an interview and presentation to the committee. Finalists will be provided with a $400 stipend for their proposal submission. An additional $100 for travel may be allocated to artists for an interview if one is offered.

Artists who are not selected for the commission may be considered for the art purchase portion of the project budget. The selection committee includes art professionals, community members, and representatives from Lake Superior College faculty, students, and administration.

Project Description
Lake Superior College campus is located on a bluff overlooking Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota. The Academic and Student Services Addition is a 45,000 SF, 2 story cast in place building with masonry exterior.  The building will house academic classrooms as well as offices for Student Services, Business Services, and the Office of the President.  
For a basic view of the exterior, see the LHB Architects Web site: http://www.lhbcorp.com/education/pf5.html.
For construction updates, see the LSC Web site: http://blog.lsc.edu/collegeview/

How to Apply
Artists and artist teams interested in the project should submit four copies of items one through three below, plus one set of work samples.

1.   LETTER OF INTEREST, no more than two pages in length, that explains the artist’s or artist team’s interest in the project and addresses the artist’s or team’s ability to work in a tight timeframe.  If the Letter of Interest is on behalf of a team, please identify the lead artist and indicate if the individuals and/or organizations have previously collaborated and the nature of the association.

2.   CURRENT RESUME OR RELEVANT EXPERIENCE.  If submitting as a team, a separate resume should be submitted for each team member.

3. REFERENCES of at least three professionals who have a solid knowledge of your work and working methods (design or arts professional, commissioning agency or organization, architect, landscape architect, engineer, etc.). 

4. ONE SET OF UP TO TEN DIGITAL IMAGES of the artist’s work or the work of the artist team. 

Each image must be numbered, the top of the image indicated, and the artist’s name included on the image.  For information on developing images to submit, please consult Call for Entry.org (http://www.callforentry.org). (One set of slides may be submitted in lieu of digital images. Slides must be in a clear plastic sheet.) 

A self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage for return of slides and images must be included if images are to be returned. Do not send original artwork.

All submissions must be received by 4:30 p.m. on March 5. No postmarks. Artists interested in being considered should submit the above information to:

Public Art Committee
c/o Dean of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Lake Superior College
2101 Trinity Road
Duluth, Minnesota 55811

Additional Information
Guidelines for full proposals will be available in April. Commissioned artists will be obligated to enter into a contract with Lake Superior College through the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. For information on artist contracts, please see the Percent for Art Commissioning Contract on the system Web site at http://www.facilities.mnscu.edu/mainpage/design_construction.htm.

If you have questions or need any additional information, please contact Pamela Beader, Pegasus Group, 651-292-9105, pbeader@pegasusgrp.net.