Artists Sought for $125,000 Centennial Legacy Project; Deadline Is Oct. 21

Artists, start your resumes. The city is seeking people or teams who’d like to create a work of  public art in The Village commemorating La Mesa’s 100th anniversary of cityhood in 2012.

The so-called Centennial Legacy Project will be built in 2013 at a cost of $100,000 to $125,000, according to Assistant City Manager Yvonne Garrett, who is overseeing the effort.

“Proposal evaluators will select up to five individuals/teams judged best suited to complete the project and rank these individuals/teams. Finalists will receive an honorarium not to exceed $1,500 to develop and present a design concept for the project,” Garrett said on the city’s vendor site.

What kind of artwork does the city want?

“For purposes of the project, artwork can be defined as two- or three-dimensional durable aesthetic improvements. Some examples could be: a clock tower, street furniture, sculpture, granite, metal, mosaics, murals, photo transfer onto durable materials, and artistic glass treatments.”

The project should have an educational component as part of the piece, the city also says.

The Legacy Project Committee, a subcommittee of the Centennial Committee, will do proposal evaluation and make final selection recommendations to the larger group and the City Council, Garrett said.

The site—still not decided but on city-owned property—will range from 20-by-20 feet to 40-by-40 feet, and be “prominent and visible, accessible to pedestrians … and be large enough to recognize donors and sponsors. The final site selection will be made by the La Mesa City Council.”

According to the city, artwork should:

• Reflect the small-town village feel in La Mesa as well as reflect some aspect of the past, present and future of the city.
• Provide a physical “canvas” for inscription of donor names to honor their contribution to the centennial celebration.
• Be of an appropriate size and shape for the permanent site so as not to obstruct visibility or pose any hazard to pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
• Consider the use of materials for maintenance purposes and to withstand the outdoor elements to last for at least 25 years.
• It should include a time capsule which will list all donors to the Centennial event and other memorabilia.
• Subscribe to the theory of “placemaking” which is to create usable, inviting areas for residents to gather.
• It should be visually engaging and enliven the surrounding environment.

“A selection panel consisting of arts professionals and business community members may select up to five finalists,” Garrett said.

The city posted this projected timeline:

• RFQ released: September 7, 2011
• Submission due: October 21, 2011 (no later than 4 p.m.)
• Applicants/finalists selected: November 2011
• Finalists interviews: November 2011
• Finalists selected: November 2011
• Honorarium paid: November 2011
• Site options determined: November 2011
• Proposals and preliminary cost estimates due: February 28, 2012
• Approvals process: March 2012
• Artist notification: April 2012
• Contract negotiation and preparation: May 2012
• Artists to work with city staff and committee to develop project: June 2012
• Completion and installation of project: 2013