Culture and Climate Resilience Project

https://lucha.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Call-for-Artists.pdf Call for Artists: The Latin United Community Housing Association (LUCHA), in partnership with the Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA) is seeking artists, designers, architects and artist teams for a site-responsive, community engaged public art project in Logan Square, Chicago. The project will be developed as part of the Climate and Cultural Resilience 2.0 Program and will be completed in conjunction with a green stormwater management infrastructure project. Community engagement is a key component of the project; artists who are residents of the Logan Square community are encouraged to apply. Artists will receive a stipend of $4,000 to complete the project design, with $5,000 budgeted for materials and project installation, including fabrication costs. LUCHA (the Spanish word for “struggle”) advances housing as a human right by empowering communities - particularly the Latino and Spanish-speaking populations - through advocacy, education, affordable housing development and comprehensive housing services. LUCHA aspires to build empowered, thriving communities and further access to equitable and fair housing. LUCHA’s core values are as follows: 1) housing is a human right; 2) fair and affordable housing is worth fighting for; 3) housing equity builds community wealth; 4) diversity enriches and contributes to community; 5) all people deserve respect and dignity; 6) we are transformed in our service to others. The Logan Square Neighborhood Association is a multi-issue community organization, directly serving more than 6,500 residents across the Logan Square, Hermosa, and Avondale neighborhoods of Chicago, and impacting tens of thousands more through nationally-recognized issue campaigns and programs. Every piece of LSNA’s work is done in deep consultation and partnership with leaders in the communities we serve. Thirty-eight community institutions including schools, churches, block clubs, and agencies are members of LSNA. Additionally, LSNA is a leader in deep city- and state-wide coalitions in order to achieve our collective goals. The Project: This community-driven public art project will contribute to the climate and cultural resilience of the Logan Square neighborhood. The project will be sited within the vicinity of the Logan Square Neighborhood Association on 2840 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago, and will compliment a green storm water infrastructure (GSI) installation on the organization’s roof. Support for this public art project has been made available through the Climate and Cultural Resilience 2.0 project, which aims to improve local climate, economic, and cultural resilience in four (4) neighborhoods within the Elevated Chicago program area: Garfield Park, Marshall Square, Logan Square and Washington Park. The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) will work with community partners to install a green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) project and complementary public art project. The community partners include Garfield Park Community Council (Garfield Park); Open Center for the Arts (Marshall Square), LUCHA and LSNA (Logan Square), and Washington Park Development Group (Washington Park). Additional support for applications may be available through the Arts + Public Life, an initiative of UChicago Arts. Selection Criteria: Artist submissions will be evaluated by a selection committee of LUCHA and LSNA staff members and key stakeholders. Reviewers will be looking for the following elements: Design: Previous work samples should demonstrate the artist’s aesthetic and ability to carry out a public art project of this scale. Engagement: Experience working with community groups or collaborations will be considered; understanding of the particularity of the Logan Square neighborhood is strongly preferred. Content: Artist should demonstrate a facility and/or willingness to make meaningful connections to the issues of climate resiliency and storm water management, as well as to the issues championed by LSNA such as affordable housing, immigration rights and education. Availability: Although artists who are not Chicago-based are welcome to apply, due to the timeframe of the project, artists must be available to work on-site in Chicago to develop the design in collaboration with community residents in the spring of 2019, and to complete the installation before October 2019. Artists should be available to attend public events related to the project if possible. The reviewers have the option to make no selection from submitted applications and to reopen the competition or propose other methods of selection if no proposal is accepted. Additionally, LUCHA reserves the right not to proceed with any submissions should they fail to be deemed appropriate or technically sound. Additional Requirements: • The public art project will be installed in or adjacent to a Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) project. Public art must be visible from the GSI site. • A key element of the project is community engagement and education around water management and resiliency. Artists should provide a brief description of the piece explaining how the art installation complements the GSI installation and incorporates climate resiliency into the piece. • The project should be considered a permanent installation and should be able to resist exterior, outdoor conditions in Chicago for no less than five years. If the project has a temporary component, these elements should last longer than 18 months, and should be made accessible to the public through documentation, in coordination with the partner. For example: a video may be uploaded to YouTube or a similar video platform. • Public art will be owned by community-based organization. The public art winner must sign a legal agreement with the owner and the artwork shall be deemed as a “work for hire,” and all right, title and interest thereto, including all intellectual property rights, anywhere in the world, shall be and hereby are deemed to be the property of the community-based organization set forth in the agreement. • The public art project and site must have low implementation barriers and any required site construction costs must be covered by the set installation budget of $5,000 • The project must be accessible to the public and be on display in a well-trafficked area. Public accessibility and safety is important to the success of the project; sharp edges and other potential hazards should be avoided. Lighting, illumination and sound involved in the project must be energy efficient and have a low impact on any nearby residences. • Final designs must be approved by site management prior to installation, and site management will be responsible for the maintenance of the public art installation. Timeline: Monday, April 8: Deadline for submitting Artist Proposals Wednesday, April 17: Notification of Artist Selection April – May: The selected artist will participate in a kickoff meeting April 26 the artists and green infrastructure firms selected for the other Climate and Cultural Resilience sites. The Artist will be expected to finalize a design before the end of May. The project’s intent is to include the artist early in the process so as to engage community members in the public art design process concurrently with the stormwater management infrastructure design and installation. The Artist will work with LSNA, LUCHA, community residents, and other project stakeholders to develop a design for the project that is appropriate to the selected site. The Artist will take part in a community engagement process, with support and facilitation from LUCHA and LSNA. The Artist will meet periodically with the green infrastructure firm during the design process to provide updates and share feedback on the projects. June – September: Working with site specifications, install project in the summer and early fall of 2019. October – December: Artist will assist LUCHA to complete final documentation, reporting and evaluation of the project as necessary. How to Apply: Applications will be accepted until Monday, April 8 2019, and should consist of: 1. A narrative proposal of no more than three pages which demonstrates a basic concept for a public engagement project. Proposals should include the following components: • Briefly describe the proposed design concept(s), including potential materials, fabrication, and installation process/requirements (not to exceed $5,000) Due to the community-driven design element of the project, exploration of new ideas and concepts with community input is encouraged. • A short (no more than two paragraph) biography of the artist or artist team. If the artist is not currently living and working in Chicago, please provide information about the artist’s ability to work on site at various intervals during the project period. • Description of previous experience working in a participatory design process or collaboration, including familiarity with Logan Square, communities of color, or other work in cross-cultural contexts. • Connection to or interest in working with content related to climate resiliency and water management. 2. Three to five images or other documentation of previous work related to the proposed project. A sketch of a preliminary design may be included but is not required. Images should be no larger than 3 MB in size. Videos or sound should be no longer than 15 minutes in length. 3. Please include a CV for each artist working on the project with links to websites and/or social media accounts. Artists and artist teams should submit proposals to rwilson@lucha.org. The maximum size allowed for email submissions is 25 MB. Please use the subject heading: Climate Resiliency Public Art Submission. LUCHA encourages local artists and artist teams of all career stages to apply for this opportunity, and will provide technical assistance and support for application materials as time allows. Additional support may be available through the Arts + Public Life, an initiative of UChicago Arts. Please contact LUCHA at rwilson@lucha.org or 773-360-0859 with questions related to the application process.