Newport Beach Civic Center Sculpture Exhibition

The City of Newport Beach (City) is pleased to announce a call for entries for Phase VI of its ongoing Invitational Sculpture Exhibition to further activate the splendor of the City’s Civic Center Park. Artists, private collectors, galleries, and museums/non-profit institutions are invited to submit artworks for consideration for a temporary exhibition at the site. The exhibition will be open on june 12, 2021, and the installation of the works is foreseen on May 10-21, 2021.
Up to ten artworks may be selected and showcased for two years in the heart of Newport Beach in Civic Center Park. The 14-acre, ocean-view site was specially designed by renowned landscape architect Peter Walker as an intended sculpture garden. The Civic Center Park has developed into a destination for residents and visitors to gather for events and activities including summer concerts on the lawn, art shows, docent-led sculpture park tours, visits to the dog park, or leisurely walks along the park’s winding trail, appreciating its environmentally-friendly expanse of native plant life. As home to City Hall, City administrative offices, and the Central Branch of the city’s public library system, the Civic Center is the heart of Newport Beach.
This is a unique opportunity to display artworks in a serene, ocean-view setting made to be beautified by sculpture. This exhibition has consistently delighted and enriched visitors with the works of world-class artists both local and international.

Submission requirements:
To apply: The application at Slideroom must be completed, and all required supporting documents and media uploaded, by Tuesday, December 8, 2020, at 11:59 pm. (Pacific Standard Time) Applicants are STRONGLY urged to submit early to allow for dealing with any technology challenges. Late submissions will NOT be accepted.

Honorarium:
Selected artists will receive an honorarium of between $2,500 and $6,000 in exchange for a two-year loan of their artwork. Honoraria will be determined by the Selection Committee depending on the artist’s preliminary budget, complexity of the project, weight, and size. And it shall be used to cover transportation of the artwork to and from the exhibition site, structural engineering documents (if required,) any insurance needed or desired for artwork transport and display, and fees for on-site availability during installation and removal. No other fees or expense reimbursements are offered. Artists will receive half of the honorarium upon signing the contract and the second half of the payment after de-installation.

Selection criteria:
The City seeks a well-balanced exhibit of Public Art emphasizing a variety of styles, types, sizes; and a diverse pool of artists. The artist selection committee will determine specific locations for artworks within the Park grounds.
• Artistic Merit.
• Durability.
• Meets Minimum Requirements.
• Site Responsiveness.

Artworks which incorporate sustainable strategies, demonstrate green processes or utilize green design, materials theories, and techniques are welcome, but not required.

Selection process:
A Selection Committee consisting of seven (7) Newport Beach Arts Commissioners and two (2) local arts professionals will be responsible for choosing up to ten (10) finalists and three to five (3-5) alternates.

About the exhibition:
The exhibition will locate up to ten (10) sculptures throughout the 14-acre Civic Center Park. The Artist Selection Committee will site and install some artworks on predetermined concrete pads and determine the positioning of the remaining sculptures after careful review of their interactive and visual properties. Depending upon the nature of their design, some works may be installed in such a manner that they come into direct contact with the ground.

Selected artworks will remain on display for approximately two years with installation planned in May 2021 and de-installation scheduled for June 2023.
Artworks may be available for purchase during the exhibition period. Artists who wish to make their artwork available for sale agree that their piece shall not be de-installed until the conclusion of the exposition period. The City of Newport Beach will not request a commission from the sale of artwork.
The Newport Beach Arts Commission will host an opening reception luncheon for the exhibition on June 12, 2021. Participating artists are encouraged, though not required, to attend. Exhibited artists will also be invited to talk about their work during a public forum. The City plans to distribute information about the exhibition to the news media, to conduct tours, and to create a self-guided smartphone audio tour. Participating artists will, for promotional usage, submit brief explanatory statements about their artwork, in writing, and participate in audio recording sessions for self-guided tours and educational activities, as possible.

Questions:
Please direct all questions to Nicholas Thurkettle, Program Assistant
ArtsOC (714) 556-5160 x 14 or nthurkettle@artsoc.org

HOW TO APPLY:
Artists, Private Collectors, Galleries, Museums, and Non-Profit Organizations may all submit for consideration; with a limit of only one (1) finished, original artwork per artist. All submissions must be made online using the Slideroom platform ONLY. Visit their website for details on how to apply. There is no application fee.

Application files
• Title and date of artwork
• Very brief description of artwork (25-word maximum)
• Description of the piece including materials, accurate dimensions, weight, and installation instructions
• Estimated value of artwork
• Is artwork available for sale? If so, at what price?
• Current location of artwork
• Collection of [insert name here] OR Courtesy of [insert name here]
• List of previous exhibition locations, if any
• Has the proposed artwork been installed in an outdoor, public setting before? If not, how will you prepare the artwork for the outdoor, public installation at the Civic Center Park?
• Why is the submitted artwork appropriate for the Civic Center Park?
• What is your relevant public art experience?
• Preliminary Budget to include: 1) Estimated transportation cost 2) Insurance cost 3) Artist honorarium
• Resume/curriculum vitae (no more than two pages) including name, mailing address, phone number(s), email and website (if applicable), along with the names/contact information/titles of three (3) professional references
• Between two (2) and four (4) images of the artwork submitted; ideally at least one overview and one detail close-up. Any images not of the submitted piece (e.g. other works by the artist,) will be removed from consideration. Artwork must arrive in the same condition as seen in submitted images.
• Review and approval of the sample MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING & LOAN AGREEMENT. Your application submission indicates you have read, understand, and are willing to accept the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding & Loan Agreement if selected to participate in the exhibition.

Additional information
• Applications will only be accepted online through Slideroom. Do not send applications directly to ArtsOC or the City of Newport Beach.
• If artists are applying as a team, include resumes for all team members.
• The City of Newport Beach reserves the right to reject all submissions and to decline to award contracts for this project.
• The City of Newport Beach reserves the right to re-consider submissions initially ruled ineligible at its discretion.
• All artists who submit their materials for review will receive notification of the results of the selection process, including the identification of the selected artists.
• All information contained herein does not constitute an expressed or implied contract.
• Artists will not be eligible for more than one artwork selection in any given exhibition.
• Works selected must remain for the entire duration of the exhibition and be sturdy enough to withstand the site’s significant climactic environments – Cold, Heat and humidity, Salt Air, Wind, etc.
• Successful applicants will be responsible for transporting their artworks to and from the site according to the contract schedule. The City of Newport Beach will coordinate professional installation and de-installation services for all selected artworks.
• The City of Newport Beach has retained Arts Orange County, the nonprofit countywide arts council, to provide professional coordination services for the Sculpture Exhibition. The professional art installation service Display, along with public art consultant Joe Lewis, will assist ArtsOC with the project.
• A non-binding public survey will be conducted during the jury period for the purpose of getting a sense of the community’s preferences.

For more information: https://artsoc.slideroom.com/#/login/program/56700