The Gary Redevelopment Commission (GRC), in partnership with the Legacy Foundation, is soliciting qualifications from emerging and established artists for the 2018 City Church Art Competition (CCAC). Funding for the CCAC is sourced from the GRC’s winning proposal to the 2017 Knight Cities Challenge to convert the abandoned City Church into a ruins garden. The GRC will award one $10,000 project stipend to an artist (or team of artists) who submits a proposal that adheres to the guidelines published online at https://legacyfdngrants.communityforce.com. The deadline for artists’ submissions of qualifications is Friday, June 1, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. (CST). Because City Church is in a precarious structural condition, the awarded artist will install his/her piece at a site determined by the artist and the GRC; once City Church is stabilized, the installation will move to the Church grounds at 6th Avenue and Washington Street in downtown Gary.
In the request for qualifications (RFQ), artists will submit five images of relevant work, applicant information and statement of interest, as well as the names and contact information of three professional references. Subsequently, an internal review committee will select the most competitive applicants and request formal proposals. Similar to the Gary Public Art Competition, the GRC will publish the finalists’ proposals for the public to determine the eventual awardee.
Critical to a competitive proposal is the art installation’s capacity to be transported or deconstructed for relocation to 6th and Washington, as well as the installation’s resilience in outdoor conditions. Artists are also encouraged to create an original design that incorporates a theme connecting City Church’s past and future; a historic narrative of City Church is included in the RFQ and additional historical information is available per the artists’ request.
“The City Church Art Challenge celebrates the church’s place in Gary’s history and highlights the potential to recreate the space as a public amenity,” said Sarah Kobetis, Deputy Director of Planning for the City of Gary. “The church has sat idle for over 40 years. With Knight Foundation support, the Redevelopment Commission is working to stabilize City Church for safe access. Once the site is secured, we will relocate the art installation to its permanent home on the church grounds.” For more information, contact the Gary Redevelopment Commission at (219) 886-1531.
