BENTONVILLE -- The city's Public Art Advisory Committee and Visit Bentonville are seeking proposals for artwork in Train Station Park.
"Proposed artwork should enhance and augment the public's experience of the park, adjacent trail and public library," the call for proposal reads.
Submission Deadline
Deadline for submissions is noon Oct. 30. Deadline is for the arrival of the proposal, not the postmark date. Electronic submissions should be sent to Shelli Kerr, planning services manager, at skerr@bentonvillear…. Paper submissions should be sent to City of Bentonville, Attn: Public Art Proposal, 305 S.W. A St., Bentonville, AR 72712. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/1Nv3k…
Source: Staff Report
Train Station Park is a pocket park at 412 S. Main St. across from the Public Library. It includes a small gazebo, a few brick walking paths, some benches and landscaping. It's next to a historic train station and near Thrive apartment complex.
The Downtown Trail, which connects to the Razorback Greenway, runs along the park's north side.
It's encouraged proposed artwork reflect the city's history and the culture of the train station and/or experience of the library, but that's not a requirement, according to the call for proposals.
"We want the artist to think of those things when proposing art for that spot," said Becky McCoy, Public Art Advisory Committee member.
The committee considered several locations and the park was selected largely because it's in the Arts District, McCoy said.
The area is a district identified in the city's SE Downtown Area Development Plan adopted in 2014. The district is between Southwest A and South Main streets between Southeast Fourth and Southeast Sixth streets.
"As this area develops, we thought it important to help be a catalyst by establishing a public art footprint there," Tom Hoehn, committee member, wrote in an email.
It would also have good visibility being across the street from the library, said Shelli Kerr, planning services manager. The library is an anchor of the Arts District.
The site is smaller than the city's first public art endeavor, which consists of three sculptures along the North Bentonville Trail. The pieces, Sunkissed, PAC-Man and Ozark Topography, were installed in fall 2014 and were leased for one year. Visit Bentonville bought Sunkissed and PAC-Man at the end of the summer. Ozark Topography has been removed.
"(This) is a little different than the last one we did," Kerr said of the call for proposals.
Not only is the site smaller, but the city is looking to buy the piece rather than lease it, and the artwork will be site specific, Kerr said.
Artists are required to submit a detailed budget proposal. Visit Bentonville will provide a maximum of $15,000 for the project, but projects with a budget less than that are encouraged, according to the call for proposals. Artists may use additional outside funding for the project.
The city received about 60 inquiries, including one from South America, and about 15 submissions when it sought art for the North Bentonville Trail, according to Kerr.
Deadline for submissions is noon Oct. 30. Applicants will be notified of selection or non-selection by Dec. 15.
NW News on 10/10/2015