On behalf of the Norman Arts Council and the City of Norman, Oklahoma, the Norman Public Arts Board seeks artist submissions for Artful Inlets.
The City of Norman operates and maintains a series of underground pipes, open channels, ditches, and roadways used to collect or convey stormwater runoff from our homes and businesses to the nearest body of water, such as a creek, stream, or lake. In urban areas, stormwater runoff from hard surfaces, like roofs and driveways, flows along the side of the road until it reaches a storm drain, which is an opening or grate in the curb connected by pipes to the nearest waterbody. Water and other materials that enter these storm drains are transported directly to our creeks and streams without any treatment. Some of the pollutants that enter our local creeks and streams with stormwater runoff include grass clippings, oil, trash, fertilizers, pesticides, and pet waste.
The Norman Arts Council, Public Arts Board, and City of Norman are inviting artists to submit designs that will transform city storm drains into works of public art. These Artful Inlets will educate and raise awareness that pollutants that go down storm drains have a devasting impact on our local water quality.
There will be five (5) drains identified for this project. They will all be on Main Street between Porter Avenue and Santa Fe Avenue. The artwork should have a stormwater and/or water quality theme and must be adaptable to any of the five specified drains. Each selected artist will incorporate their original design into the prescribed area around the storm drain. See below for details.
It is important to note that the ornamental brick area lining Main Street sidewalks (24” to 25.5” wide by 8’ long) cannot be painted on or otherwise altered by the artist. It will be taped off and covered with plastic sheeting prior to the artist’s scheduled date and time for installation.
Submission Rules
Artists (or a team of artists) must be 18 years or older and a resident(s) of Cleveland County, Oklahoma.
All designs must be submitted on the provided Design Worksheet.
Design proposals must be submitted through Submittables no later than February 22, 2019. Only applications submitted through the on-line process will be considered.
Artists must submit only original designs and, if selected, must install the selected, original design.
Submissions must include a short artist biography and information about the proposed design
A list of any additional materials to be used that are not provided by the Public Arts Board must also be included
Design Criteria
Artistic excellence
Feasibility of executing the proposed design
Incorporation of the theme
When designing artwork, each artist is asked to consider the following themes:
Stormwater Pollution AND/OR
Environmental Protection: the importance of cleaner water
Each design should include a message or phrase that references one or more of the above.
The design must be appropriate for a public space
Any materials supplied by the artist must be eco-friendly, not contribute to stormwater pollution, and be pre-approved by the Public Arts Board and the City of Norman
Designs may not contain any business reference, promotions, or advertisements
Designs may not contain any breach of intellectual property, brands or trademarks, or depiction of illegal activity
Selected Artists will receive:
$400.00 stipend when installation and sealing is completed
Clean, primed area stationed off with appropriate traffic control devices while painting
Tent to provide shade over the area while painting
Sherwin-Williams Armorseal paint – black, white, yellow, red, and blue with a non-slip additive
Water for painting
Tubs and containers for water and paint
Drinking water
Selected Artists must provide:
The original design
Execution of the accepted design
Brushes
Any other supplies or tools they deem necessary to execute their design
The artists will be selected based on the materials submitted in this application. Artist selection for this project will be made by a panel including City of Norman staff and members of the Norman Public Arts Board who will choose 5 artists and 1 alternate based on the Design Criteria listed above.
The Selection Panel will assign a storm drain to each artist upon selection.
Timeline
Submission deadline is February 22, 2019
Artists will be selected and notified by March 15, 2019
Installation of the artwork will be April 12 – 14, 2019
Event celebrating the artful inlets including official walking tour TBA
Defined space for artwork
The area that artists are allowed to paint is a five (5) feet by eight (8) feet area on the sidewalk above the inlet and a one (1) foot by eight (8) feet area on the pavement in front of the inlet grate (see Official Design Template).
Artists MUST use the Official Design Template to propose designs. Although the various storm drains are shaped differently, the prepared and sealed sidewalk surrounding the drains will be in a rectangular shape. Be mindful that some changes to your design may be required to accommodate the specific location and those will be approved by the Public Arts Board.
Each storm drain is made of metal with a metal grate in front of it that varies in shape and position, as represented in the photos on the template. The shape of the drain is a rectangle. You may paint into the street up to one foot beyond the grate. The design does not have to completely fill the storm drain plot.
It is important to note that the ornamental brick area (24” to 25.5” wide by 8’ long) cannot be painted on or otherwise altered by the artist. It will be taped off and covered with plastic sheeting prior to the artist’s scheduled date and time for installation.
Questions
Debby Williams, Public Art Manager, Norman Arts Council
debby@normanarts.org
405-360-1162
