1. Call for Submissions
PUBLIC ART FOR NEW AQUATICS AND LIBRARY FACILITY
IN ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO
The City of St. Catharines, Ontario is holding a two-stage competition to select an individual artist or creative team to conceive, build, and install a work of public art in a new public Aquatics and Library Facility currently under development. Construction of the facility is scheduled to begin in March 2010 and the building is scheduled to open in September 2011. The 50,000-square-foot facility will emphasize sustainable design and is located in a public park. It will be used by people of all ages and abilities and will adhere to Facility Accessibility Design Standards (FADS), as approved by the Region of Niagara.
The estimated budget for the complete project is $15,000 including all fees, materials and related project expenses. This call is open to Canadian artists. All submissions will be reviewed by an Aquatics-Library Public Art Selection Team (Selection Team) comprised of representation from the Facility Design Team, the Swim community, Library and City staff, and the Public Art Advisory Committee. Efforts are currently underway to investigate additional funding for the project.
For a complete list of submission requirements and background materials please visit the City’s website at: www.stcatharines.ca and click “culture.” Artists interested in a submission should check back for updates to the project and/or register with the City’s Purchasing Department to receive updates as available.
Site and Facility Context
The Aquatics and Library Facility will be built in the north end of St. Catharines, within five kilometres of Lake Ontario, in the heart of the Niagara Peninsula. The facility is to be built in Lester B. Pearson Park, a popular thirty-acre public park with climbing structures, a splash pad, and soccer fields. The facility will house one swimming pool, one therapeutic tank, a community library branch and activity rooms. Activities at the centre will include public swims, learn to swim programs, therapeutic use, leadership programs, swim competitions and training as well as typical library programming.
The building is designed for LEED Silver certification and is an L-shape, at the corner of Niagara and Carlton Streets. The design features elemental materials, an exposed wooden super-structure, a sloped roof that creates angled interior ceilings, and extensive use of glass on the exterior walls allowing for natural light indoors.
History of the Site
The original native inhabitants of the Niagara Peninsula were the Chonnonton, or people of the deer. The French explorer Samuel de Champlain called them ‘Neutrals’ because they remained neutral in the war being fought by the Hurons (Ouendat) and the Five Nations Iroquois Confederacy. The Chonnonton were an agricultural and an Iroquoian-speaking people, although not a part of the Five Nations Confederacy.
The north end of the park features the historic Buchanan House, which dates back to 1860 and was once home to the Buchanan family (one of whose descendants, Ivan, became the first mayor of the amalgamated City of St. Catharines). The family farmed the thirty-two acres until about 1916, before the City acquired it in 1918. The Federal Department of Agriculture, then known as the Dominion Department of Agriculture, purchased the house and farmland in 1927 and created the Dominion Laboratory of Plant Pathology in 1929. Research focused primarily on plant viruses in co-ordination with what is now known as the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. The laboratory integrated with the Vineland centre in 1960 and moved in 1967. The City then leased the Buchanan House to Niagara College for the creation of a horticultural school and turned the remaining thirty acres into Lester B. Pearson Park at a dedication ceremony, attended by the prime minister, in 1967. In 1999, Niagara College relocated its horticultural school and in 2000, the City leased the Buchanan House for the creation of the Children's Discovery Centre, which opened in 2003. The Children’s Discovery Centre is now an operation of the YMCA of Niagara.
Available Sites:
Sites for the installation of work have been short-listed and design drawings of the sites are available online at: www.stcatharines.ca – click “culture”
- Roundabout at front entrance (exterior, specs of spaces to go here)
- Free-standing walls on either side of main entrance (exterior, specs of spaces to go here)
- Main lobby, including walls, floor and furniture (interior, specs of spaces to go here)
- Entrance wall on west side of building (interior, specs of spaces to go here)
Public Art Design Considerations
The successful artist or creative team will demonstrate a concept for a work of public art sited in the interior or on the grounds of this new centre in one of the four identified sites. The selected work of art will respond to the design considerations listed below.
- Intrigue viewers, stimulating imagination while being suitable for all ages
- Resonate with the Niagara public
- Demonstrate a multi-faceted ability to communicate
- Respond to both the particular and general environment through,
- awareness of the site’s history and/or the history of Niagara and/or
- expression of the facility uses and users
- relate to the architectural design of the facility
- Distinguish the St. Catharines community
- Connect viewers to public art in an innovative way
- Creatively challenge the intellect while transcending the academic
- Be durable, reasonably low-maintenance and long-term in intent
The successful artist/s will work collaboratively with the Selection and Project management teams. They will use the Selection Team as a resource to gain a thorough understanding of the ambitions of the project and the interests of the swim and library communities.
Materials
Two-and three-dimensional media, including paint, textile, glass, wood, water, text, ceramic, metal, video, digital, or interdisciplinary combinations will be considered. The durability of materials, limited up-keep requirements, and thoughtful considerations of maintenance needs are essential.
Selection Criteria
The successful proponent will have considered the following in their submission:
- Consideration of the Public Art Design Considerations
- Connection and/or awareness of St. Catharines
- Appropriateness of artwork to the site
- Ability to meet safety, accessibility and technical requirements of the Facility
- Ability to complete project within the existing budget and timeframe
- Ability to work with a design and construction team
- Experience with public art projects of a similar nature
- Feasibility of proposal, both financial and technical
Submission Requirements
Proposals are to be provided in print and electronic format, with one complete copy of the proposal in printed format, and one disc with all proposal materials. Electronic copies of the proposal will be accepted on Compact Disc in PC compatible formats: rtf, pdf, doc, wpd, QuickTime, MPEG-4, DivX version 6 formats, and dvd. File sizes should not exceed 100 MB. The Proposal Package must include the following to be considered:
- Description of the artwork and its aims, maximum 500 words
- Sketches or illustrations or media presentations of the work
- Biography of the artist(s), maximum 250 words
- Estimated budget including breakout of materials, artist fees, travel and related expenses
- Examples of past public art projects including a short written description and images of installed art work
- 2 references for past projects comparable in nature to the proposal. Provide name, title, organizational affiliation where applicable, email and phone number.
All submission materials become the property of the City of St. Catharines and will not be returned.
Selection and Consultation Process
A maximum of five submissions will be short-listed by the Selection Team. These proposals will be awarded between $300 and $500 to prepare more detailed drawings, budgets, technical requirements, and to provide more information as requested by the Selection Team.
- Deadline for submissions 1 March 2010
- Three to five artists or creative teams short-listed 15 March 2010
- Detailed design proposals received 19 April 2010
- Artist selected 28 May 2010
- Art work design presentation June 2010
- Installation to be determined based on construction schedule which is estimated to begin Spring 2010
ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY MONDAY 1 MARCH 2010, 4:30PM AT:
Purchasing Department
City of St. Catharines
City Hall
50 Church St., PO Box 3102
St. Catharines, ON L2R 7C2
For Contract Information Contact:
Barb Cosby
Purchasing Agent
905-688-5601 ext 1410
bcosby@stcatharines.ca
For Project Information Contact:
Stephen Remus
905-641-0331
director@nac.org