North Charleston seeking sculptor for Performing Arts Center Monument Busts

Mayor Bourne & Mayor Summey
at the City's 40th Anniversary celebration

The City of North Charleston seeks to commission a sculptor to create depictions of the city’s two prominent mayors. The commissioned busts will be permanently featured on granite outdoor pedestals at the newly built outdoor monument at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston, SC. Each sculpture should be at least two feet tall and cast in bronze or another metal suitable for outdoor exhibition. Professional sculptors nationwide are invited to submit their qualifications and proposals for this unique public art opportunity via the online application. There is a $7 application fee and submissions are due by April 8, 2014.

A Selection Committee comprised of city officials and community leaders will choose one artist to create both sculptures. The committee is looking for design proposals that will generate excitement and interest for the community and compliment the outdoor monument where the busts will be installed. The total budget for this project is yet to be determined. Artists’ proposals should include all costs associated with the project including, but not limited to: artist's design fees, materials, production costs, travel, documentation, shipping, and any permits, license, or insurance. Artists will be notified of the commission award by April 15, 2014. The sculpture installation will be approximately 120 days from the April 8 submission deadline.

In order to be considered for the commission, sculptors must prepare and submit the following RFP materials using the Slideroom.com online application:
A. Statement of Interest describing pecific interest in the project, potential approach, and any relevant past experience
B. Thorough proposal including costs, materials, process, and timeline for creating the busts.
C. Current resume/CV
D. A maximum of five quality digital photographs of artist’s previous work that accurately represent the artist’s aesthetics and style. All images must be accompanied by a brief description of the artwork, title, location, size, and completion date.
E. Optional: The artist’s web site may be listed. The artist may include up to three additional materials such as references, reviews, news articles, awards or other related information.
F. Application fee of $7.00, payable online

The City of North Charleston reserves the right to reject all applications and/or adjust the project time line. For more information about this public art project, contact Cultural Arts Director, Marty Besancon, at 843-740-5850 or mbesancon@northcharleston.org. For technical assistance, contact Arts Coordinator, AnneTrabue Nelson, at 843-740-5852 or anelson@northcharleston.org. To learn more about other programs and artist opportunities offered by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, visit http://bit.ly/culturalarts.

Entries Sought for 9th Annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition

Bunny by Jeffie Brewer (2013/14 Best in Show)

Sculpture artists from across the nation are invited to participate in the ninth annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition. Up to 14 sculptures will be juried into the exhibit and compete for cash prizes totaling up to $16,250. The exhibition is presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Festival, to be held May 2-10, 2014. The application is only available online and may be accessed via the link at NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com/apply. Deadline for submissions is Tuesday, February 25, 2014.

Organized and presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this 11 month exhibition offers established and emerging artists the opportunity to display their thought provoking, extraordinary sculptures throughout the picturesque North Charleston Riverfront Park. Set on the banks of the Cooper River, Riverfront Park features ten acres of walking paths, a boardwalk and fountain, an expansive lawn with performance pavilion, children's play areas, and picnic sites. An estimated 50,000 people visit this public park annually to enjoy the amenities located in the heart of the city’s arts community.

Brad Thomas, Director of Residencies & Exhibitions at the McColl Center in Charlotte, NC, will jury this year’s exhibit. Thomas recently served as Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art for Charlotte’s Mint Museum where he led advances in the Museum’s collection. In addition, he organized residencies for Japanese installation artist Motoi Yamamoto and FECUND, the multi-disciplinary work of John W. Love, Jr. Thomas served on the Mecklenburg County Public Art Commission for five years and was chair of that commission from 2008-10. Prior to the Mint, Thomas was the director and curator of the Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College. There, he led initiatives to integrate visual art into the learning experience, most notably through the establishment of Davidson’s Campus Sculpture Program, which features major outdoor installations by Magdalena Abakanowicz, Antony Gormley, Juame Plensa, Joel Shapiro, and William Tucker. He also produced exhibitions and publications on Magdalena Abakanowicz, Ewan Gibbs, Herb Jackson, Robert Lazzarini, Reverend McKendree Robbins Long, and Joel Shapiro. Thomas’ partnership with the College Writing Program in 2012 led to the release of Davidson Collects: 100 Writers Respond to Art, the first interdisciplinary book on Davidson College’s permanent art collection.

The 9th Annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition will be on display May 1, 2014, through March 24, 2015, at North Charleston Riverfront Park, located at 1001 Everglades Avenue in North Charleston. A free public reception and announcement of awards will be held at the Charleston Area Convention Center on Friday, May 2, 2014. For more information about the North Charleston Arts Festival, the National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition, or other exhibition opportunities, contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843) 740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.

National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition Winners Announced

"Bunny" by Jeff Brewer (Best in Show)

Sculpture artists from across the nation applied to the 8th Annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition, displayed at the picturesque North Charleston Riverfront Park and presented as a component of the 2013 North Charleston Arts Festival. Organized annually by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this unique, eleven month exhibition offers established and emerging artists the opportunity to display their thought provoking, extraordinary sculptures, as well as compete for up to $17,250 in honorariums and awards.

Nine out of 47 submissions were pre-juried into the exhibition by the juror, Janet Kagan, a Founding Principal of the Public Art Collaborative with more than three decades of experience in strategic planning with established and emergent art programs and management of projects representing both artists and agencies. Once installed at the exhibition site, Kagan then made her selections for Best in Show, Outstanding Merit, and Honorable Mentions.

“I am honored to jury the 2013 National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition at Riverfront Park. It is a privilege to contribute to the appreciation of art in a landscaped, public context,” Kagan stated. She continued, “Each of the 2013 selections eloquently speak to us and elucidate how the artists’ ideas translated into material form, the works’ relationship to both physical and human nature, and our evoked impulses for interaction and surprise. These nine sculptures create surface tensions that play with angled voids and intersections. No two perspectives are the same as we walk toward, around and in the works. There is also a heft associated with these artworks – not just in their material, color, and scale, but in their aesthetic request for connection and dialogue. I hope you will mingle with, touch, and listen to the voices the works articulate.”

The nine sculptures selected for exhibition are by nine artists from six states. Congratulations to the winners of the 2013/4 National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition:

Bunny (steel) by Jeff Brewer – Nacogdoches, TX (Best in Show)
Tier II (painted steel) by Anne Melanie – Greenville, NC (Outstanding Merit)
Transponder (steel) by Gary Gresko – Oriental, NC (Hon. Mention)
Life (painted steel) by Adam Walls – Lauvinburg, NC (Hon. Mention)
A Little Less Than Meets the Eye (steel) by Bill Wood – Fairfax, VA (Hon. Mention)
Ender’s Enigma (corten/painted steel) by Davis Whitfield IV – Mountain City, TN
The Burning (carved limestone) by Paris Alexander – Raleigh, NC
Cowl (oiled steel) by Carl Billingsley – Ayden, NC
Daddy Longlegs (steel) by John W. Parker – Glendside, PA

Sculpture sites are located throughout North Charleston Riverfront Park, located at 1001 Everglades Avenue on the former Charleston Naval Base. The park is set on the banks of the beautiful Cooper River. In addition the sculptures visitors may enjoy ten acres of walking paths, a performance pavilion, picnic shelter, a fishing pier and boardwalk, an oversized sandbox, and children’s play fountain. The historic site is centered in the Noisette District, the largest urban redevelopment project ever undertaken in the US.

The 2013/14 National Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition will be on display through March, 2014. For more information or to be added to the application mailing list for the 2014/15 Competition, please call 843-740-5854 or email culturalarts@northcharleston.org.

Applications Sought for National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition

Spring Azure by Phil Hathcock (2012/13 Best of Show)

Sculpture artists from across the nation are invited to participate in the eighth annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition. Up to 15 sculptures will be juried into the exhibit and compete for cash prizes totaling up to $14,750. The exhibition is presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Festival, to be held May 3-11, 2013. Applications may be downloaded from the Applications page at NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com. Deadline for submissions is Friday, March 1, 2013.

Organized and presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this 11 month exhibition offers established and emerging artists the opportunity to display their thought provoking, extraordinary sculptures throughout the picturesque North Charleston Riverfront Park. Set on the banks of the Cooper River, Riverfront Park features ten acres of walking paths, a boardwalk and fountain, an expansive lawn with performance pavilion, children's play areas, and picnic sites. The historic site is centered in the Noisette District, the largest urban redevelopment project ever undertaken in the United States.

Janet Kagan, a Founding Principal of the Public Art Collaborative, will jury this year’s exhibit. Kagan has more than three decades of experience in strategic planning with established and emergent art programs, and management of projects representing both artists and agencies. She has held positions in city government; local and statewide non-profit organizations; international architectural and interpretive design firms; and on boards and committees of national and regional arts organizations. She leads and directs design teams, and serves as liaison among artists, clients, public agencies, and elected officials. Since 2010, Kagan and her colleagues have also been creating and directing innovative alliances between nationally recognized artists and small manufacturers in rural counties to foster economic revitalization. She is currently Associate Editor of the International Journal of the Arts In Society, participates on artist selection panels and juries, and teaches about public art to artists and communities. She holds an MA in Philosophy of Art and an MBA.

The National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition will be on display May 1, 2013, through March 23, 2014, at North Charleston Riverfront Park, located at 1001 Everglades Avenue in North Charleston. An opening reception and announcement of awards will be held at the Charleston Area Convention Center on Friday, May 3, 2013. For more information about the North Charleston Arts Festival, the National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition, or other exhibition opportunities, contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843) 740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.

National Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition Winners Announced

Transcendence (fabricated & recycled metal) by Corrina Mensoff

Sculpture artists from across the nation applied to the 7th annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition, a component of the 2012 North Charleston Arts Festival. Presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this unique, eleven month exhibition offers established and emerging artists the opportunity to display their thought provoking, extraordinary sculptures, as well as compete for up to $14,750 in honorariums and awards.

Twelve sculptures out of 43 submissions were pre-juried into the exhibition by the juror, Steven Matijcio, curator of Contemporary Art, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA). Once installed at the exhibition site, the juror then selected pieces to receive awards for Best in Show, Outstanding Merit, and Honorable Mentions.

After making his selections, Mr. Matijcio stated, “My overall notes for the show begin with sincere congratulations to the artists involved. They have managed to animate heavy, monumental materials with an intriguing air of animation, fluidity and the in-between. There are hard-line geometries; anthropomorphic curves; haunting memento mori; and playful industrial follies.” He continued, “I was impressed with the variety, as well as the consistency - public art can so quickly fade into the surroundings if it fails to resonate, and change. The work in this show hums with a sense of life that reveals more, every time the work is re-engaged.”

The twelve sculptures selected for exhibition are by twelve artists from seven states.  Division I includes ten sculptures that are anchored to a concrete pad or in the grass.  Division II includes two sculptures that are secured to a concrete pedestal.



Division I
Spring Azure (stone & steel) by Philip Hathcock – Cary, NC (Best in Show)
Transcendence (fabricated & recycled metal) by Corrina Mensoff – Atlanta, GA (Outstanding Merit)
Flutter Gate II (galvanized steel) by Jim Gallucci – Greensboro, NC (Hon. Mention)
Black & White #5 (steel & enamel) by Matthew Harding – Greenville, NC (Hon. Mention)
Scheme 6 (concrete parking bumpers) by Tom Scicluna – Miami, FL (Hon. Mention)
Pileated Woodpecker Totem (welded steel & natural wood) by Bob Turan – Earlton, NY
Rings (steel) by Adam Walls – Lauvinburg, NC
Mixed Emotions (corten steel) by Davis Whitfield IV – Mountain City, TN
Memento Mori (carved limestone) by Paris Alexander – Raleigh, NC
Dream of Africa (oiled steel) by Carl Billingsley – Ayden, NC

Division II
Coming Home (bronze) by Leo Osborne – Anacortes, WA (Hon. Mention)
Ambit (stone) by Carl Wright – Martinsburg, WV

Sculpture sites are located throughout the picturesque North Charleston Riverfront Park, located at 1001 Everglades Avenue on the former Charleston Naval Base.  The park is set on the banks of the beautiful Cooper River.  Visitors may enjoy ten acres of walking paths, a performance pavilion, picnic shelter, a fishing pier and boardwalk, an oversized sandbox, and children’s play fountain.  The historic site is centered in the Noisette District, the largest urban redevelopment project ever undertaken in the US.

The 2012/13 National Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition will be on display through March, 2013. For more information or to be added to the application mailing list for the 2013/14 Competition, please call 843-740-5854 or email culturalarts@northcharleston.org.  Visit the Cultural Arts Department section of the City’s website at www.northcharleston.org to view photographs, artist statements, and directions to North Charleston Riverfront Park.

Shawn Morin's Gabriel's Angel installed at Evanston Estates

The city park at Evanston Estates received an aesthetic upgrade on May 27, 2010 with the installation of Shawn Morin’s sculpture Gabriel’s Angel and two complimentary sculpted seats by Simeon Warren.  The collaborative efforts of the Evanston Estates Neighborhood Association, Councilwoman Phoebe Miller, and city staff made possible the installation.

For more information, contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department.