CITY OF MEMPHIS | UrbanArt Commission
Alcy Ball Neighborhood Signs | CALL TO ARTISTS
Release Date: Friday, April 26, 2024
Budget: $45,000 (including artist fee and finalist honoraria $500 each)
Deadline: Monday, June 3, 2024
Eligibility: Any artist living and working within 250 miles of the Memphis metropolitan area. Artists are invited to submit collaborative work if desired, but may only submit one proposal per project opportunity. While there is no limit to the number of calls an artist may apply to at once, UAC strongly encourages artists to consider both the time and scale of each call.
Information Session: Wednesday, May 22 @ 5:30pm, RSVP now.
BACKGROUND
About Alcy Ball & About Alcy Ball Development Corporation::
Alcy Ball is a South Memphis neighborhood with a rich history. The Alcy Ball district extends from Elvis Presley to Airways Blvd. and houses over 4,600 residents. The Alcy Ball area is made of various historic communities such as: Nobhill, Orchid Homes, Alcy Acres, and Holiday Heights. Alcy Ball is most known for their neighborhood schools: Alcy Elementary, Norris Elementary (Norris Achievement Academy), Corry Junior High (Closed).
Since 1947, a small cinder block storefront in the heart of Alcy Ball had been a communal attraction, but when Mr. Rogers began operating a convenient store complete with cold cuts and burgers in the early 1970s, the neighborhood found a real place to fellowship. Neighborhood kids stopped by for snacks after school and folks had a convenient store steps away from their front door to frequent and support. Things changed in the early 2000s when new tenants took over the store and the collapse of “Rogers Store'' seemed to echo the demise of the neighborhood. The ABDC purchased the store directly from Mr. Rogers in 2019 and has given it back to the community as a beautifully rehabbed event facility, available exclusively to Alcy Ball residents at deeply discounted rental rates. The hall now hosts weekly Bible studies, bi-weekly Coffee & Craft events, and is open for meetings, parties, reunions, and more. Neighbors can find their place here. And together, they are making Alcy Ball what it once was and reimagining what it can be in the future.
Alcy Ball Development Corporation was established in 2014 through a partnership between Pastor Tony Wade with Divine Life Church and Second Presbyterian Church. Our mission is to connect and empower Alcy Ball residents to develop a thriving community. Our vision is for a thriving, resident led community reflecting the Kingdom of God. We seek to develop a thriving Alcy Ball neighborhood through our program model of Connect, Train, and Restore.
About UAC:
The UrbanArt Commission (UAC) works to create opportunities for artists and neighborhoods to connect and shape spaces through public art. Since 2002, UAC has managed the City of Memphis’s Percent-For-Art Program, which allocates funds annually to develop public art in connection to capital improvement projects. UAC also facilitates public art projects throughout the city working with various partners and clients to support artists and new experiences with art.
SITE SPECIFICS
UAC and The City of Memphis, in partnership with Alcy Ball Development Corporation, are seeking an artist or an artist team to create 2 neighborhood signs for Alcy Warren Park & Alcy Samuels Park with 4 street sign toppers.
Alcy Warren Park is located at 2495 Warren St. Memphis, TN 38106. This is a 13-acre park that offers outdoor recreation and nature preservation. A public space open to the general public, the park offers a playground, ball field, an outdoor basketball court, 1/2 mile paved fitness trail, and open spaces.
Alcy Samuels is located at 2019 Ball Rd Memphis, TN 38114 a 15-acre park that offers outdoor recreation and nature preservation. A public space open to the general public, the park offers a playground, ball field, 2 outdoor basketball courts, 1/2 mile paved fitness trail, benches, and picnic tables.
Sign topper locations:
Alcy Rd. & Perry Rd.
Aly Rd. & Warren Rd.
Ball Rd. & Perry Rd.
Ball Rd. & Lapaloma St.
SCOPE OF WORK
UAC and The City of Memphis, in partnership with the Alcy Ball Development Corporation, is seeking an artist to create two neighborhood signs and four street sign toppers that speak to the development corporation’s definition of connecting, training, and restoring the Alcy Ball neighborhood.
Each sign must include:
a tribute to the name of the community using the words: “Alcy Ball”
a depiction diversity by featuring residents’ faces, families and cultures
a celebration Alcy Ball’s past, present, and future
highlight the various historic communities that make up the Alcy Ball area such as: Nobhill, Orchid Homes, Alcy Acres, and Holiday Heights
feature the pillars of education for the neighborhood: Alcy Elementary, Norris Elementary, and Corry Junior High
Signs must be weatherproof, permanent, and constructed from metal.
Signs may be two- or three-dimensional, and can be sculpted or fabricated by the artist, or designed by the artist and commercially manufactured.
The commissioned artist/s will be selected based on the strength of their qualifications submitted, ability to adhere to deadlines and work within the stated budget. Applicants are expected to have or collaborate/subcontract with appropriate vendors to meet the necessary technical capabilities to design and install such projects, including providing maintenance instructions. The artist(s) will work with the UAC Program Managers to coordinate community engagement efforts. This engagement should help inform the final design. The finished project must require little to no regular maintenance. Final artwork should complement the characteristics and neighborhood identity of the site. The artist/s selected shall be expected to collaborate closely with site engineers, landscape architects, and any necessary party for the successful installation of the project, including residents. NOTE: Commissioned artists are permitted to work with outside contractors to fabricate the actual work of art.
Examples:
Street Signs & Neighborhood Signs
SELECTION COMMITTEE
Seth Harkins- Alcy Ball CDC- Executive Director
Georgietta Crawford- Alcy Ball resident
Evan Walsh- Alcy Ball resident
Wendy Oliver- Alcy Ball resident
Allison Brownlee- Alcy Ball resident
Cliff Banks- Alcy Ball resident, longtime barber in community
Willie Austin “Hammer”- Alcy Ball resident
Artist Representative
Justin Gibbs - Memphis Parks representative
Erich Miller - City of Memphis Engineering (non-voting member)
PROJECT BUDGET
Total project budget is $45,000, including artist honoraria finalists will receive a $500 honorarium for a site-specific proposal. Design budget $10,875; Fabrication/installation budget $32,625 all-inclusive.
PROJECT TIMELINE
Friday, April 26, 2024 RFQ released
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 UAC Information Session
Monday, June 3, 2024 RFQ deadline
Friday, June 21, 2024 Notify finalists of RFP invitation
Monday, July 22 , 2024 RFP deadline
APPLICATION GUIDELINES
UAC posts all open opportunities and accepts applications online through Submittable. Follow the steps below to apply to an open UAC opportunity through Submittable:
To apply to this call, go to https://urbanartcommission.submittable.com/submit/294874/city-of-memphis-alcy-ball. Click on the opportunity that you are interested in to view more details.
Clicking on the Submit button will redirect you to our Submittable page, which contains all of our current open opportunities. Click the Submit button next to the opportunity that you wish to apply for, or if you are already within an opportunity, scroll down to the Create your account / Have an account? Sign in form.
If you already have a Submittable account, click the Have an account? Sign in tab to sign in to your account. If you don’t remember your password, use the Forgot? link.
If you don’t have a Submittable account, you must create one to apply. Create your free account by filling out the Create your account form. Fill in all information and click the Create Account and Continue button to continue with the submission process.
From there, you will be able to complete and submit your application.
If you have difficulty accessing the website, wish to submit in hard copy, or require any other assistance with your submission, please contact Richard at richard@uacmem.org or 901.881.8205
Please submit the following materials online by following the “Alcy Ball Neighborhood Signs” link at https://urbanartcommission.submittable.com/submit/294874/city-of-memphis-alcy-ball:
Up to 10 images of recent 2D and/or 3D art and design work
A cover letter introducing yourself and your work. Tell us why you are interested in this project, and whether you have a personal connection to this neighborhood.
OPTIONAL:
Résumé or CV (not to exceed 2 pages)
Short artist’s statement (not to exceed 1 page)
For more information about this project, please contact:
Richard Echols | Program Manager
901.881.8205 | richard@uacmem.org
This RFQ can be found on www.uacmem.org/calls-to-artists
INFORMATION SESSIONS
UAC will host an information session for interested artists on Wednesday, May 22nd at 5:30 pm. The session will be recorded and a link made available to applicants who are unable to attend during that time. Interested artists who have not completed a public art project previously or not completed a mural at this scale are strongly encouraged to reach out to the UAC team in advance of submitting their application. Artists may also schedule a meeting with UAC staff to review their application and portfolio. Appointments are available until 1 week prior to the close of the call to artists. See project contact information in the above section.
DISCLAIMERS
UAC is committed to equity and inclusion in our work. People of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, differently-abled and neurodiverse persons, indigenous peoples, youth, seniors, and women are strongly encouraged to apply.
Applicants will be notified as to the status of their application. Commissioning of artists by UAC and the pursuit of all UAC activities are implemented without preference to racial or ethnic origins, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disability, or age.
UAC reserves the right to modify this solicitation and to request additional information from participating artists.
UAC reserves the right to accept or reject, at any time prior to the commissioning of a work, any or all proposals when the acceptance, rejection, waiver or advertisement would be in the best interest of the project.
The staff of UAC will be responsible for all correspondence and communication by and between applicants and members of selection panels. Discussion regarding these projects by and between any applicant and any member of a selection panel outside of regularly scheduled meetings during the selection process may be grounds for the disqualification of the applicant. Such determination shall be at the discretion of UAC.
