To: Members of the Public Art Commission
From: Maia Aman, Town Liaison
Title
Mary Williams and John King Presentation for the Philip S. Miller Park Art Project Call for Entries
Body
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Executive Summary
The Public Art Commission identifies priorities and goals concerning the acquisition of art for public buildings and parks within Castle Rock. In October 2017, Castle Rock Town Council adopted the Castle Rock Public Art Commission Public Art Plan, which functions as a guide for public art initiatives.
A key goal identified in the plan is to commission a new public art project at Philip S. Miller Park to deepen visitor experience. Recommended by the Parks and Recreation Department as a fitting location for high-quality, permanent artwork, Philip S. Miller Park represents an opportunity to offer unique, site-specific artwork that reflects Castle Rock’s charm, people and beauty.
Town staff sent out a call for entries to solicit proposals from artists for the project in June 2018. Five artists submitted proposals. At the September Commission meeting, Commissioners along with a Selection Committee narrowed down the proposals to two semi-finalists.
Semi-finalists are now presenting their proposals in-person at Public Art Commission meetings. Matt Babcock presented to Commissioners on October 11, 2018; Mary Williams and John King will present on November 8, 2018.
Once a finalist is selected, staff will seek Town Council approval and solidify contract details to initiate next steps.
History of Past Discussions
At the September 2018 meeting, Commissioners posed several questions/concerns that they would ideally like to have Mary Williams and John King address in person, including:
• The identification of the total cost of previous projects, including Taking Wing and Star Catcher, and providing an estimate for creating a similar piece
• Noting which pieces of the artists are located near Castle Rock and how close
• An explanation of how the proposed sculpture’s kinetic pieces move and what shapes it is composed of
• A breakdown of the $5,500 that is allotted for lighting in the proposal
• More detail regarding the proposed piece’s life-cycle management and maintenance procedures
• An explanation of required bearing maintenance, if bearings are part of the existing proposal
• Clarification regarding how the sculpture will withstand strong wind, hail and weather
• An outline of the proposed art piece’s timeframe from conception to installation
Commissioners also requested that a model of Tree of Lights be brought to the November presentation in the color blue.
Lastly, in correspondence with Mary Williams, Mary noted that neither herself nor John King maintain an inventory of large-scale sculptures and that they plan to create a new and unique sculpture for the park.
Attachments
Attachment A Mary Williams and John King proposal