I must admit to having a certain bounce in my step over the past few weeks. You see, I’ve been working on two exciting art projects here at the Hub and with that I’ve been hosting many tours and meetings with artists. Their excitement about the space, seeing them gravitate to certain visual vistas and the list of interesting questions has me very excited for the end results.
For those of you that are not aware, Communitech is now entering the last week for submissions to our open call, the former details can be found on Akimbo with additional info and images here. Several submissions have already arrived and on a daily basis I am fielding questions about specific areas of the facility or about the call itself. In light of this, I would like to offer a few last minute points to answer common questions for anyone who is developing a submission.
Expectations of the Submissions – There has been some concern raised about the cost involved with creating a piece specific to this space that may not be selected as part of the call. I just wanted to clarify that we are looking for maquettes, drawings or other pieces that indicate scope and appearance of proposed installations, not completed works themselves. If you have a pre-existing piece that you are considering for submission, a simple photo, or photo-manipulation indicating how it will appear in the space would work just fine. We completely appreciate the level of effort associated with developing a new idea for a call like this, let alone the entire scope and cost to fully develop an installation.
Submission Timing – As I mentioned above, we are in the last week here and all submissions are due on Wednesday March 7th. If you are mailing a submission they would need to be here by 5:00 pm on that day when our main reception closes. Email submissions are due by midnight, that night.
Decision Timing – For those that were on one of the tours of the facility we did discuss this as a phased implementation. As we evaluate submissions we will be looking at space priorities and based on the submissions, and determine whether it’s something for which we have an immediate budget or if we will require a sponsor to accelerate an installation like other art programs we have run in the space. With that in mind we will only be communicating with the selected artists if we are looking for any clarification on submission or as we prepare to move forward on a submission.
Length of Exhibit –We are not looking at this as a call for a time-based exhibit, but rather for permanent installations that will become a part of the facility and the daily experience of our tenants and visitors. Should the call get an overwhelming response we may consider an exhibit approach in the future, but it is not a planned part of this call.
What Types of Media – We have not imposed any limits to what types of media we wish to display, but I can say that we will be giving preference to submissions that use and are appropriate in a technology focused environment. Terms like digital media, interaction, innovation, growth, and creativity are important elements in proposals.
I hope this offers a few clarifying points for people, but please let me know if you have any other questions leading up to our deadline next week.
Jer
