Friday, June 18, 2010 - County Issues Call To Artists For Graden City Elementary Project

Through the Art in Public Places program, St. Lucie County is announcing a call for artists to commission an art project for Garden City Early Learning Academy, which is a public elementary school.

The St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners, under recommendation from the Art in Public Places committee, has approved a $20,000 project to be used to provide Garden City Early Learning Academy's gates a more pleasing and welcoming appearance.  The County is particularly interested in entries from artists that will stimulate children's imagination and development. Projected completion date is expected by no later than Nov. 30. 

Established by the Board of County Commissioners in 1999, St. Lucie County's Art in Public Places program purchases artwork and displays it in public locations throughout the County. Funding for this program is taken from a small percentage of the County's capital improvement projects. These funds cannot be used for the County's general operations.

The gates at the school cannot be altered; however, they can have sculptures attached to them to enhance the feeling of learning in a garden. The goal of the program is to have the students involved in this project. Garden City Early Learning Academy is located at 2202 Avenue Q, Fort Pierce and currently serves pre-kindergarten through second grade students.

Interested artists must be willing to work with children in the design, fabrication, or finishing of the art work. Additionally, artists must submit to a background check in accordance with the Jessica Lunsford Act. 

A tour of the project area is scheduled for Tuesday, July 6 at 10 a.m. at Garden City Elementary.  Attendance at the tour is not required, but is recommended.  Please RSVP to Suzanne Antonetti  antonettis@stlucieco.org or at (772) 462-3787 if you plan to attend.  Failure to RSVP may result in your not being notified of any potential re-scheduling of the tour.     

To be considered for the commission, each artist must submit the proposed design, description of materials and steps that will be used to ensure longevity of the final product, and timeline to complete the project.  Also, please include contact information (phone numbers, physical and email address) and samples (with photographs) of similar projects produced in this area. 

With the exception of the proposed design, please submit all the other information on a CD or DVD to: St. Lucie County Art in Public Places, Grants/Disaster Recovery, 2300 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce, FL 34982.  The deadline for submission is 5 p.m. Friday, July 30. 

For any additional information regarding the project or submission requirements please contact: Suzanne Antonetti at (772) 462-3787 or antonettis@stlucieco.org. Or visit: http://www.stlucieco.gov/grants.