City Issues Request for New Public Art Projects in the Civic Center Area

The Culture Affairs Division of the Planning & Community Development Department has issued a Request for Proposals for new public art projects in the Civic Center area. The My Pasadena: NEA Our Town Public Art Project will consist of a series of temporary artist-led public art projects that will engage an expanded community with historic and architecturally compelling Civic Center. The project is intended to build awareness of the contemporary role of government in civic life, enhance the understanding of and participation in civic dialog and community engagement.

The My Pasadena public art project has been developed as an implementation measure of the City’s Public Art Master Plan and encourages artists and arts organizations to collaborate with existing projects partners, including the Armory Center for the Arts, the Pasadena Library’s We the People (PPL) Program, Pasadena Heritage, Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) and the City’s Northwest Programs Office. Pasadena’s Side Street Projects is collaborating with Cultural Affairs Division to develop this projects.

Funded in part through a $100,000 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Our Town grant award to the Cultural Affairs Division, up to 14 temporary projects will be created to enliven the Civic Center area with award amounts the range from $2,500 to one award of $20,000. Projects may include sculpture, projections, performance, or other media and may utilize the resources of existing architectural tours or educational programs . A selection panel will make recommendations for final artist project awards to the Arts and Culture Commission.

The Request for Proposals is available through the on-line Call For Entry system (CAFE). Visit: www.callforentry.org to apply on or before May 4, 2015.

A Community Meeting was held on April 14 to present the Request for Proposals at the Armory Center for the Arts.

The goal of the My Pasadena project is to catalyze activity by creating a continuous series of events and changing artworks in the Civic Center area during the project timeframe (Fall, 2015 through Fall 2016). These projects will produce an archive of ideas, images and stories that development of permanent public art projects in the Civic Center area, as referenced in Policy #6 of the Public Art Master Plan.

The Request for Proposals is also available through the Cultural Affairs Division website: www.cityofpasadena.et/arts. For more information, please contact Rochelle Branch, Cultural Affairs Manager, Planning & Community Development Department: 744-7062.