Ulysses Park Public Art

Introduction

The City of Golden Public Art Commission (PAC) is seeking a qualified artist to create original works of art for a city park located north of West 10th Avenue and west of Ulysses Street. The park parcel is approximately 22 acres in area. Please see the attached aerials for more information. The park is a very active recreation location including baseball and softball fields, multi-purpose fields, playground equipment, a skatepark, and a dog park. The park is currently enjoying a major renovation funded by the City of Golden to update athletic fields and construct new parking, trail, and accessory amenities. The project is devoting 1% of the contractor’s construction cost to the acquisition of public art in up to two locations. Based upon the 1% for art funding. the artist fee is not to exceed $92,000 for two pieces of art (see below.) Please note that the PAC is seeking free-standing art, not murals.

Public Art Commission Background and Overall Goals

Golden’s public art collection began in the 1990’s with many generous donations of traditional bronze sculpture to the City. At the time, there was no group overseeing that donation process, and there were no over-arching goals or criteria to guide the program. These initial sculptures tended to reflect the early history of Golden’s foundations and heritage. Since the establishment of the PAC in 2013, the collection has grown and become more diverse. Furthermore, it has been integrated throughout the larger Golden community. It is beginning to tell a new, more contemporary story about Golden, its community and its bright future. As the City continues to grow and develop, the Program will continue to evolve along with it, communicating its collective history and shared vision for the future.

The PAC commissioned an Audit and Analysis of the collection in 2021 (see below for accessing the audit) with a focus on summarizing the collection’s strengths and weaknesses, themes, and gaps. The attached report provided with PAC with some key observations:

• Golden is a community that values public art and sites artwork in prominent locations for residents and visitors to the community, mostly in the downtown area.

• Much of the collection is represented by traditional bronze, figural artwork depicting historic or allegorical figures and western animals.

• The community and visitors truly enjoy the collection and engage with it regularly.

• The collection is not very diverse, whether in location, siting, or materials, nor artist genders, genders depicted or styles. However, this is improving with the addition of murals and more contemporary pieces.

In late 2022, the City of Golden approved a Public Art Framework Plan that included an overall goal to create a collection of permanent and temporary artwork that:

• Features work of the highest level of artistic excellence.

• Features work by a broad and diverse group of artists, working in a variety of methods and media.

• Explores and reflects a diversity of themes, subjects and traditions; and

• Enriches public spaces in all parts of our City and is accessible and available to everyone.

Based upon the audit and Framework Plan, the PAC has identified a few general themes that can be enhanced with additions to the City’s public art collection. Some of these themes include:

·   Recognition of the contributions of local indigenous peoples

·   Recognition of the contributions of Golden’s pioneer women

·   Recognition of our geographic and geologic setting

·   Recognition of the benefits of playfulness and whimsey

·   Recognition of nature and our natural setting

Context and Details Regarding the Project

Ulysses Park is a larger community level park and recreation/athletic complex generally located north of West 10th Avenue and west of Ulysses Street, with an address of 1205 Ulysses Street. The park land was acquired from the State of Colorado in the early 1960’s and named after Ulysses Street to the east. Throughout its history it has functioned as a center of recreation and athletics for youth and adults. It is currently at the start of a comprehensive construction project to expand parking, reconfigure sports fields, add to the trail system, and improve many park amenities. Work on the project is beginning in late 2024 and is expected to be complete in late 2025. Consistent with the City of Golden’s policy to invest an amount equal to 1% of major construction projects to public art, the PAC and City Parks and Recreation Advisory Board have designated the park renovation project as warranting a significant public art installation(s) as detailed below. 

Given the strong community base for use of the park facilities as well as the park visitors from outside of the Golden community, the PAC and Parks Board have identified two specific locations for potential public art installations, as depicted on the attached aerial photographs. Neither location is within the areas designated for construction activity and will remain as is at the end of the project. The City is seeking public art designs that serve as a “welcoming statement” to visitors entering the park area from two distinct vehicular parking areas. Please note that the PAC is seeking free-standing art, not murals.

While the City’s goal is to emphasize both the eastern entry off of Ulysses Street as well as the southern entry off of West 10th Avenue, an installation emphasizing the east entry off of Ulysses Street should be the primary focus of initial efforts. Artists may choose to submit for one or both locations, recognizing that the PAC will be selecting a second sculpture for the other location and the proposed budget needs to accommodate both as well as meeting community goals. In addition, both sites can be seen from some locations in the park and artists may want to coordinate their pieces, should they choose to apply for both areas.

The PAC’s goals for the installation include a celebration of the park and its offerings in support of the PAC’s goals for the City’s Public Art collection. As with many locations, this park location can be expected to be a “high touch” environment where park patrons will likely interact physically with the installation, unless discouraged by the design.

The artwork should be a welcoming enhancement to the visual appearance of the site and should appeal to a broad range of people and be uplifting and stimulating to the spirit, intellect and physical senses. Artistic creativity and interpretation that speaks to Golden’s heritage and natural setting is encouraged. The art should be in harmony and complementary to the surrounding area. While the PAC has not identified a specific theme for this installation (other than the general theme of “welcome”), artists are asked to consider one or more of the themes listed above in developing their proposals. Materials should be durable and reflect the anticipated level of interaction between the public and the installation. Interactive art could be a good consideration. Artists must also be sensitive that the installation does not conflict with existing or potential uses of the park. Please note that the park can be windy at times and artists should this environmental factor in their designs. The PAC will reserve the right to require the relocation or alteration of the proposed installation design, based on anticipated conflicts or other concerns.

Application Requirements

·         Submit at least three images or drawings of the proposed artwork with all pertinent information including artist name, medium, and artwork title.

·         Your application should have at least three images of past work.

·         Identify the specific suggested location for the proposed artwork within the area of the site identified by the PAC on the provided aerial photos. Also indicate any site changes necessary to make the artwork easily accessible to site visitors (not to be included in proposal cost).

·         A letter of interest describing why you are interested in the project must be included in your application. If you submitting as part of a team one collective letter of interest is sufficient.

·         Submit a current artist resume, placing emphasis on public art projects or other related art experiences, with a budget amount for all projects. If you are part of a project team submit one resume and indicate each team member’s role with a specific project.

·         Include a timeline for art development and installation.

·         Create an estimated budget for the project fabrication, installation and artist’s fee.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

The call is open to all artists and artist teams 18 years and older. Experience creating public art is preferred. The selection panel will not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of age, sex, race, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, or physical challenges. Excluded from participation are Artist Selection Committee members and their families.

Artwork will be selected on the basis of creativity, artistic merit, technical proficiency, and relationship to the aforementioned theme and site. Long-term maintenance, durability, and impact on park design and operations concerns will be major selection criteria. The final location must be approved by both the PAC and the City Parks and Recreation Board.