Ela's Forest

The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art (The AGB) at Florida Southern College invites proposals for artists to create a new work of outdoor sculpture honoring the memory of Ela Friedman, a radiant little girl whose life was cut short by an act of domestic violence. Ela’s love of nature inspired a global community to plant Ela’s Forest. This living tribute of trees and rocks inspired The AGB’s 2019-2020 exhibit of the same name. Ela’s Forest in all its forms serves as a testament to the power of love, shared grief, and mutual support by symbolizing the resilience and beauty of Ela and her community.

The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art (The AGB) at Florida Southern College invites proposals for artists to create a new work of outdoor sculpture honoring the memory of Ela Friedman, a radiant little girl whose life was cut short by an act of domestic violence. Ela’s love of nature inspired a global community to plant Ela’s Forest. This living tribute of trees and rocks inspired The AGB’s 2019-2020 exhibit of the same name. Ela’s Forest in all its forms serves as a testament to the power of love, shared grief, and mutual support by symbolizing the resilience and beauty of Ela and her community.

Guiding Vision
This call for proposals continues the work of Ela’s Forest by inviting artists to create a new work of sculpture that embodies playfulness and wonder while acknowledging the profound loss that inspired the planting of Ela’s Forest. Art often serves as a response to injustice or a corrective to power, providing a vital reactionary function. However, while the tragic ramifications of domestic violence and injustices of the legal system should not be forgotten, this project seeks to expand possibility. 

As poet and author Ocean Vuong expresses, art can be a catalyst for change by speaking first – not in reaction to power but by imagining new worlds altogether. This call for proposals asks artists to center imagination and childlike delight as a generative force. We invite artists to explore how curiosity and playfulness might illuminate the tensions and relationships between darkness and light. 

The sculpture should not only honor Ela’s memory but also spark discovery and engagement among those who encounter it, inspiring reflection and connection. The Ela’s Forest Outdoor Sculpture will be part of the permanent collection of The AGB at Florida Southern College and may be placed on loan in other locations

Artists should submit one proposal (pdf) for a single work of art. All entries must include a detailed budget, artist’s statement addressing guiding vision, media with which the sculpture would be constructed, and renderings. This should be submitted as a PDF.

Sample artwork (from a portfolio) can be submitted as a JPEG or JPG format with a minimum of 1200 pixels on the longest side. Each file size must be under 5MB. 

All proposals must be submitted via CaFe.

A pdf of the Call for Art may be found HERE.

Artists of all ages are welcome to apply; however, the sculpture selected must be feasibly produced by the artist or the artist’s representatives and exhibitable as a physical, safe, and sustainable outdoor object. There are no fees associated with submission.

All proposed work must:

1. Be a new, original work of outdoor sculpture
2. Be suitable for display outdoors in any number of potential venues and be weather resistant for Central Florida’s climate year-round
3. Be appropriate for all audiences and take the safety of all audiences into account
4. Be able to be constructed and transported by the artist or artist’s representatives

The artist selected to produce the outdoor sculpture will receive a fixed $18,000 stipend that must cover all materials, construction, transport, and installation costs, as well as all incidental expenses entailed by the creation and delivery of the sculpture.  Any additional costs are the responsibility of the artist and/or artist’s representatives.

We gratefully acknowledge the dedication, time, and financial support of the following in making this call for proposals possible: the artists and patrons of the original exhibit, the AGB staff, the museum volunteers affectionately known as The Graces, and a generous gift by an anonymous donor.