Call for Entries:
Art on the Vent
$40,000 award
Presented by Detroit Artists Market and Detroit &
Canada Tunnel Corporation
The Detroit Artists Market in collaboration with the Detroit &
Canada Tunnel Corporation is coordinating a large-scale art project
entitled "Art on the Vent," involving the main air vent
and surrounding structures of the Detroit Windsor Tunnel. Local artists
are invited to submit proposals for the main air vent.
The surface dimensions are 90' wide by 20' high. A sign company will
install scaffolding and prep the surface for the artist. Proposals
should include the following:
- Typed resume
- Scale drawing or painting of proposed mural/art installation
- Typed artist statement about the mural/installation concept
- 5-10 images of previous work (slides, jpegs, prints accepted)
- SASE for materials that need to be returned to the artist
Artists may submit a proposal as an individual or collaborative project.
A stipend of $40,000 will be provided. All proposals are due to the
Detroit Artists Market on or before October 15, 2004.
The Detroit Windsor Tunnel is the busiest passenger border crossing
on the U.S. Canadian border. It is in the top 15 crossings US crossings
nationally. Traffic exceeds 16.5 million vehicles a year including
over 850 trucks and 5,000 commuters passing through the Tunnel both
ways, everyday. Its high exposure makes it the ideal setting for this
public art project, which lends to the enhancement of the downtown
area and will be viewable for quite a distance.
We are only interested in mural proposals that will enliven Detroit's
downtown and are a large-scale symbol of pride, encouragement and
accomplishment for the region. This unique international border crossing
is an ideal setting for an art piece that will present a positive
city impression and represent a rich creative spirit and atmosphere
for tunnel customers as well as those visiting the downtown area,
including those who visit with the sole purpose of viewing the mural.
Vibrancy, creativity and forward thinking are encouraged concepts.
Each year, 3.5 million vehicles use the Detroit & Canada Tunnel
providing potentially 7 million 24-hour viewings of the mural project.
This one-of-a-kind undertaking will serve as a model for other international
border crossings worldwide. It will gain international publicity for
the muralist(s), the city of Detroit and its cultural community, and
it will be a prospect for documentary filming. Collateral material
using the mural's image may also be reproduced to further promote
the project, giving the artist even greater exposure.
"Art on the Vent" will be unveiled July 2005, just in time
for the Major League All-Star game to be held in Detroit in July 2005,
as well as for the 2006 Super Bowl. With the thousands of visitors
to Detroit annually, the mural project is projected to become a tourist
attraction for out-of-towners, while proving to be a source of pride,
strength, honor and community power for Detroit and its surrounding
cities. With highly successful new developments like Ford Field, Comerica
Park, the newly restored Detroit Opera House and the DSO's Max M.
Fisher Music Center, "Art on the Vent" will serve as a continuation
of the physical progress actualized on Woodward Avenue. The DAM and
Detroit & Canada Tunnel Corporation mural project will be a unique
and dramatic contribution to those riverfront enhancement initiatives.
Timeline
October 15, 2004 Proposals due
January, 2005 Notification of accepted proposals
May, 2005 Artist(s) begin project
July, 2005 Unveiling
Compensation
Main Air Vent $40,000 (includes artist fee for design and implementation)
Please deliver proposals on or before October 15, 2004 to Detroit
Artists Market at 4719 Woodward Avenue, Detroit MI 48201. If you have
any questions, contact DAM at 313-832-8540 or e-mail at info@detroitartistsmarket.org.