Public Art
Art in Public Places: City of Austin invites submissions for next phase ofSeaholm District expansion
Continuing their beautification process of downtown, The City of Austin's Art in Public Places (AIPP) Program issued a call Thursday for submissions from Texas artists to help with the latest project in the Seaholm District.
This time, the call is for new designs for exterior artwork to accompany the incoming 2nd Street Bridge and Extension project. AIPP is looking for a dynamic exterior piece that will engage children and families who will be using the bridge. The selected artist will receive $166,000 from AIPP to complete their design.
The 2nd Street Bridge will be a connector between Nueces Street and the West Avenue Extension that runs along the old Seaholm Power Plant, where the new Central Library will be located. The bridge was originally estimated to cost around $5 million four years ago. As of last year, the City is expected to invest a total of $2 billion in the Seaholm District once all of the projects roll out. Now that ground has been broken, it is understood the city sees this money as a worthwhile investment for the downtown redevelopment initiatives.
Already, AIPP has chosen artist Nader Tehrani's schematic design for their Seaholm Substation Wall project, Christian Moeller for the atrium piece in the Central Library, and artist Ned Kahn's designs for the Austin Energy Control Center.
Texas artists or artist teams interested in submitting work for consideration can do so on the City of Austin website submission form. There will also be an informational meeting Jan. 18 at 12 p.m. to further explain the criteria and expectations for the selection process.
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Submissions are due Feb. 13 at 5 p.m.