Mission

Gift of Art Program:

Location:

• What spaces are available in the city/county?
• Did the artist have a specific location in mind?
• How will the piece affect the use of the space?
• Does the city have permission to use a certain space?

Significance:

Does the work have a specific meaning to the artist, or does the piece have historical relevance to the location so that more viewers can appreciate its meaning?

Maintenance/Durability:

Gift of an Art Proposal:

All of these questions and more should be addressed in the "Gift of an Artist Proposal" submitted with the artwork by the community group or individual artist proposing the piece. The proposal should include:

• A letter of submission, which would include a personal statement by the artist/community group as to why the piece is being submitted, a history of the piece, the possible site of its location, and an assurance of authentication, stating that you have the right to donate the piece.
• A appraisal of the artworks value.
• Pictures of the work, or if possible, the work itself.

Maintenance and Durability Plan:

Describe what kind of maintenance the piece will require over time, considering other public artworks made of similar materials.

• How might the elements of weather (wind, rain, sun, etc.) affect the piece?
• How often will the piece need to be evaluated to assess any damage done?
• Will funds be raised to provide maintenance for this piece over its lifespan (an expected thirty years)?
• Can estimations be made on projected maintenance costs for the future?

If maintenance funds/arrangements will not be provided by the artist/community group, a written consent by the donor must be signed, allowing Public ARTWORKS to hire a conservator of their own choosing to care for the piece. A written agreement by the artist/community group allowing Public ARTWORKS to remove the piece from its location should the use of the current space be changed in the future.

Public ARTWORKS Committee Members:

• Laura Flynn: Co-Chair
• Karen Miller: Co-Chair
• Rosann Pelleschi: Secretary
• Mark Murawski: Treasurer
  
• Sandy Hill
  
• Judy Olinsky
  
• Laura Templeton
• Tania Thomas
  
• Yvonne DiRocco

Call to Artists

Public ARTWORKS is a sub-committee of the Williamsport-Lycoming Arts Council (dba LYCOMING ARTS), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, dedicated to the promotion, awareness, and expansion of public art opportunities in the northcentral PA region with emphasis in the Williamsport urbanized area.

Public ARTWORKS encourages interested artists to respond to this Request for Proposals to develop public art pieces for consideration.   Proposals will be accepted anytime.

We are formally requesting proposals from interested artists to design, construct, install, and maintain public art piece(s),

Public ARTWORKS has been working closely with the County of Lycoming to ensure that public art along the Riverwalk is consistent with themes that depict the unique history of the Williamsport area, especially those developed under the PA Lumber Heritage Region Timber Trail initiative. The Lumber Heritage Region and PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources have provided funding for the interpretative signage, benches, and Muncy artist Pam Madia Barner's Woodhick sculpture, erected in 2009, depicting our region's rich lumbering era. In September 2012, an additional 35-foot-wide stainless-steel fish sculpture art piece, created by Mike Patterson of Oval, PA, was installed along the Riverwalk on the levee flood wall in South Williamsport near the Maynard Street Bridge. The piece, entitled "What Lives in There," depicts nine native fish species found in the Susquehanna River. As a result, there are two public art pieces now on the Riverwalk, and Public ARTWORKS is now seeking development of a third art piece in 2014 as part of this Request for Proposals.

West Fourth Street Public Art

The West Fourth Street Corridor situated between Market and Hepburn Streets located in Downtown Williamsport also provides an excellent venue for display of public art. This corridor is the main travel and pedestrian artery through downtown and is the scene of First Friday and other major community events throughout the year, so public art is very visible and accessible to thousands of people on a daily basis. Several public art pieces already exist along this street.

Basic requirements that must be addressed in proposals:

Clearly indicate for which site you are submitting a proposal (Riverwalk or West Fourth Street). Please note you may submit proposals for both sites, but please separate your proposals into two parts, with a separate scope of work and budget for each of the locations.

Art themes that are encouraged for consideration include: Log Boom/Lumber Era History of Williamsport Prominent role the Susquehanna River plays in regional commerce and recreation PA Wilds initiative Underground Railroad Victorian Era Marcellus Shale gas exploration Outstanding scenic natural settings (e.g., mountains, river, valley) Williamsport/Lycoming County as a vibrant hub of Northcentral PA Art Town (downtown/neighborhood revitalization driven by the arts) Little League Baseball
Note: Artists can research the history of the Williamsport Area and Lycoming County by contacting the Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce, Taber Museum, and James V. Brown Library as key resources.

The Riverwalk art display will be confined specifically to that portion of the Riverwalk (referred to as the "Sculpture Park") between the Carl E. Stotz Memorial Little League Bridge (formerly known as the Market Street Bridge) and Maynard Street Bridge on the north and south sides of the river. Artwork will not be placed on either bridge structure, as these bridges are owned by PennDOT, not the County of Lycoming.

All art displays must be permanent and weather resistant and cannot pose public safety hazards.

An artist's rendition of the art piece must accompany your proposal submission.

Provide construction details (i.e., guidelines for space-dimension needs and an itemized list of construction materials to be used, along with a supporting budget and assembly process).

No sexually explicit pieces will be considered.

When the art display is erected, the artist agrees to provide and install a plaque that states artist's name, name of piece, sponsor name as Public ARTWORKS (and any other donors as may be identified by Public ARTWORKS, if applicable), and date of installation.

Clearly outline a budget to develop and install the piece and show what financial investment (and other in-kind contributions such as labor and materials) will be made by the artist vs. financial and other in-kind support needed from Public ARTWORKS, as a partnership approach.

Provide a maintenance plan and describe artist's level of commitment required to ensure long-term preservation of the outdoor art piece.

Provide a project development schedule that achieves full installation by (Public ARTWORKS reserves the right to adjust this schedule if warranted by circumstances such as funding, permits, weather conditions, etc.)

Provide references (names and phone numbers) of other organizations that Public ARTWORKS can contact in order to verify that you are capable of successfully carrying out the proposed project.

Submission Procedures

Contact Lycoming Arts for details.