RELEASE: 50 Artists Selected for Public Art Program Emerging Artist List

50 ARTISTS SELECTED FOR
OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS / PUBLIC ART PROGRAM
PRE-QUALIFIED EMERGING ARTISTS LIST

DALLAS: The City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs Public Art Program announces the selection of 50 Pre-Qualified Emerging Artists for commissions of up to $50,000. A Call for Artists was issued September 18 with 257 artists submitting their materials by the deadline of October 30, 2014. Of those, 75% met geographic qualifications. The Public Art Committee selected 50 finalists for approval by the Cultural Affairs Commission, which accepted their recommendations in a unanimous vote during their meeting on Thursday, November 20, 2014.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:
Olaniyi Akindiya, Anne Allen, Sheryl Anaya, Leighton Autrey, Ryan Behring, Gary Buckner, Mick Burson, John Camara, Charles Coldewey, Russ Connell, Isaac Davies, Jose Dominguez, David Duncan, Cassandra Emswiler Burd, Heather Ezell, Kate Firth, George Fowler, Abhidnya Ghuge, Jeff Gibbons, Justin Ginsberg, Heather Gorham, Terry Hays, Laura Kante, Chris Lattanzio, Rachel Livedalen, Sara Lovas, Jason Mehl, Leigh Merrill, Francisco Moreno, Cynthia Mulcahy, Lisa Nigro, Nic Nobilque, Kevin Obregon, Julia Ousley, Theo Ponchaveli, Pascale Pryor, Pio Pulido, Fari Rahimi, Sully Ridout, Jeff Robinson, Jay Shinn, Michael Shubin, Jerry Smith, Erin Stafford, Janna Tidwell, Robertus van der Wege, Laura Walters Abrams, Murielle White, Lauren Woods, and Bobby Zokaites.

 

The Pre-Approved Emerging Artists will remain on the Pre-Qualified List for two years during which time they will be invited to workshops about public art project development, budgeting, work with fabricators, and learn about application procedures. Currently 6 projects available for emerging artists are scheduled to initiate in 2015.

The Call for Artists was preceded by a professional development workshop for artists conducted by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs in partnership with Dallas Art Dealers Association (DADA), Business Council for the Arts (BCA), Creative Arts Center (CAC) and the McKinney Avenue Contemporary (The MAC). The Business of Art: Public Art 101 was presented to an audience of 120 artists on September 13, 2014. Dallas Public Art Manager, Kay Kallos, Ph.D. and the Public Art Staff made presentations to the group with supplemental discussion by 3 artists who have completed public art in Dallas and 2 members of the Public Art Committee. The afternoon session provided information about additional area public art opportunities with presentations by Fort Worth Public Art, City of Frisco Public Art, Fort Worth Avenue Development Group – Public Art, Aurora, and several private initiatives. The program was well-received with requests for additional programs. Public Art 102 will be offered in April 2015.

For more information, please contact Marketing Manager, Margaret Fullwood at 214-670-4428 or by email at Margaret.Fullwood@dallascityhall.com.

About The Public Art Program

The Public Art Program works to enrich the quality of life for the citizens of Dallas and enhance the cultural appeal of the City to visitors by overseeing the integration of high-quality visual art into public spaces. The Program provides opportunities for local and regional artists as well as visual artists from around the globe through commissions of works of public art. The program also supports donations of public art to the City of Dallas that are subject to a review process for acceptance that includes members of the Public Art Committee and the Cultural Affairs Commission. The Public Art Program is a division of the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs. http://www.dallasculture.org/publicArt.asp

About the Office of Cultural Affairs

The Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) provides opportunities for all Dallas citizens and visitors to have access to the arts and the means of cultural expression. The Office of Cultural Affairs works with its citizen advisory board, the Cultural Affairs Commission, to foster the development of the cultural system in Dallas. OCA provides a variety of programs and services, including the management and operations of seven cultural facilities, a public art program, cultural funding programs and WRR Radio. More information on the Office of Cultural Affairs’ programs can be found on its website at http://www.DallasCulture.org.