Through a Bloomberg Philanthropies grant, the Council on Culture & Arts (COCA), the Greater Bond Neighborhood Association, and the City of Tallahassee’s Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Affairs (PRNA) Department are partnering to facilitate the creative painting of nine crosswalks and two intersections at three locations within the Greater Bond neighborhood.
By participating in the Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative, Tallahassee further distinguishes itself as a national leader in public art. Asphalt Art is a growing phenomenon encompassing all visual interventions on roadways, pedestrian spaces, and vertical infrastructure. Community-driven Asphalt Art projects improve street safety and are a relatively low-cost strategy for activating underutilized pedestrian spaces.
“This project is an excellent example of how partnering with artists can offer creative solutions to difficult problems,” says Sarah Painter, COCA’s Public Art Manager. “Giving artists a seat at the table not only boosts civic engagement but also helps stimulate Tallahassee’s creative economy by nurturing these cross-sector relationships.”
COCA is seeking experienced artists, local to the Tallahassee/Leon County region, to be considered to paint crosswalks at up to 3 locations along Saxon Street in Bond Neighborhood during the spring of 2023. Up to $15,000 is available between the three crosswalk locations for the artist stipends and supplies budgets.
This “Call to Artists” will be broken into three phases:
- Phase 1: Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
- Phase 2: Request for Proposals (RFP)
- Phase 3: Community Input Forum
Phase 1 of the Call to Artists is due by December 9. To submit a completed RFQ, please email the following information to sarah@tallahasseearts.org:
- Team Members
- Contact information
- Resume/CV
- Artist biography
- Images of past work examples
- Which crosswalk locations you would like to paint
- Written Statement explaining how your past work experience and/or education specifically qualifies you for this Asphalt Art project
For more information and to view the prospectus, please visit www.TallahasseeArts.org/Asphalt-Art. It is essential that artists review the prospectus carefully before submitting their applications. Please email questions to COCA’s Public Art Manager, Sarah Painter, at sarah@tallahasseearts.org.
