Agri-themed installations set for October 

Contact: Kate Clark, Public Art Cooridinator, KClark@edsyracuse.com

Friends of Lipe Art Park seeks proposals to participate in agriCULTURE : From the Farm to the City, an outdoor art show opening October 21, 2007.

agriCULTURE will be an exhibition of images, essences, evocations and ideas from the farm environment presented in an outdoor urban setting. The exhibition will show art works that draw inspiration from agricultural places, products and processes to bring autumn harvest-time to life in the city in new and interesting ways. The exhibition will invite local community input and feedback, and will engage children from local schools in creative activities on site.

A handful of installation and “earth art” pieces have already been commissioned directly from a team of artists by the Friends of Lipe Art-Park in order to ensure that a full exhibition can be mounted within a short period of time. In addition, four categories of approach to the exhibition theme have been established in order to both provoke a range of responses to the theme and yet create some coherence or commonality among pieces (see categories below).

Proposals for art works in any medium or form of art will be considered; preference will be given to proposals for works which embrace the theme fully and thoughtfully, and which will show well in a large, open, outdoor space. Any work proposed should also fit into one of the four categories of approach shown below (if you are in doubt on this issue, please contact us). Works will also need to be relatively easy to install or create on site, and should require no significant maintenance (biodegradable works are encouraged). A stipend of between $150 and $300 will be awarded, depending upon the number of appropriate and compelling proposals received: a minimum of 4 proposals will be accepted (resulting in a stipend of $300 to each of the 4); up to a maximum of 8 may be accepted (resulting in a stipend of $150 to each). The exhibition will be well publicized and documented for publication.

Categories of approach are as follows:

1) FARM STORIES :Narrative (Mythic) approach
Pieces in this category would tell or hint at a story, or myth; or present a sequence of experiences with a logic or direction that we can “read”, even if only symbolically.

2) FARM ESSENCES: Abstract (Analytical) approach
Pieces in this category would extract, and recreate or reveal some essential element(s), phenomena or concept(s) from the farm, but  in a simpler, purer or more conceptual form.

3) FARM ‘CROPS’: Excerpting (Quoting) and Re-placing approach
Pieces in this category would take something from the farm, as it is— an image, an object, a piece of something just as it appears — and relocate it in a new, urban, human-made situation.    

4) FARM PROCESSES: Decay (Disassembly) and Regeneration
Pieces in this category would comment on, demonstrate or celebrate the processes of decay/ breakdown and renewal/birth that are fundamental to the farm, to Nature and to life itself. This category overlaps with all of the others, but has a more specific thematic focus.

Application: To apply, respond to the questions below by email to:  snowfallatnight@aol.com
Deadline to apply:   Friday, September 21, 2007 — notification of selected artists will begin on Monday 9.24.07
1.     State your name, mailing address and phone number.
2.     Very briefly state your level of experience with making art, and the kinds of art you’ve made.
3.     Very briefly state anything else about yourself that you feel is especially relevant to your interest in, and the possible value of your work to, this exhibition. Again, please be brief.
4.     Please state the title, media/materials, and approximate dimensions of the proposed work.
5.     Describe the envisioned work itself in a clear and concise (short) paragraph.
6.     No services (electricity, protection from weather, maintenance) can be provided for your piece, and assistance with installation will be available only on a limited basis; how will you deal with these limitations, and are there any special circumstances or needs associated with your proposed piece?
7.     Explain/talk about your intentions and aspirations for the work: What do you hope to explore, communicate, create or realize in or through the work? How do you intend the work to relate to the theme and nature of the exhibition, including the exhibition categories of approach, as you understand them? This should be a concise statement of not more than 200 words