Public Art Project for the Sherman Plaza Parking
Structure
Request for Proposals Site
Plan Enlarge
Image
Please Note: The submittal requirements on the Request for Proposals for this project specify that up to ten 35 mm slide images be submitted along with your proposal. While 35 mm slides are the preferred format, the review committee will make every effort to review support materials that are submitted in other formats.
The City’s latest Public Art project will provide an artist with an opportunity to locate Public Art on the Sherman Plaza property, on the corner of Davis Street and Sherman Avenue, directly adjacent to Fountain Square.
The public art site proposes a wide range of viewing possibilities, from people walking and shopping, to theatre and restaurant goers, to train riders, to those living, working and visiting Evanston. The parking facility is to be located on the Northwest corner of Sherman Avenue and Davis Street, adjacent to the Sherman Plaza commercial/residential project at the Northwest intersection of Sherman Avenue and Davis Street. For many, the new parking facility will be a point of entry for this new development.
PUBLIC ART AND THE SHERMAN PLAZA PARKING FACILITY
There are compelling reasons for the inclusion of public art as an integral part of the City’s newest parking facility. Such public art should help confer to the new facility a distinctive and identifiable setting. A city’s built environment and Public Art becomes a “statement of value.” The visual arts have always been important in shaping the image and value for a community. Good art encourages great use of spaces. It increases an individual’s sense of security and well being. Art on public view communicates social, cultural and economic confidence. Art is widely recognized as contributing to a city’s economic development, real estate values, and the quality of life. In accordance with this view, the Evanston Public Art Ordinance states that “all construction projects (at least 50% of costs paid by the City and exceeding $1 million in costs) shall have recommended Public Art Project or Projects associated therewith which shall be included in the Public Art Plan.”
GOALS
The goal of public art for the Sherman Plaza Parking Structure is to be imaginative and aesthetically pleasing, and will observe the following guidelines:
- The artwork should be of high artistic quality and be well-integrated into the corner of Davis Street and Sherman Avenue (See site plan)
- The artwork should be conceived in relation to the exterior site as indicated on the site plan.
- The artwork will be located on the corner of Sherman Avenue and Davis Street, directly across the street from Fountain Square. There are two planters located nearby. (See site plan for exact location.)
- The City is looking for artwork that will be imaginative, reflecting the innovative energies and creative values of the Evanston community.
- The artwork will be on permanent display and must meet high standards of durability, structural concerns/performance (exterior pieces) and made of long-wearing, low or no-maintenance materials.
- The artwork must not interfere or compete with the function of pedestrian or vehicular activity, but should be a force to draw users to the piece and the surrounding area.
- The artwork may be placed on a platform.