Montgomery Parks is seeking qualifications from artists who are interested in creating a new public art installation at Gene Lynch Urban Park, the newly completed .25-acre park in Downtown Silver Spring. The deadline for applications is March 10.
The park will include an open lawn area, walls for seating, a pergola structure with bench swings, extensive landscape planting, irrigation and lighting. A 10-foot by 13-foot concrete wall will serve as a focal point of the park for the public artwork. Artists can view the scope of work and information about how to submit their qualifications on the Gene Lynch Urban Park webpage.
“This park, named for the late Montgomery Planning Board Commissioner Gene Lynch, is situated at a busy crossroads near one of the most popular metro stops in the Washington region and along a two-way bike lane,” said Mike Riley, director of Montgomery Parks. “It’s a new respite for passersby to take a break from their busy days to meet up with friends, enjoy lunch or just take a few moments to reflect. The artwork will be a wonderful addition to this new open space.”
The artwork should create a memorable and strong sense of place and express the community’s culture and identity. It may draw from current historical movements or events and may use any media appropriate for installation on outdoor walls, columns, and/or the spaces between the columns. It should be integral to the pergola structure and may take the form of a mural, mosaic, 3-D mounted sculpture, among other forms, and may include a combination of different media. The artwork shall be permanent, durable, and easy to repair and maintain.
There will be a two-step selection process. For the first step, an artist selection panel will review applicants’ qualifications and narrow the pool to no more than five artists or artist teams. The finalists will then visit the site and prepare site-specific proposals for a public vote. Each of the finalists will receive a $500 honorarium for costs associated with creating the concept. The artist of the winning concept will be awarded up to $100,000 for the design, creation and installation of the artwork.
