ReImagining Works Request for Proposal for Artwork
Open To: Regional Artists (250 mile radius of Dayton, OH)
Commission Amount: $10,000.00
Entry Open Date: Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Entry Deadline: Tuesday, June 13, 2014
Contract Offered: Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Project Completion: Mid-October, 2014
Project Summary: The Dayton Metro Library (DML) seeks to
commission a site-specific artwork for a lighted reading patio
that will be added to the remodeled E.C. Doren branch
located at 701 Troy St., Dayton, Ohio.
Artists are invited to propose a newly created artwork
conceived in response to one of the two artworks shown
below, held in the permanent collection of The Dayton Art Institute (DAI). Artists may develop a
response to one or both artworks. Any aspect can be utilized as source material for the
submission (color, form, style, content, composition, etc.). From the submissions, the DML
ReImagining Works Committee will select the winning artist, who will meet with DML and DAI
staff, architects and construction representatives to confirm plans for the commission. The
artist will be required to sign a contract by July 8, 2014 and complete the work by the stated
deadline. These pieces were chosen by community members, and particularly patrons of the
library, by voting on their favorite of six DAI artworks during April.
Stacks in Celebration, Charles Sheeler (1883–1965)
American, 1954, Oil on canvas, 22 x 28 in., Gallery 202
http://www.daytonartinstitute.org/199852#/overview
Charles Sheeler beautifies the industrial advances of his time. He
helped to develop and popularize the Precisionist art movement,
which originated around 1915. It draws on Cubism’s clear lines and
multiple perspectives and Futurism’s dynamic energy, with an added
American twist: a love of industrialization. This landscape is akin to that of Old North Dayton’s
heyday, when it was home to new immigrants who were the mighty engine of a growing city.
Scenes in Yosemite Valley, Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902)
American, 1864-1874, Oil on canvas, 21 x 29 in., Gallery 207
http://www.daytonartinstitute.org/197658#/overview
This small painting by Hudson River School artist Albert Bierstadt
communicates the breadth, expansiveness, and pristine quality of
the American landscape. His inviting landscapes fueled romanticism
and encouraged a war-torn American people to take advantage of
the newly-constructed Trans-Continental Railroad and head west to see the territory.
ReImagining Works Request for Proposals, page 2
Artistic Goals of the Project: The commissioned work can conceptually be aesthetic or
utilitarian or kinetic or may relate to the mission of Dayton Metro Library. Proposed artworks
should reflect the distinctive personality of each location: resonate with people of all ages and
backgrounds; inspire collaboration, learning and creativity; and contribute to an inviting,
engaging, and stimulating environment.
Practical Considerations: The selected potential site(s) for artwork will be accessible to
patrons of the library and will be seen through two large picture windows that are being added
to the building. The artwork must be durable and easily maintained.
Building History: The E.C. Doren Branch is one of the few public
buildings in the United States named for a woman. Electra Collins
Doren was born in 1861. She was a pioneer in the field of Library
Science. She re-organized the Dayton library under the Dewey
Decimal System, allowing the shelves to be opened to the public
for the first time; started the first branch libraries; opened a library
training school (only the second in the nation) and began
bookmobile services. Doren was the chief librarian for the Dayton Library from 1896 to 1905, and
again from 1913 until her death in 1927. E.C. Doren is the oldest branch library in the system.
The building was designed by Albert Pretzinger, an architect who established a practice in
1892. With his partners, he designed many of Dayton’s buildings, including multiple library
branches; the Commercial Building on the corner of Fourth and Ludlow; the RKO Colonial
Theatre (demolished); Duncarrick Mansion (now part of the Kroc Center campus); Fire Station
Number 14; and the Beaux Arts style Dayton Daily News Building, now under renovation.
Submissions: Proposals will only be accepted electronically, in the form of a single PDF of no
more than 10 MB. DAI and DML employees and their immediate families are not eligible to
apply for this commission. Proposals must include the following:
• A sketch of the proposed artwork, which must be designed for outdoor installation
• Explanation of relationship between source material and proposed artwork
• Detailed schedule of materials, attachments and lighting
• Artist’s CV, biography and information about similar projects completed
• Six to nine images of completed artwork of similar scale and material
• A budget, showing that all artist’s or artists’ fees, materials, creation and installation
costs will be covered by the commission amount
Additional Information: Jane A. Black, Director of Engagement at The Dayton Art Institute is
the project manager for ReImagining Works. She will hold two informational meetings at DAI for
artists: on Friday, May 23, 4-5:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 31, 2-3:30 p.m. Additionally, Ms.
Black will schedule individual, 15-minute phone calls with artists on Monday, May 19, 1 to 3
p.m.; Friday, May 30, 10 a.m.-noon; and Saturday, June 7, 9-11 a.m. RSVP for the 5/23 or 5/31
meeting or schedule a time to discuss your proposal by emailing Jane.
Possible installation spaces include a mosaic on the face of the
low seating wall; decorative additions to the railings; objects
permanently set into the garden beds; and/or a decorative
grate at the base of the tree trunk.
See pages 4 and 5 for drawings and suggestions prepared
by architect Patrick Hillier of Levin Porter Associates, part
of the Dayton Design Collaborative.
ART COULD BE
MOUNTED TO CONCRETE
WALL INSETS
OR RAIL
FACE OR
TOP OF
SEAT COULD
BE ART
EXACT RAIL TBD - DISCUSSED
MOUTING ART TO FINAL RAIL
SYSTEM
see sheet A201c for this area
INTERIOR OF THIS
RAIL COULD BE ART
47 LF OF BENCH
1000 SF PAVERS
no art on north elevation