With site work set to begin soon on Fredericton’s new Performing Arts Centre, a nationwide search has also got underway to identify an artist to create a piece of public art for the lobby of the new facility.
The City of Fredericton, on behalf of the Fredericton Playhouse Inc., has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking professional artists working in the public art realm to create an original, site-specific public artwork for the new Performing Arts Centre.
The RFQ is the first of a two-stage process.
- A selection committee, which will include a Fredericton Playhouse Inc. representative, an architect, as well as arts professionals, will review the RFQ submissions. They will select up to five professional artists / artist teams who will be invited to develop a public art proposal.
- From that short-list, a proposal will be selected, and the successful artist / artist team will be asked to create their public artwork for installation in the facility.
Central to the creative process for artists considering this project is the idea that the piece represents a community strengthened by live performance, the notion of celebrating together, and the imagination and creativity that comes from the performing arts.
“I am excited to see this request for qualifications being issued, as it is yet another sign that the new Performing Arts Centre is becoming a reality,” said Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers. “The public art that will be created and displayed in this space will add to the vibrancy of the facility, our downtown and our city.”
“As part of the design for the Performing Arts Centre, we really wanted to incorporate a contemporary art installation into the lobby of the facility,” said Tim Yerxa, Executive Director, Fredericton Playhouse, Inc. “The designated site for the piece is at the top of the lobby staircase, where it can be enjoyed by users of the building and passersby looking through the windows into the building.”
Submissions must be received by 11:59 pm ADT on Monday, December 4, 2023. To find out more about the competition and submission process, interested artists can visit www.fredericton.ca/PublicArt.