With a budget of $619,000 – including $500,000 for the selected artist – the Duval County Courthouse Public Art Project received 168 applicants.
That’s about double the number that usually express interest when a call for artists is issued for a public art installation, said Glenn Weiss, director of the Public Art Program at the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville.
The size of the budget isn’t the only reason the project attracted a large pool of applicants.
“We were aggressive. We contacted certain artists directly, based on special skills, experience and previous installations,” Weiss said.
By city ordinance enacted in 2011, 0.75% of the original construction budget for the courthouse is set aside for a public art installation and its future maintenance.
The project comprises an extensive art installation in front of the Duval County Courthouse. It could potentially involve sculpture, hardscape, landscaped areas and possibly modifying the terrain on what is now about 2 acres of bare lawn and sidewalks.
A nine-member panel is in the process of reviewing all 168 of the applications.
The question for the first round is “yes, no or maybe,” Weiss said. That initial part of the process will reduce the pool of respondents to no more than 50 that will continue to be considered for the project.
“The first round is intended to eliminate artists who applied for the wrong project. Painters, for example,” Weiss said.
The panel will meet on Zoom at noon Oct. 19 to narrow the pool of applicants. The meeting is open to the public at:
Meeting ID: 987 1242 0524
After the applicant group is narrowed, the remaining artists will further be evaluated by the panel. It will meet at noon Nov. 2 at City Hall to reach consensus on a group of 20 to 30 finalists that will be individually interviewed, Weiss said.
After that round, three artists will be invited to submit proposals, one of which will be selected in 2021 to implement their design.
Visit https://www.culturalcouncil.org/duval-county-courthouse.html to view a video presentation about the project.