The City of Newport Beach is pleased to announce a call for entries for Phase V of its ongoing Invitational Sculpture Exhibition, the Newport Beach Civic Center Sculpture Exhibition, to further activate the splendor of the City’s Civic Center Park. Artists, private collectors, galleries, and museums/non-profit institutions are invited to submit artworks for consideration for a temporary exhibition at the site. Up to ten artworks may be selected and showcased for two years in the heart of Newport Beach in Civic Center Park.

Click here for the application / registration

Deadline: 15 Jan 2020

Works will remain on display for approximately two years with installation planned in May 2020 and de-installation scheduled for June 2022.

The City seeks a well-balanced exhibit of public art emphasizing a variety of styles, types, and sizes as well as a diverse pool of artists. The artist selection committee will determine specific locations for artworks within the Park grounds.

• Artistic Merit: Artists shall have substantial professional qualifications and high-quality artwork that demonstrates originality and artistic excellence. Private collectors, galleries, and museum/non-profit organizations shall have professional reputations for collecting and exhibiting high-quality artwork that shows creativity and artistic excellence.
• Durability: The Selection Committee will consider only artwork made of high-quality materials which can withstand the natural elements of coastal Southern California for a minimum of two years. Consideration will be given to structural and surface integrity, protection against theft and vandalism, and requiring minimal to no maintenance.
• Meets Minimum Requirements: Artworks must be available for the duration of the exhibition period and prepared for installation, in most cases, on a concrete foundation or footings. Artworks, when installed, will be readily visible from the interpretive trails. They should be suitable for viewing from all angles. Artworks shall be appropriate for audiences of all ages.
• Site Responsiveness: Artwork should be appropriate in scale, material, and content for the immediate, general, social, and physical environments to which they relate. Artworks will be installed in unsupervised areas and must not exhibit unsafe conditions or factors that may bear on public liability, as members of the public may come into contact with the works.

Artworks which incorporate sustainable strategies, demonstrate green processes or utilize green design, materials theories, and techniques are welcome, but not required.

Newport Beach Civic Center Sculpture Exhibition Artist Benefits

Selected artists will receive an honorarium of between $2,500 and $6,000 in exchange for a two-year loan of their artwork. Honoraria will be determined by the Selection Committee depending on the artist’s preliminary budget, complexity of the project, weight, and size. The budget shall be used to cover transportation of the artwork to and from the exhibition site, structural engineering documents (if required), any insurance needed or desired for artwork transport and display, and fees for on-site availability during installation and removal. No other fees or expense reimbursements are offered. Artists will receive half of the honorarium upon signing the contract and the second half of the payment after de-installation.

Artworks may be available for purchase during the exhibition period. Artists who wish to make their artwork available for sale agree that their piece shall not be de-installed until the conclusion of the exposition period. The City of Newport Beach will not request a commission from the sale of artwork.

About Civic Center Park

The 14-acre, ocean-view site was specially designed by renowned landscape architect Peter Walker as an intended sculpture garden. The Civic Center Park has also developed into a destination for visitors and residents of Newport Beach to gather for civic events and activities including summer concerts on the lawn, art shows, docent-led sculpture park tours, visits to the dog park, or leisurely walks along the park’s windy trail. As home to City Hall, City administrative offices, and the Central Branch of the city’s public library system, the Civic Center is the heart of Newport Beach.

This is a unique opportunity to display artworks in a serene, ocean-view setting that attracts Newport Beach residents as well as tourists from around the world. The prior four phases of this exhibition have delighted and enriched visitors with the works of world-class artists both local and international.

About Arts Orange County

Arts Orange County, an independent nonprofit organization, is the officially-designated local arts agency of the County of Orange and its official state-local arts agency partner. They have facilitated previously the public art selection process for the City of Newport Beach’s Civic Center Sculpture Exhibition and prepared Arts and Culture Master Plans for multiple Orange County cities. Their commitment to the veteran community includes twice-annual productions of VOICES: Veterans Storytelling Project. VOICES is a therapeutic workshop that helps real veterans turn the stories of their service into scripts which they deliver in public performances at Heroes Hall at the O.C. Fair and Event Center.

For more information, contact nthurkettle@artsoc.org.

Previous call for artists from Arts Orange County