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Here’s Your Chance to Have Your Artwork Adorn the Fishtown Rec


The City of Philadelphia’s Percent for Art Program — through the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) — has announced a $37,000 competition to commission a site-specific artwork for Fishtown Recreation Center (1202 E Montgomery Ave). This commission is part of the $1.5 million Lederer Pool Replacement at Fishtown Recreation Center by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation.

Sitting just opposite the the Fishtown Community Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Fishtown Recreation Center is an area spanning 1.4 acres and contains a roller/hockey rink, three basketball courts, a playground, picnic tables and a public pool. The Rec is highly used, but has been poorly maintained in recent years, thus Philadelphia Parks & Recreation is replacing the pool and the surrounding facilities.  

According to www.creativephl.org, the Percent for Art Program and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation seek to commission “a high quality, original site-specific artwork that celebrates the new pool as well as the area’s heritage and strong sense of community.”

The Percent for Art Program requires developers to commission art as part of the development process. The program has helped Philadelphia to become the the United State’s leading city in the displaying public art.

“The City of Philadelphia recognizes that arts and culture are a necessary component to improving people’s lives and to developing strong communities. Art is fundamental to our well-being,” Percent for Art project Manager Jacque Liu told Spirit News. “This is at the core of the Percent for Art Ordinance, which was enacted in 1959.  Everyone has probably experienced this in some way as a citizen – by attending a performance, going to a museum, or observing a piece of public art. Philadelphia has the oldest and largest public art collection in the country, with artwork in every area in the city.”  

Two potential sites for the artwork have been identified: Either the canopy, where artists are invited to consider placing something that would serve as both a sculpture and create shadows on the ground. Or the surrounding fencing, where artists are invited to consider adding elements, either to the entire face or just certain sections, such as the gate.

“The commissioned public artwork depends on a lot of factors: who applies, their ideas, the independent selection panel, the community, the Philadelphia Art Commission, and so on. Our charge is to ensure that the piece contributes to the present-day use of the site and is an appropriate addition to the City’s collection of public art,” said Liu.

The Percent for art Program is calling for local artists to submit their work to be a new addition to Philadelphia’s ever-growing public art display. The Fishtown Recreation Center is getting somewhat of a makeover, meanwhile giving local artists a chance to get their work displayed publicly.

“Fishtown and its neighboring areas of Kensington and Port Richmond are communities that are home to many artists. If possible, it would be wonderful to commission a local artist for this project. Commissioning a local artist would contribute to the local creative economy, and ensure an intimate knowledge of the community and its heritage. That said, even if the selected artist is from elsewhere; a charge of this commission is to connect to the community and the area’s heritage. So, the public art will be invariably relevant to the community,” Liu told Spirit News.

If you’re a local artist wanting to submit your work with the chance of being selected, visit:  www.http://creativephl.org/calltoartistsfishtownreccenter/.

The last entries will be accepted on March 29th 2017.  

 

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