The City of Bellingham is excited to announce an opportunity for artists or artist teams to design, fabricate and install an artistic fence and possibly a new gate as part of an expansion to the water treatment plant located at 1720 Silver Beach Road near Whatcom Falls Park in Bellingham. Whatcom Falls Park is a spectacular park with stunning waterfalls, still pools and is home to more than three and a half miles of trails winding through both forested and open areas. The park provides a beautiful backdrop to the future art fence.
The project is funded through the City's One Percent for the Arts program, a program that dedicates one percent of large capital project budgets for the incorporation of artwork. The design, fabrication, installation, travel, taxes and other project costs are budgeted for $170,000.
The inclusion of artwork in public places reinforces the City's status as a regional arts destination, increases quality of life and attracts tourism and visitors to the area. The primary goal of this project is to create an area of interest between the water treatment plant and adjacent public trail by enhancing the aesthetics of the fence and possibly the gate.
The City's Arts Commission is interested in pieces that reflect the natural setting of the area. Other considerations should be that the artwork fits in well within the context of the site and considers existing architectural elements of the current and new building and trail system.
The City is requesting interested parties respond to a Request for Qualifications no later than August 12, 2016 at 5 p.m. to be considered for this project. For the complete Request for Qualifications and submittal requirements please go to https://www.cob.org/services/arts/Pages/public-art-opportunites.aspx
For questions please contact Shannon Taysi at staysi@cob.org.
