Walker Art Center's Indigenous Public Art Commission Offers Rescheduled Workshops and Extended Deadline
Dates for the Call to Artists & Selection Process:
January 16, 2019: Call to Artists Opens
May 13, 2019: Application Deadline (extended from original April 15 date)
June 17, 2019: Semifinalists Notified
September 16, 2019: Selected Artist Announced
Fall 2020: Public Artwork Installed and Unveiled (date to be confirmed)
Free Information Sessions & Workshops
For artists seeking information or other support assembling their applications, five information sessions are offered. These materials will also be available online at walkerart.org/public-art-commission.
Workshop 1:
Friday, January 18, 3–4:30 pm
Plains Art Museum
704 First Avenue North, Fargo, North Dakota 58102
plainsart.org
Workshop 2:
Saturday, January 19, 2–3:30 pm
Sisseton Wahpeton College
12572 BIA Highway 700, Sisseton, South Dakota 57262
swcollege.edu
Workshop 3:
Saturday, January 26, 2–3:30 pm
Mystic Lake Center
2400 Mystic Lake Boulevard, Prior Lake, Minnesota 55372
mysticlakecenter.com
Workshop 4 (New Date & Place):
Saturday, March 30, 2–4 pm
Watermark Art Center
505 Bemidji Avenue North, Bemidji, MN 56601
watermarkartcenter.org
Workshop 5 (Added Workshop):
Monday, April 22, 6–7:30 pm
Walker Art Center
725 Vineland Place
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Overview
This January, the Walker Art Center announced the launch of an Indigenous Public Art Commission, a project inviting artists’ proposals for a new public artwork for placement in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden or a location on the Walker campus planned for the fall of 2020. This initiative evolved from a series of commitments the Walker Art Center made with Dakota elders in a mediation process in 2017 connected to the removal of artist Sam Durant’s work Scaffold from the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
Proposals are being accepted by the Walker through a Call to Artists. Proposals for public art projects will be reviewed by the Walker along with an Indigenous Public Art Selection Committee, a group of Native curators, knowledge keepers, artists, and arts professionals—including individuals of Dakota descent and enrollment—based in Minnesota and nationally. The group is working collaboratively with the Walker Art Center to shape the commission process, review applications, and select the final proposal.
“I look forward to working with the Walker staff and Indigenous Public Art Selection Committee to bring a new public artwork to the Walker campus or Minneapolis Sculpture Garden,” said incoming Walker Executive Director Mary Ceruti. “This project builds on the commitments the Walker has made to the Native community and I am excited to see the proposals and further the conversation.”
Artists interested in submitting original proposals for this public art project are encouraged to consider working in a range of materials. Projects may be proposed by individual artists or collectives. Artists with in-depth knowledge and understanding of Dakota culture and language are encouraged to apply. Full eligibility information and other details are listed on the Walker’s website at walkerart.org/public-art-commission.
The deadline for artists to submit applications is May 13, 2019. Once applications have been received, the Selection Committee and the Walker will identify three semifinalist artists. Semifinalists will be offered a fee to prepare more detailed proposals, from which one project will be chosen for the commission.
When a final proposal is selected in the fall of 2019, the Walker will support the selected artist or collective in the production of the work, from technical development to engagement. The Walker will work with the selected artist to facilitate the fabrication of the commissioned artwork in the chosen medium, which must be durable and suitable for display outdoors.
The selected artist will have a year to complete the project, and the goal is to install the completed work in the fall of 2020. Upon completion and installation of the commission, the artwork will formally enter the Walker Art Center’s permanent collection.