Augusta Sculpture Trail | Open Call

The Augusta Sculpture Trail

The Greater Augusta Arts Council, as the public art agency for the City of Augusta, Georgia, is seeking ten (10) leasable, pre-existing, outdoor sculptures to be installed for two years in Downtown Augusta, GA for the Augusta Sculpture Trail.

This will be a temporary (2 year) installation in Downtown Augusta. All of the ten (10) sculpture sites will have a 4’x4’ concrete base, and are fully accessible. The sites are spaced in a manner to promote walking from one sculpture to another, creating a trail to follow. Other public art installations already in place will augment the walking tour experience.

​All works will be heavily promoted as an arts destination attraction with online, printed, radio and TV ads. A digital walking tour will be created and all artists will be requested to submit content to be placed in that online platform. We will regularly bring public attention to the Augusta Sculpture Trail through in-person and online events. We will additionally promote the availability of the sculptures for purchase.

Selected artists will receive a stipend of $3,000 for the 2-year lease of their work ($1,500 upon installation, $1,500 upon de-installation).
There will be a purchase of artwork at the end of this temporary art installation to add to the City of Augusta’s permanent public art collection.

Installation: January 2025
De-installation: December 2026

Artists may apply up to 5 times with separate sculptures.  Please do not submit different sculptures in one application.  Each application will be for one, individual sculpture.

The Augusta Sculpture Trail is part of a larger Public Art Master Plan for the City of Augusta. It is intended to create a walkable and promotable art trail to attract local and regional visitors to the Downtown Augusta area.

Augusta, Georgia:
Augusta, Georgia is the third largest city in the state of Georgia with approximately 200,000 residents, and around 600,000 in the larger metropolitan area, which spans both sides of the Savannah River, into South Carolina. Augusta was established as a strategic trading city along the geological “fall line” of the Savannah River. Major employers include the US military, health care, cybersecurity, higher education, the Savannah River Site, and manufacturing. Augusta is home to the US Army Signal Corps, the Army’s Cyber Command, Augusta University, Paine College, Augusta Technical College, and the Augusta National Golf Club (home of the Master’s Golf Tournament).

The climate in Augusta, GA is generally lovely, ranging from around 40 degrees in winter to 90 degrees in summer. It does reach freezing temperatures for a few days a year, and can reach the high 90s in summer. It can be quite humid and does receive strong thunderstorms and the occasional tropical storm winds. Any outdoor sculptures must be made to withstand the full range of weather for two consecutive years.

Selection:

All individual pieces will be scored by the Public Art Advisory Panel. The top ten scoring pieces will be offered a place in the Augusta Sculpture Trail. No one artist will have more than one piece selected, regardless of scores. We strongly recommend entering a high quality image of the sculpture, preferably more than one image to show the work from multiple angles, as sculpture is a 360 degree visual experience.
Eligibility:

The exhibition is open to all artists, preferably professional sculptors, who are at least 18 years of age and reside in the United States. Greater Augusta Arts Council employees and members of the Public Art Advisory Panel are not eligible to apply.

Sculpture:

The Arts Council is seeking original, pre-existing art works in any media suitable for outdoor public space. All sculptures must meet the following basic requirements:

1. The work must be of a size so as to be secured to a 4′ W x 4′ D x 4″ H concrete pad with anchor bolts or similar devices, and not extend significantly beyond that boundary. The project must be of a scale large enough to be clearly visible from a distance of 50 feet.

2. The work must be structurally sound and capable of withstanding adverse weather conditions common to the Augusta area, including hot summers, cold winters, humidity, heavy rain, wind, thunder storms, and occasional snow.

3. The work must be suitable for pedestrian interaction with a low exposure to injury. The public must be protected from possible injury from materials and the work must not include pointy, sharp or easily climbable parts.  If the artwork is a functional piece, such as a bench, made to be sat upon, it must not present a public hazard. Any sculptures deemed unsafe will be removed from scoring consideration.

4. The work must be available for a period of two years, from installation in January 2025 to removal in December 2026.

General Information:

Installation/De-installation: Selected Artists are responsible for transportation of their work to and from the site and are encouraged to be on site to oversee installation and de-installation. Installation costs regarding site preparation will not be the responsibility of the Artist. A professional sculpture installation expert will install and de-install all sculptures.

Stipend/Awards: The Artist will receive a $3,000 stipend for the 24-month lease of the piece, paid in two installments. Upon the successful installation of selected sculpture the Artist will receive a $1,500 stipend. Upon de-installation and retrieval of the sculpture, the Artist will receive a $1,500 stipend.

Purchases: Negotiation and sale of the sculpture is the responsibility of the Artist, however the Greater Augusta Arts Council will make every good effort to promote the artist’s work and connect the artist to potential buyers, and will act as the pass through entity for purchase of sculptures when appropriate. For the marketing and facilitation work, Artist shall pay the Greater Augusta Arts Council a fee of twenty percent (20%) of any sale while on exhibit or within six (6) months thereafter. At the conclusion of the exhibition, the Greater Augusta Arts Council will recommend one or more works be purchased by the City for inclusion in Augusta’s permanent public art collection.

Additional Information:

• Artists chosen shall enter into a contract with the Greater Augusta Arts Council on behalf of the City of Augusta and in that will agree to temporarily loan sculpture to the City of Augusta and in return the City agrees to temporarily display Artist’s Sculpture.
• Artist has full legal title and copyrights to the sculpture while on temporary loan to the City.
• Artist shall be responsible for maintaining sculpture. City shall be responsible for maintaining exhibition site.
• All selected sculptures will be insured for liability and physical damage through the City of Augusta while on loan, from the time of completed installation to completed de-installation.
  It is recommended that selected artists insure the work during transportation to and removal from the exhibit site.
  In addition, the selected Artist shall provide the City of Augusta with a $1 million liability insurance policy with the City of Augusta and the Greater Augusta Arts Council named as the Additional Insured for the duration of the exhibit prior to installation of the sculpture.

Exhibition Calendar:

• Dates for upload of applications to Call for Entry: Aug 6 – Oct 5, 2024
• Notification to selected artists: Oct 30, 2024
• Installation of sculptures: January 9-13, 2025
• De-installation of sculptures: December 9-13, 2026

Application Requirements

One original, pre-existing sculpture per application.  Each artist may enter up to 5 sculptures by applying 5 separate times (one sculpture per application).

1. The sculpture must be of a size so as to be secured to a 4′ W x 4′ D x 4″ H concrete pad with anchor bolts or similar devices, and not extend significantly beyond that boundary. The project must be of a scale large enough to be clearly visible from a distance of 50 feet.

2. The sculpture must be structurally sound and capable of withstanding adverse weather conditions common to the Augusta area, including hot summers, cold winters, humidity, heavy rain, wind, thunder storms, and occasional snow.

3. The sculpture must be suitable for pedestrian interaction with a low exposure to injury. The public must be protected from possible injury from materials and the work must not include pointy, sharp or easily climbable parts.  If the artwork is a functional piece, such as a bench, made to be sat upon, it must not present a public hazard. Any sculptures deemed unsafe will be removed from scoring consideration.

4. The sculpture must be available for a period of two years, from installation in January 2025 to removal in December 2026.

Eligibility Criteria

The exhibition is open to all artists, preferably professional sculptors, who are at least 18 years of age and reside in the United States. Greater Augusta Arts Council employees and members of the Public Art Advisory Panel are not eligible to apply.