The work could be used to create a selfie station or other interactive art piece to be installed in Austin Street Plaza as part of Roanoke’s Art and History Trail. This art project will feature an interactive element highlighting Austin Street Plaza as an entertainment center for the city’s downtown, city leaders said in a news release.
The details
The deadline for entries is noon Aug. 15. After the submission deadline, the city's Art and History Trail Committee will vote on the submissions and choose up to three finalists. The finalists will then go to the Roanoke City Council for final selection before notice is given to the public. City Council packets are open to the public, so all selections will be made available online before the meeting. If artists do not wish for their submission to be made public, they should inform city staff upon submission.
The background
Kelli Thomerson, curator of the city's Visitor Center and Museum, and Kelly Holt, library and visitor center director in Roanoke, spoke about the purpose of this project.
Holt said the event is a project of the Art and History Trail Committee, which council created in 2022 to increase the appeal of public spaces through art, and to spotlight Roanoke’s “unique history and small-town charm.”
The committee’s goal is to create public art that has a “nod to the history of Roanoke,” Thomerson said. She hopes this art will reflect where the city is now and where it is going.
“Last year, we created our first project, which is the Roanoke Route Historic Walking Trail, and this year the committee wanted to focus on something a little bit more art-centered rather than history-centered, and Austin Street Plaza is a great gathering place for anyone looking for some local live music and entertainment,” Holt said. “They wanted to create a vibrant atmosphere in there by commissioning some public art for the space.”
For the art projects, people may enter any medium, subject or format as long as it meets format guidelines. Committee members are looking for something vibrant, Holt said, and rules also state the art work should possess durability and permanence, including resistance to weathering and ease of maintenance. Thomerson said organizers are looking for medium-sized artwork, such as sculptures, and artists are encouraged to visit the city website and get a better understanding of the plaza and the city of Roanoke.
“We want it to reflect the values in our community,” Holt said. “We want it to be a piece that is interactive or engages the people in the plaza in some way, something that invites people to participate either by touching the art, taking a photograph with the art—we’re really open to whatever creative ideas artists out there have.”
Also of note
The honorarium for the artists is $40,000, and that money comes from hotel and sales tax that is dedicated for efforts that increase tourism, Holt said. That money goes toward the artists’ supplies, installation, materials and labor.
“I think that this is just a really fun, interesting opportunity for maybe a local artist to get some exposure and invite community members to come enjoy and appreciate their work,” Holt said.
To apply, artists must send their submissions to [email protected], but if the files are too large, they may mail or drop off a USB at Roanoke Visitor Center and Museum, 114 N. Oak St., Roanoke, 76262. Artists should contact Thomerson for more information on rules.