Call for Entries
$25,000 Purchase Award
for
Air Conditioning tribute art project in Gadsden, AL
The Gadsden Cultural Arts Foundation (GCAF) operates the Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts in downtown Gadsden, and is seeking proposals to honor the invention of air conditioning.
The Air Conditioning Tribute Steering Committee operates under the auspices of the GCAF and is comprised of Peter Gregerson, Roger Quinn, Willie Maise, and Wilbur
Masters with Bobby Welch serving as its Secretary.
The committee wishes to motivate the citizens of Gadsden to pay tribute to the invention of air conditioning and its impact on our quality of life. The committee will coordinate the following:
- An artist design and purchase competition with an award of $25,000 paid to winner; with $10,000 paid upon selection and contracting for production. The remaining $15,000 will be paid upon delivery and installation of the artwork by May 15, 2009.
- a temporary exhibition on air conditioning hosted at the Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts in June and July of 2009
- A student/adult essay or poetry competition with a prize of approximately $500 - $1,000 to the winner(s) if rights are released to the project.
The main purpose of the project is to honor an invention that had a tremendous impact on the South's economic development and the improved quality of life brought on our citizens by air conditioning. Other project goals include:
Making people aware of being thankful
Making people smile and say "this is true, I'm thankful also."
Lift image of our community to visitors, being known as a thankful community
The winning project will be displayed in the Hardin Center lobby (photos below; the wall with the posters) and must be durable and not contain any sharp edges.
The winning piece will be no than (maximum dimensions) 118" in height, 98" in width and 24" in depth.
Judging criteria includes, but will not be limited to the artist's ability to capture a spirit of gratitude while paying tribute to air conditioning, the artist's experience and artistic excellence of the proposal.
In the event that no suitable entries are submitted, the selection committee reserves the right to make no award.
Please submit a drawing and narrative of the project along a with artist bio and work sample(s) by July 29, 2008 to AC Art Competition, c/o Gadsden Cultural Arts Foundation, PO Box 1507, Gadsden, AL 35902-1507. For deliveries by non US Postal carriers deliveries should be made to 501 Broad Street, Gadsden, AL 35901. Digital entries are welcome and may be sent to bobwelch@culturalarts.org . You may download this form from www.culturalarts.org/artcompetition and questions may be directed to Bobby Welch 256-543-2787 extension 26.
Project Timeline
2008
- January - Issue call for entries to artist design and purchase competition
- February 12 (COLDEST DAY ON RECORD IN ALABAMA 2/12/1899)
- Media Event and Press release on project (Birmingham recorded its coldest temperature ever for the city with a reading of -10F. At the time, the observations were taken at the old Fountain Heights weather office. Records were kept in an old beat up journal. Handwritten notes on this date indicated that the temperature in outlying areas around Birmingham was -14F.)
- July 29- Design Competition Entries due - The all time high for Birmingham is 107 on July 29, 1930
- September 5– Announce winner or finalists for Design and Purchase competition.
It was 106 on September 5 and 6 in 1925. That September 1925 heat wave was brutal before the days of air conditioning. It brought the highest temperature ever recorded in Alabama, a blistering 112 on September 5, 1925 at Centreville.
- Also on September 5- Essay/poetry competition announced
- Example: 150 words and whimsical in nature, poetry preferred. Several levels of competition, elementary, middle, high schools and adult, also call for articles "Remember and write about your hottest day" for Gadsden Times
- November – deadline for essay/poetry entries
- May 1 or sometime before school is out – announce essay winners
- 1st day of summer – design entries due
- hottest day on record – winner announced
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- January 12 – Winner of Essay competition announced
- June 21 - 1st day of summer unveiling of winning art piece and opening of exhibit
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