Manhattan is seeking proposals for multiple planned public art exhibits in the Downtown area.
The City Commission approved a call for submissions for a juried art exhibition Tuesday. Five installations will dot the 3rd Street corridor, placed in 10 potential sites from Blue Earth Plaza past the Manhattan Town Center and ending at Osage Pocket Park. The project is funded via a $10,000 grant from the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation.
“I think this is a positive step forward,” says Commissioner Linda Morse. “When I travel to other communities, whether it’s in their airport or through their communities, I’m always struck by the unique art they have so I’m anxious to see some here.”
Artists aged 18 and up who are U.S. citizens can submit an image of their submission online, which will then be juried by art professionals with a background in art curation, a Master of Fine Arts and/or a track record of having their art exhibited. The juried submissions will be sent to a 7 person selection committee — also featuring art pros as well as city staff, business representatives and Arts and Humanities Advisory Board members — with final approval by the City Commission. Submissions open September 15 and close January 3 or once 150 submissions are received.
Mayor Mike Dodson says it’s a fine initiative, but urged that they consider installation safety in the process.
“I just want to make sure that these things don’t topple,” says Dodson. “If somebody has like a totem-sized piece of art that we don’t have some kind of danger presented by the installation.”
Recreation Director Randy Clifford says that won’t be overlooked.
All submissions must be able to be mounted to 3 by 3 limestone pedestals at a height of 12 to 18 inches. They must be original works and suitable for long-term outdoor display and be as “vandal-proof” as possible with no sharp or dangerous edges or components. Art will be evaluated on its quality and design, artistic merit, craftsmanship and use of materials, scale, durability, safety and how appropriate it is for public display in family settings.
Installation locations are intended to create a walking tour down 3rd street, in part to draw people to various lodging, dining and shopping establishments. Mayor Pro Tem Usha Reddi says she’s glad to see the project.
“I want to see how people utilize it,” says Reddi. “It can be like a scavenger hunt, it can be something where people go see things kind of like they do in Wamego or Lindsborg.”
Recreation Director Randy Clifford says they hope to have a kick off event and reception once installation is complete.
“Perhaps have the juror — if they’re available — come out and talk a little bit about their selection and go through the whole process of educating our community what public art is about,” says Clifford.
Chosen artists will receive honoraria of $1,500 to be paid in installments, drawn from the GMCF grant which also covers all installation costs. Artists must pay for shipping costs. The artwork would be “essentially leased” to Manhattan and returned following a year.
Commissioner Wynn Butler says he doesn’t see any problem with the project.
“I talked to DMI [Downtown Manhattan Inc.] about some concerns about placement, but I think we’ve handled that with the site selection.”
DMI and the Manhattan Town Center were both involved in the site selection process. Downtown Manhattan Executive Director Gina Scroggs says she thinks the 3rd street corridor will be a great setting for the installations.
“It has a lot of — I learned this term — visual breathing space, where it doesn’t have a backdrop that is cluttered with a whole lot of other stuff” says Scroggs. “We put a lot of thought into that.”
Installation will be complete in May 2020 and planned to be taken down at the end of April 2021, with hopes that the exhibition will become an annual cycle.
