Calling all Bull City sculptors, muralists, photographers, and other large-scale artists: If you can pull together a proposal this month, you have a chance to make your mark on Willard Street Apartments, the affordable-housing complex scheduled to open downtown in December.
A collaboration between the city, Raleigh-based affordable developer DHIC, and Durham’s Self-Help Credit Union, the mixed-use development will bring 82 affordable apartments and 5,000 square feet of commercial space to a parcel of city-donated land next to the Durham Transportation Station.
Now, all these entities are working with Downtown Durham, Inc. to give this very local project the finishing touch—some very local art. Artists or teams have until the end of January to submit their qualifications to design, fabricate, and install a permanent artwork on several stucco panels on the development’s two-story parking structure.
Though the call for proposals is open to all North Carolina artists, Durhamites will be given preference. (Wherever you live, experience is a must.) The chosen proposal will receive up to $30,000 to cover artist fees, materials, equipment, labor, permits, and other costs.
Read all the details, and then send your best vision for Durham’s affordable-housing push to WillardStreetApts@gmail.com with “Public Art” in the subject line.
Correction: Artists are currently being asked to submit their qualifications for the project, not full design proposals.
Contact arts and culture editor Brian Howe at bhowe@indyweek.com.
