Twenty Artists Submit Proposals for 20th Anniversary Arts Avenue Project
Twenty artists from throughout the Hudson Valley have submitted proposals for a public art opportunity in the City of White Plains. ArtsWestchester, in partnership with the City of White Plains, White Plains Business Improvement District (BID) and Kite Realty Group, recently put out a Request for Proposals for an artist/designer or artist team to design and install graphics for a street painting for the “Arts Avenue” drop-off/pick-up lane between ArtsWestchester and the City Center on Mamaroneck Avenue, inclusive of the vacant street space on Martine Avenue, between the crosswalk and handicap parking space.
Janet Langsam, CEO of ArtsWestchester explains, “This year marks the 20th anniversary of ArtsWestchester’s purchase of the landmark Peoples Bank & Trust Building on Mamaroneck Avenue. To celebrate this anniversary and the transformation of the former bank building into a multi-use arts incubator, we are commissioning a public art project that will help identify our historic building as a center of creative activity in the City of White Plains.”
The recent Request for Proposals asked artists to consider the following goals.
- To improve the pedestrian experience.
- To build visibility of ArtsWestchester’s headquarters at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue.
- To help celebrate the 20th anniversary of ArtsWestchester’s residence in its historic building.
Artists were encouraged to submit designs for the project that are distinctive, that consider the character and historic significance of the building, as well as the City’s street life, and that will comply with traffic and safety regulations.
Applicants had to be at least 18 years old, and must live or maintain a studio address in the lower Hudson Valley region of New York, including NYC (all five boroughs), Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, Ulster, and Sullivan Counties. The selected artist(s) also must be registered to do business in New York State. The artist honorarium for the street art project will be between $15,000 and $20,000.
The site for the project is described as the Mamaroneck Avenue drop-off/pick-up lane is the “Welcome Mat” to ArtsWestchester and the City Center (home to shops, restaurants, the White Plains Performing Arts Center and Cinema de Lux.) The approximately 1,694 square foot space available for artwork includes the vacant street space on Martine Avenue, between the pedestrian crosswalk and handicap parking space. No work shall be performed in any of the traffic lanes on Mamaroneck Ave.
