FrostburgFirst Seeks Artist Proposals for New Public Art Project
In collaboration with The Brownsville Project, FrostburgFirst is seeking an artist, or team of artists, to create a permanent 3-dimensional artwork to be placed prominently within the Frostburg Arts & Entertainment District.
This project, and the paperwork associated with the development of the project proposal, will be used to apply for the MSAC PAAM Project grant in April 2023. If awarded, work will begin immediately for completion by the summer of 2024.
The budget for the final work, including artists’ fees, materials and supplies, labor and equipment to design and produce artwork, artwork installation, and travel costs is $50,000.00. The application deadline is 5 pm March 10, 2023.
FrostburgFirst invites artists to submit their portfolios, qualifications, and conceptual sculpture proposals. Submissions will be reviewed by the Brownsville/Park Ave Public Art Committee, and the highest-scoring artists will receive a cash honorarium of up to $600. The artist(s) selected for the project commission will work directly with the committee to submit a final proposal for implementation funding.
FrostburgFirst seeks to commission a new, 4 -6 ft., interpretive sculpture representing Brownsville founder Tamar Brown to be placed prominently within the Frostburg Arts & Entertainment District.
Brownsville was a community founded by two Black women, Tamar Brown and Elizabeth Jackson. Both were formerly enslaved people who purchased land and raised homes on neighboring lots. With the support of other formerly enslaved people in Allegany County, they organized and nurtured an African American community that lasted from the 1860’s through the 1950’s. Frostburg State University now exists where Brownsville once stood. There are no available accurate photographs or depictions of Tamar Brown, so the artwork will need to be interpretive of Brown and the spirit of the community.
To bring this to life, we encourage proposals that incorporate ideas for including Brownsville community family names currently known and as they are identified, and/or a representation of the community’s changing boundaries.
All submissions must include a written description of the project and its relevance to the theme, a graphic rendering of the proposed product (digital or hand-drawn/painted, etc.), list of materials involved and the anticipated cost of materials, a timeline for completion (length of time to create, install, etc.), and a total cost estimate for completion (labor, materials, installation, travel, etc.).
The artist must have a demonstrated body of professional work. Please include at least 2 references from and samples of previous work. The lead artist applicant must be a Maryland resident (owning or renting residential real property in Maryland at the time of submission of the application and throughout the funded project or program) and must be 18 years of age or older. Collaborative groups must be composed of artists who are 18 years or older. 50% of artists in a collaborative group must meet the residency requirement above. The applicant may not be enrolled in any matriculated high school or undergraduate degree program. All proposals will be reviewed by an Evaluation Committee, which will consider the statements of qualifications, design concept, implementation plan, and other material submitted by the interested candidates. The Evaluation Committee may shortlist no fewer than 3 candidates and no more than 5 that, in the committee’s opinion, are the best qualified to perform the desired services.
For additional background information on the Brownsville/Park Ave Community, please visit
- https://www.
thebrownsvilleproject.com/ - https://www.downtownfrostburg.
com/about/projects/publicart - Visit Allegany County Libraries to check out “Being Black in Brownsville: Echoes of a ‘Forgotten’ Frostburg” by Lynn Bowman
- https://www.frostburg.edu/
programs/african-american- studies-program/african- american-life-and-culture-in- western-md.php
All submissions should be submitted electronically via email to info@frostburgfirst.com