Megan Deffner, administrator with the Denver Public Art Program, is seeking community representatives to serve on an art selection panel for the city. Essentially any city project or project using city funds that totals $1 million or more triggers the one percent public art program. One percent of the design and construction budget is directed into an art fund and the art program works with a group of stakeholders to help select the art. Another project is starting in 2022 at the Schlessman Library.
The role of the selection panel is to make decisions as a group concerning artist eligibility, selection method, how the project relates to the specific site, identifying art opportunities, choosing the number of semi-finalists to be selected, criteria to be included in the Request for Qualifications as well as the aesthetic decisions regarding the final selection of the artist(s) for the project. The commitment will be 3-4 meetings over 4-6 months. The first meeting will be for 1.5 hours while the other two meetings can take 3-4 hours each. Most meetings will take place Monday – Friday during the workday, but exceptions may be made depending on the panels’ schedule. Identifying panelists is in the beginning stage and the project is not expected to kick-off until the 2nd or 3rdquarter of 2022, but Megan is starting now to begin to connect with interested community members. All community representatives will receive a $200.00 stipend after the last meeting for their time and effort.
Diversity, equity, and inclusiveness are priorities. The selection process will strive to ensure representation all of Denver and to make sure our panels are representative of our community in all facets of diversity. If there are neighbors in the Lowry community that you think would be interested in serving on the panel, send their names and contact information to Megan. Lastly, The City and County of Denver issued a Public Health Order on Aug. 2, 2021 requiring all city employees, city contractors and subcontractors, be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, in order to limit the spread of the virus in our community. Members of selection panels are required to be vaccinated in order to participate. There are a variety of ways we can verify vaccine status.
If you have any questions regarding this process or project, please let Megan know and she will discuss in more detail.
Contact information for Megan: Megan.Deffner@denvergov.org