WICKER PARK — Artists can earn up to $75,000 to create a permanent installation at the busy intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Wood Street, officials announced Wednesday.
The Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce and Special Service Area Taxpayer District No. 33, which brands itself as "WPB," say that the award will be the "largest public art commission in their history." The art will be displayed at a "highly visible intersection."
The $30,000 to $75,000 commission will be awarded to an artist or group of artists following a national call for submissions.
“This is a truly unique opportunity for artists and designers to re-imagine art and public space and create a permanent installation in the heart of our neighborhood. We are hoping for nothing short of visionary proposals to uphold the creative ethos of our community,” said Brent Norsman, chairman of WPB.
Final artist proposals are due November 18 and a winner will be announced in March.
An application with instructions and installation guidelines is available online.
According to a news release, a jury of Chicago arts professionals will select five finalists from all qualifying proposals. The finalists will receive $1,000 to create maquettes, or small models and sketches, which will be publicly displayed at a to-be-determined Wicker Park or Bucktown location for public voting.
The Milwaukee Avenue/Wood Street intersection was redesigned in 2014 using money from the WPB commission — which levies a special tax on property owners for communal services such as snow removal, landscaping, sidewalk cleaning and graffiti removal — in collaboration with the Chicago Department of Transportation and Ald. Joe Moreno (1st).
The redesign served two purposes: creating a safer environment for all users at this confluence of traffic, and developing a location specifically for a future public artwork, the group says. For more info, refer to the project's guidelines.
The public art will be installed at the southeast corner of the intersection. [Provided]
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