News release from the City of Fort Wayne:
Local Artists Invited to Design Riverfront Benches
(September 10, 2015) – Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry and Artlink Contemporary Gallery are inviting local artists to submit design ideas for ten wooden benches that will be installed along the downtown riverfront. Designs will be accepted now through November 1, 2015 with winning artwork selected through a jury process. Each winning design will earn the artist a $500 honorarium.
“We continue to make great progress in our efforts to create a downtown riverfront everyone can enjoy,” said Mayor Tom Henry. “We are moving forward in three areas – promenade design, programming and riverbank maintenance – in order to establish a regional destination that will be a source of pride for residents.”
“Public art is an integral part of creating interesting places that people want to visit,” said Amber Foster, executive director of Artlink Contemporary Gallery. “This project will showcase local talent and contribute to our region’s quality of life.”
The benches were previously used at Citilink bus stops and will serve as the canvas for artwork that pays tribute to the outdoors and to the community’s recent revitalization efforts. Experienced artists living in any of the 11 counties of northeast Indiana (Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley) are invited to submit designs by the deadline. Designs will be chosen by December 1, 2015 and will be revealed at the Kickstart Festival on May 14, 2016. The benches are expected to be installed by summer 2016.
More details are available at www.riverfrontfw.org or www.artsincubatorfw.com/calls-for-entry/.