Lack of locals in contest

No Laguna artists have yet indicated interested in the city’s priciest-ever public art competition, which boasts a $90,000 honorarium, Cultural Arts Manager Sian Poeschl said Monday at an Arts Commission meeting. However, although she has already received responses from nonlocal artists, the competition has only been open for a few days, she said.

The Art in Public Places competition for sculptural elements at 1900 Laguna Canyon Road., the Act V parking lot that is being developed by the city into a public parking facility and maintenance yard, is open to artists and artist teams from around the country.

The budget for the site’s art component is $94,000, broken down into the $90,000 artist honorarium and $4,000 for site preparation costs, such as downlighting.

Per the Municipal Code, the budget for Art in Public Places components is figured by calculating 1% of the total value of the development, in this case $9.4 million.

The City Council unanimously approved the art competition at its Nov. 21 meeting.

The project will be considered a “signature piece” for the city, the competition guidelines said. The sculptural elements will be highly visible from Laguna Canyon Road, x and will be many visitors’ first exposure to the city’s public arts.

The deadline for proposals in the competition is 4 p.m. on Feb. 2; the city has scheduled two site tours for interested parties. The first will be held at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., Dec. 9. The second will be at the same times on Jan. 6.

Artists are strongly encouraged to attend a site tour before submitting their design.

The site for the artwork is a 45’-by-24’ concrete area that will be a gathering place for people waiting to board the trolley service, the competition guidelines said. The elements must be pedestrian-friendly and should attract the attention of visitors to use the parking facility and trolley service during the summer season. A minimum 6’ clearance along the curb must be taken into account.

The sculptural elements should suggest a seating plan with a variety of seating styles that accommodates a minimum of 20 people.

The Arts Commission will evaluate submitted proposals on Feb. 12 based on design creativity and appropriateness for the location; they will also take into consideration materials, maintenance, durability and safety.

A maximum of six artists or artist teams will be selected as finalists and invited to give a five-minute presentation and maquette to the commission at its Feb. 26 meeting.

The proposed installation date is June 18.

Detailed competition guidelines are available on the city’s Wwebsite, www.lagunabeachcity.net.