ANNOUNCEMENT:
Mural Competition for the Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Court House
Indianapolis, Indiana
THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED
The Historical Society of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana invites artists who currently live and work in Indiana, or previously have lived and worked in this state, to submit their résumés and images of their work to compete for a commission to create murals for the interior walls of the federal court house in Indianapolis.
The privately funded mural project involves creation of a set of nine panels to fit an existing architectural space in the southeast corner of the third floor corridor of the court house. The Historical Society will provide the artist aluminum honey-comb panels pre-cut to fit the designated wall spaces. The murals may be created directly on the panels or created elsewhere and then adhered to the panels. Details of mounting, transportation and installation of the panels will be worked out with the selected artist. Click here to see the floor plan, wall layout, and dimensions.
The space is a mirror image of the southwest corner of the same floor, where murals created in 1935 by artist Grant Christian are located. The Treasury Relief Art Project, a Depression-era federal program, granted Christian the commission after he had submitted proposals for other government-funded art competitions.
The existing murals are thematic figural compositions, the themes being “Early Indianapolis Life,” “Present Day Indianapolis Life” and “Mail Transportation and Delivery.” Click on the themes to view each work. Just as the existing murals are stylistically and thematically representative of the period of their creation, the murals now to be commissioned should have a theme or themes appropriate to their context in a federal court house. The murals should be expressive of aspects of early twenty-first century American life and culture and be stylistically appropriate to the current era as well.
The 1935 murals were executed in oil on canvas. The new murals may also use those materials but need not be restricted to them so long as the materials chosen are at least as resistant to deterioration from environmental conditions. Proposals for installations involving electronic components, moving parts or other elements that would require regular, ongoing maintenance will not be accepted. Whatever media are used, the murals will be created off site and moved to the court house for installation.
A panel of qualified art specialists will carefully review all material submitted and will recommend a small number of artists for consideration by the Steering Committee of the Historical Society. The finalists will be asked to submit formal proposals and each will receive a $750 honorarium. The artist chosen to create the murals will receive $75,000, which shall cover the artist's fee plus all expenses incurred by the artist.
The court house is located in downtown Indianapolis at 46 East Ohio Street, one block north of Monument Circle in the block bounded by Meridian, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York Streets. It is open to the public from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Please note that no cameras or recording devices may be brought into the building unless pre-authorization is obtained. To seek authorization, contact Doria Lynch at (317) 229-3729 at least one day before your visit.
A free illustrated Visitor’s Guide to the Court House is available on request. Illustrations of sculpture, mosaic decorations and other existing murals give an idea of the overall context into which the new murals will be placed. Guided tours of the court house are also available. Please call, write, or e-mail for an appointment or a Visitor’s Guide:
Court House Mural Project
Attn: Doria Lynch
United States Court House
46 East Ohio Street, Room 105
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
Telephone: (317) 229-3729
Electronic Mail: doria_lynch@insd.uscourts.gov
Instructions for Applicants
Do not send proposals for this project. Send images of works you have created that show qualities that you believe would be appropriate for this project, together with biographical information including education, professional experience and (if you do not currently live in Indiana) when and where you resided in this state.
The Historical Society will carefully review all submitted materials and respond to all submissions. However, the Society cannot return submitted slides, photographs, CDs, publications or other materials. Please do not submit materials via e-mail. The Historical Society may directly contact some artists whose work is known to it and who it believes might be suitable for this project.
Deadline for receipt of these materials was December 15, 2008.
Click here for application form.
Submit images and biographical materials to:
Court House Mural Project
Attn: Doria Lynch
United States Court House
46 East Ohio Street, Room 105
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
For questions, please contact Doria Lynch, Historical Society secretary, at (317) 229-3729 or doria_lynch@insd.uscourts.gov.