Call to Artists
Request for Qualifications - Kichxáan Héeni Canoe

For artwork representative of a canoe, to be suspended above the Schoenbar Trail and to include lighting elements. Preference will be given to Alaska Native artists.

Qualification submission deadline:
Thursday, August 15, 2024, 5:00pm AKST

Total budget for completed and installed artwork:

$100,000

PROJECT ELIGIBILITY

Open to individual artists and artists working as a group living in Alaska and throughout the country regardless of race, gender, age, belief, or national origin. Qualified artists will demonstrate experience in completing high quality, compelling public art works in a professional and timely fashion, along with project management experience, technical expertise (including use of lighting elements in your work), and a statement of approach to the project. Preference will be given to Alaska Native artists.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The Ketchikan Area Arts and Humanities Council requests artist qualifications to create a suspended outdoor public art piece along the Schoenbar Trail in downtown Ketchikan, Alaska. The final public art piece should be representative of a canoe using any medium, suspended above the adjacent the Schoenbar Trail, and include lighting elements that will not only be a feature of the artwork but provide ambient light for the trail. The work must include the following considerations:

• Safety is of the utmost concern
• Wind resistance should be considered, as Ketchikan is subject to extreme winds
• Access to the site location is via a foot trail with tree cover. However, vehicles can access the location
• The nearby creek is a salmon creek subject to strict environmental considerations.
• Ultimately, the piece must be extremely durable and resistant to extreme weather and moisture (it rains over 150 inches in this rainforest annually)
• Lighting element must be easily accessible for repair and upkeep
• The Ketchikan Gateway Borough will devise the armature structure for the new artwork
• The City of Ketchikan will provide electrical service to the artwork
• The selected artist(s) will work closely with the Ketchikan Gateway Borough and the City of Ketchikan

The Ketchikan Gateway Borough is located on the traditional lands of the Taant'a Kwáan and Sanyaa Kwáan Tlingit. Ketchikan is a diverse community home to people of many different nationalities, races, ethnicities, religions, and abilities. During the summer visitor season, the resident population doubles, becoming even more diverse.

For full project information, please see the commission document for full project information and application instructions.