Call for Entries: Recycling Bin Design

The following press release is making the rounds.

Classic Center and ACC Recycling Division Announce Recycling Bin Design Competition

(Athens, GA) – Local professional and amateur artists are invited to submit design proposals for a combination outdoor recycling bin to be installed at the Classic Center at 300 N. Thomas St. The goals of the project are to provide a pedestrian recycling option, support local artists and the arts, and beautify Downtown Athens. The winning artist will receive a $500 honorarium. The deadline for design submissions is June 11, 2010. The winning design will be announced July 5, and the new bins will be installed no later than September 30.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to utilize a bin design that incorporates the tasteful and creative use of recycled materials, yet is focused on functionality of use, ease of servicing, and ability to replicate. The recycling bin needs to be a free-form standing design that has one bin for aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles and a second bin for small cardboard and paper items.

Designs should incorporate materials that are 80-100 percent post-consumer recycled material(s), be weather-resistant, durable and easy to maintain. The winning artist will be responsible for providing all project designs, images, a written description, list of materials and fabrication instructions. The artist will assist the ACC Recycling Division with fabrication of the winning design to ensure the bins are functional and that more units can be easily re-created in the future.

The Request for Design proposal is open to professional and amateur artists of all backgrounds within the state of Georgia. Athens area artists and University of Georgia students are encouraged to respond. For those artists who have design talents but lack fabrication experience, the ACC Recycling Division or local fabricators can assist with cost estimates and production for the outdoor recycling bin. Submissions should include photos, scale drawings or small-scale models, a one-page artist statement about the design, proposed installation methods and a timeline.

Entries will be critiqued on originality, creativity, artistic merit, functionality, public safety, durability in an outdoor setting and associated project costs. Proposals must be submitted no later than 2:00 p.m. on Friday, June 11, 2010 to the ACC Recycling Division, Recycling Bin Call for Design, 725 Hancock Industrial Way, Athens, Georgia 30605.

A PDF of the full Request for Design document can be found online through a link at www.athensclarkecounty.com/solidwaste. For more information, contact the Athens-Clarke County Recycling Division at 706-613-3512.

We have great faith that this will end up as attractive as the cigarette litter receptacles (CLRs), bus stops and bike racks we already have around town testifying to the abilities of our local artists.

Call for Artists

We've got a few of these for you.

First off, Michael Lachowski, member of Pylon, graphic designer and artist about town, theoretical candidate for mayor and much more, is seeking artists to contribute to his 6X6 Media Events, as chronicled on this blog. Here are some of the details:

Athens artists working in experimental, digital media, film, performance, sound, or combination arts: 6X6 wants your work

The 6X6 Media Arts Events will be held monthly from February 2010 to July 2010 in order to provide a forum for submission and curation of media artworks and build a community of participation, review, and response for both audience and practitioner.

The program title “6X6” refers to the structure of the program:

* Six events
* Sixty minutes long each
* Six pieces per event
* Six minutes or less per piece
* Six curators
* Six themes

Pieces are limited in length to six minutes, and no more than six will be selected for any one event. No limitations are placed on what type of work can be submitted except: it must be able to be projected digitally, performed, played via sound system, or some combination. Electronic files and support materials can be submitted via email (up to 5 MB's), CD, DVD, or internet download. Entries with technical problems need to be resolved by the artist or will be withdrawn or rejected. Terms of submission include permission to exhibit both live and online (whether or not selected for a particular event), permission to video tape performances, and permission to include selected work in a compilation DVD. No materials will be returned. Other than these uses, the artists will retain all rights.

A submission form can be found here. In its restrictions, the project kind of reminds us of the Pecha Kucha, which hasn't made it as far as Athens but is thriving in Atlanta.

A bit less hip is the "Give Wildlife a Chance" poster contest, which is geared toward students and sponsored by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and The Environmental Resources Network, Inc. (T.E.R.N.), with a deadline of March 22. This year's theme is "The Future of Georgia’s Wildlife is in YOUR Hands." To download a pdf of the brochure, click here.

The Gwinnett Citizen just ran an article about the Hudgens Prize, which consists of $50,000 in cash and a solo exhibition for an artist in any medium as long as he or she lives in Georgia full-time and is 18 or older. Jurors are David Kiehl, curator of prints at the Whitney Museum of American Art; Sylvie Fortin, editor-in-chief of ART PAPERS Magazine; and Eungie Joo, Keith Haring Director and Curator of Exhibitions and Public Programs at the New Museum in New York. The deadline for entry is June 4, and more information can be obtained from the Jacqueline Casey Hudgens Center for the Arts Web site.

Athens Academy is looking for mail art and accepting entries of postcard-sized artwork for inclusion in an exhibition there that will be up through March. Both sides of the card will be on display as part of a permanent exhibit at the school. Mail your entries to Lawrence Stueck, Athens Academy, P.O. Box 6548, Athens, GA 30604 or email him at lstueck at athensacademy.org for more details.

Georgia Theatre Quilt

On June 19, 2009, fire destroyed Athens’ beloved Georgia Theatre, the historic and popular music venue at which many famous bands and artists have performed—including the B-52s, John Mayer and R.E.M. The Georgia Theatre opened as a music venue in 1978, and 30 years later, the fire caused much sadness in the Athens area and beyond.

Photograph of the Georgia Theatre, 1953

The Georgia Theatre is now working on a new project to raise money. Not only does Athens have a well-known music scene, but it also has a great art scene. Local artist Jennifer Schildknecht “hopes to unite the music and art communities in order to generate more love and support” for the Georgia Theatre. She has called upon artists, musicians, businesses and anyone else to participate in creating an art quilt. The quilt will be a “non-traditional wall-hanging.” The goal is for two quilts to be made—one quilt will be auctioned off to raise money for rebuilding and the other will be given to the Georgia Theatre as a gift. If you’re interested in participating, all quilt blocks must be turned in by November 30. Click here for more information about guidelines and submission.

The Georgia Theatre, in an ongoing effort to raise funds to rebuild, is hoping to have its doors open again by New Year’s Eve 2011. The Theatre has partnered with The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and has also established a fund to accept tax-deductible donations. 

Rendering of the future theatre interior

Call for Entries

Ron Cioffi, who used to teach our PR coordinator, Jenny Williams, sent along this call for entries for exhibition artists' section of Arts on the Creek, an arts festival held in Johns Creek, Ga., annually. Click on the image above to see it full size. Arts on the Creek also has an artists' market, but the exhibition stuff is juried, with a prize of $200 in each category. Jurors this year are Mark Karelson, director of Mason Murer Gallery, Atlanta, Ga.; Rob Matre, owner of Matre Gallery, Atlanta, Ga.; and Dr. Pam Sachant, coordinator of visual arts at North Georgia College and State University, Dahlonega, Ga. Arts on the Creek will take place September 5 and 6 (Labor Day weekend), with an opening reception the evening of September 4. If you want to submit your work, you have until August 17 at 5 p.m. For more information on submitting, click here.