Duluth’s Gateway Art Project Committee has issued a call for artists to design the Roundabout public art project at this major entrance to the city. Now the committee is accepting entries and refining the criteria to select the semi-finalists, finalists and winner.

GAP Committee member Beth Reeves reported at the latest meeting Sept. 25 that it has received six submissions so far and one letter of interest. The entries include artists from New York and the Phillipines, she said. The call for artists was issued Sept. 4. The deadline for artists to apply by submitting letters of interest and qualifications is Oct. 10.

The Roundabout is located at the intersections of West Lawrenceville Street, McClure Bridge Road and Irvindale Road. The proposed Hospital Connector would link to the Roundabout in the future.

AGCO, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Duluth, has donated $100,000 toward the cost of the art, estimated to cost $100,000. The budget also includes $15,000 for landscaping, $5,000 for lighting, $15,000 for signage, and $5,000 in legal fees. The city has budgeted $2,000 toward the landscaping. A fund-raising campaign is planned to obtain the remainder of the funds.

The 20-member committee has been meeting since Jan. 31. Since its formation by Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris, the committee has been educating itself and visiting public art sites. It also has been reviewing public input obtained through past surveys conducted in the city and compiling data.

The committee envisions that the art piece of art will reflect the city’s logo and tagline “Capture the Spirit of Good Living” and provide a warm and heartfelt invitation to the city. The art would be placed on the grass mound in the center of the Roundabout.

The membership includes artists, art careerists, a landscape architect, the mayor and city staff, as well as representatives of AGCO, the Duluth City Council, Downtown Development Authority and Duluth Historical Society. Two residents of West Lawrenceville Street also are serving on the committee.

The Duluth City Council approved the selection guidelines and appointed Council Members Marsha Bomar and Billy Jones to represent the city on the committee.

The proposed timeline for the selection process includes:

• Sept. 4, 2012 – Call for Artists announced
• Oct. 10 –  Letter of interest with qualifications due from artists by 5 p.m. EST
• Oct. 30 – Committee selects semi-finalists
• Nov. 2 – Semi-finalists notified
• Dec. 19 – Deadline for semi-finalists to submit concept electronically by 5 p.m. EST
• Jan. 11, 2013 – Finalists notified
• Feb. 19 – Finalist interviews and presentations to GAP Committee
• March 1 – Winner notified
• March 11 – Artist contract including installation schedule to be presented to city council for approval

Artists are encouraged to visit the site where the art will be installed on their own. Questions regarding the project from artists should be emailed to Alisa Williams at awilliams@duluthga.net by 5 p.m. Oct. 3. More information is available on the city’s website at www.duluthga.net/community/publicart.