70 Apply to Design Roundabout Art

Duluth’s Gateway Art Project Committee has received 70 letters from artists interested in designing a piece of art for the center of the new Roundabout, a major entrance to downtown Duluth. The deadline for artists to submit letters of interest and qualifications was Oct. 10.

The GAP Committee issued an invitation Sept. 4 for artists to design and install a piece of art on the grassy center of the Roundabout at the intersections of West Lawrenceville Street, McClure Bridge Road and Irvindale Road. The Hospital Connector, a fourth roadway, will also connect to the Roundabout in the near future.

The committee now will begin narrowing the 70 applicants to the semi-finalists, who would be notified Nov. 2. The timeline requires semi-finalists to submit their concepts electronically by 5 p.m. EST on Dec. 19 and finalists to be notified Jan. 11. Finalist interviews and presentations to the GAP Committee are scheduled Feb. 19.

The winner would be notified March 1, and the artist contract would be presented to the city council for approval March 11. The contract would include an installation schedule for the art.

Mayor Nancy Harris formed the committee that began meeting in January to plan and implement the process for choosing a piece, or pieces, of public art for the site. The committee has about 20 members including artists, art professionals, 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 serve on the committee.

AGCO Corporation (www.agcocorp.com), a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Duluth, has donated $100,000 for the piece of art. The city has budgeted $2,000 for landscaping around it.

A leading global manufacturer of agricultural equipment, AGCO’s tractors, combines, and other products are distributed in more than 140 countries worldwide. Duluth has been the company’s home for almost 20 years.