85 Gateway Art Entries Submitted

Duluth’s Gateway Art Project Committee is busy reviewing the 85 applications it received by the deadline to design and install a piece of art for the grassy center of the new Roundabout.

Oct. 10 was the deadline for artists to submit letters of interest and qualifications. This is an increase from the previously reported number of 70 entries.

Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris, who formed the committee to oversee the public art process, announced the response to the call for artists at the Duluth City Council work session Oct. 22. The GAP Committee had issued the invitation to artists Sept. 4.

Despite the large number of impressive entries, GAP still plans to select and notify semi-finalists by Nov. 2, the mayor said. The timeline requires semi-finalists to submit their concepts electronically by 5 p.m. EST 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.

AGCO Corporation, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Duluth, has donated $100,000 for the art, and the city has budgeted $2,000 for landscaping around it. The GAP Committee plans to cover the remaining costs, including additional landscaping, signage, and lighting, through fund-raising efforts.

The committee has about 20 members including artists, art professionals, city officials, an AGCO representative, and others.

The Roundabout, located the intersections of West Lawrenceville Street, McClure Bridge Road and Irvindale Road, forms a major gateway to the city. The Hospital Connector, a fourth roadway, will also connect to the Roundabout in the near future.