Wyoming Arts Council Taking Public Entries for Art in UW Building

The University of Wyoming is constructing a new Science Initiative building and the Wyoming Arts Council is looking for artists to adorn the location.

The request for qualifications is open until February 25 and is nationwide, although the council says preference will be given to Wyoming artists.

The new 168,000 square foot, 5-story building will be on the northwest corner of the University of Wyoming campus and is scheduled to open in 2021.

In 1991, Wyoming passed the Art in Public Buildings legislation requiring that one percent of construction costs for new state-owned buildings be utilized for artwork.

The Arts Council said in a release that they are looking for work for both the interior and exterior of the new science building and that they would like to see artwork that "encompasses the theme of education, specifically participatory education and active learning."

Submissions must be made via the listing on callforentry.org before the February deadline.

The artwork is chosen by a committee made up of community members, representatives from the user agency, artists, the architect for the building, and a representative from the State’s Construction and Management Office.

The selection committee will review submissions in March. Following the review, selected artists will be asked to submit a complete formal design proposal. The $90,000 allocated for artwork may be used for multiple artists.

The council says a final decision will be made by May 2019.