Local artists sought to design artistic lighting installation at Apollo Park

Arts Huntsville, in cooperation with The Orion Amphitheater and local fabricator JL Troupe Company, has released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for local artists to produce a design for an artistic lighting installation to be suspended from the trees in north Apollo Park outside The Orion Amphitheater. The lighting installation will become the latest piece of public art to be installed at the park, illuminating the trees above “Earth Bather” and “Peekaboo” which the Huntsville Venue Group donated to the City of Huntsville and installed at the site over the summer.

Lighting installation will be suspended in the trees around currently installed art, including “Peekaboo” (above) – by artist and lead designer Heather BeGaetz with Alchemy Arts Collective. Photo by Josh Weichman; courtesy of the Orion Amphitheater.

The selection process will provide the opportunity for up to five semifinalists to participate in an artist development workshop in November with JL Troupe Company. The team at JL Troupe will work with artists to develop design proposals appropriate for production using their fabrication technologies such as a water jet, industrial laser cutter, welding, and a variety of finishing treatments.

The final selected artist will receive a $15,000 artist award to bring their design to life in partnership with JL Troupe Company. This project is funded through the Huntsville Public Art Program; Arts Huntsville serves as the public art agency for the City of Huntsville. The finished piece will be installed by the Huntsville Venue Group in spring of 2023 and will welcome park visitors and concertgoers alike with an illuminating experience.

“This program is an exciting first step in connecting our local artists with a local fabricator,” says Arts Huntsville Executive Director Allison Dillon-Jauken, “The development of such partnerships will prove to be essential to Huntsville’s artistic ecosystem as our city expands its Public Art Program.”

Applicants must be 18 years of age and reside within the Arts Huntsville Service Area. Interested local artists and designers can read the full RFQ and begin the application process at artshuntsville.slideroom.com. The deadline for submissions is October 30, 2022.

A video orientation for interested artists will be released in early October on the Arts Huntsville YouTube Channel. Questions can be directed to Arts Huntsville Public Art Program Manager Jennifer Johnson at [email protected].