CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

In order to successfully win over the selections jury you must have a thoroughly developed concept for what you want to do if you get the project. To start with, you want to visit the site or location of the potential piece. Notice the weather, where the light falls, the positioning of buildings and the scale that they have compared with any natural elements. Look for other public art pieces in the area and notice what they have incorporated in order to effectively occupy a public space. Other points to consider are: where do people walk? What are the shifting seasons like?

Doing background checks about weather, if you are applying for an outdoor piece, can be extremely important to how the piece will function. It is essential to consider safety issues. Does the work pose any kind of hazard to the public? If so, you must make changes to prevent that.

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Also, research the history of the area and buildings surrounding the site. Get to know the politics of the area, activities that the general public are interested in and involved with. Become aware of the arts community and the reception of art in the area. This research will help you determine how far you will be able to go with your concept before it will not be valued by the public.

All this preparation will be invaluable to your concept development and design process. The more you understand about the area and the people who live there, the better you will be able to develop an idea which will suit the site. Remember, you have to convince a jury that your piece needs to exist and that it will benefit the community as well as those who are funding it. Public art is sometimes funded in order to foster and maintain a relationship between the public and those funding the art or to create an image of community involvement. You should keep this in mind when writing your proposal.