TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Dustin Anderson, Director of Community Development
SUBJECT:
title
Award of Contract for the City Square Sculpture to Sijia Chen Studio in an Amount Not to Exceed $197,000.
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BACKGROUND:
The approved City Square design reserved space for a “signature” art installation located approximately 100 feet west from the Rialto Square Theater’s main entrance. The City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to enter into a contract with an accomplished artist to create an iconic signature sculpture at the designated location. After careful review and an extensive public input process, the Joliet Arts Commission is recommending “Dome of Unity” by artist Sijia Chen for the reserved space in City Square.
The City issued an international call for artists through a competitive RFP process in February of 2024. Fifty artists submitted proposals. A review committee of two Arts Commission members and three city staff members screened the initial submissions for compliance with the RFP and chose fourteen submissions to advance onto the sub-finalist stage, where submissions would be reviewed and voted upon by the public. Nearly 3,000 online and in-person votes were cast as a part of the public sub-finalist review process. Six entries that received more than 200 votes were selected to advance as finalists. The artists that created the six finalist entries presented their final conceptual designs to the Arts Commission at its September 18, 2024, meeting. The Arts Commission then held a special meeting on October 2, 2024, to select its final recommended sculpture for Mayor and City Council approval.
The recommended sculpture, “Dome of Unity” is a 12’-tall and 19’-wide domed structure that is intended to be functional, adaptive, and creatively driven. The dome would be made of stainless steel with an acrylic polyurethane paint (white) and would contain an anti-graffiti coating.
Chinese paper cut techniques would be embedded into the structure. The paper cut art techniques would dynamically present a diverse range of subject matter in figurative and abstract forms. Functionally, the paper cut sections of the dome would reduce the mass of the structure, allow for the passage of light and air, and the enhancement of structural rigidity for wind loads and other adverse weather conditions. Paper cut sections will also cast a series of unique shadows throughout the square, which would change during different times of the day and as various lighting techniques are used to illuminate the structure. Cutout size and shape would be optimized to prevent climbing.
The visual content for the paper cut sections would be explored and developed through site visits and a community engagement program, which would give the public a direct opportunity to contribute to the artwork’s final design. This will allow the sculpture to proactively reflect and respond to individual and communal narratives and values it wishes to see incorporated into the signature sculpture design. The artist proposes two-part community engagement process, consisting of town hall-style meetings and papercut technique workshops to gather community input into the final design. The artist will also supplement in-person community engagement with a project website that will allow for continuous public input and distribution of project information.
The proposed commission of $197,000 is all-inclusive of all associated project costs for the artist, minus site lighting and landscaping costs. The Planning Division’s Contractual Services budget (Org: 02020400; Obj: 524200) will cover $95,000 in expenses that are anticipated to be owed in 2025, per the proposed contract. The remaining amount of $102,000 will be paid out of the Community and Economic Development Department’s Administrative Expenses budget (Org: 02001000; Obj: 523300). Upon final execution of the project contract, the artist estimates approximately eight months are needed until the sculpture is installed and completed for public viewing.
CONCLUSION:
Approval of the award of contract for the City Square Sculpture to Sijia Chen Studio will allow staff to execute the project contract with the artist, with the goal of having the City Square sculpture installed by the date of the Rialto Square Theater’s 100th Anniversary Gala on May 16, 2026. Upon contract execution, the artist will engage in an approximate 8-month long process to create a signature sculpture piece for City Square, which will also include community engagement.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
The Administration concurs with the recommendation of the Joliet Arts Commission and recommends that the Mayor and City Council award the Contract for the City Square Sculpture, in the amount of $197,000, to Sijia Chen Studio.
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