Design Proposals Requested for 125th Street Banners
March 31, 2010
The BID ON CULTURE Project, a partnership of the 125th Street
Business Improvement District (BID) and the HARLEM Arts Alliance (HAA), is requesting
design proposals for street banners which will be displayed along 125th Street
beginning June 2010 as part of Black Music Month, in celebration of Harlem’s
contribution to the history and development of music in America.
The
Request for Design Proposal is open to professional visual artists at least 21
years of age, not matriculated in an educational institution, with an interest
in Harlem. Special consideration will be given to artists currently living and
working in Harlem. The complete RFP can be downloaded from www.harlemaa.org
and www.125thstreetbid.com.
The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 30, 2010 at 5:00pm via email to applications@harlemaa.org.
For more information contact Michael Unthank, Executive Director, HAA, at (347)
735 4280.
Enhancing the
streetscape of 125th Street through the BID ON CULTURE project involves 19
banners to be hung from street light poles along 125th Street from Morningside
Avenue to 5th Avenue. A total of 5 designs will be selected. Artist
design submissions should effectively reflect Harlem as a center for musical
expression and innovation. Submissions can depict well known individuals,
venues and/or significant events or issues that reflect this general
theme. Designs may reflect varied musical genres, and can be cast in a
historical or contemporary context.
Barbara Askins, CEO,
125th Street BID states, "Harlem’s cultural and economic landscape continues to
be re-shaped by new investments, new residents, new businesses, new creative
initiatives by performing and visual artists, and a dramatic increase in the
number of visitors to this historic community. At the BID we recognize
the importance of arts and culture to Harlem’s continued economic
vitality. In Harlem supporting the arts is just good business.”
Voza Rivers, HAA’s
chairman, agrees, "Harlem’s reputation as a world-renowned cultural center is
unparalleled and its mystique has been a magnet for both artists and audiences
for decades. 125th Street has long been known as the social, cultural,
and economic backbone of Harlem. Our new partnership will help to solidify
125th Street as Harlem’s primary cultural district.”
BID ON CULTURE, which
began in 2009, is a campaign to help build a community-based vision of Harlem’s
heritage, its role as a vibrant cultural center, and to promote the continued
revitalization of 125th Street as the commercial and artistic heart of
Harlem. In 2009, the first BID ON CULTURE banners were displayed as a
Women’s History Month tribute and featured the artists Andrea Arroyo, Laura
Gadson, Wilhelmina Obatola Grant, Sharon Lewis, and Shimoda.
The important role
played by arts and culture in urban revitalization is well established, and is
documented in the study, Creating a Cultural Destination, commissioned by the
125th Street BID in 2007, and available online at www.125thstreetbid.com.
The 125th Street
Business Improvement District (BID) A non-profit organization funded primarily
from an additional tax assessment collected from the property owners within the
defined boundaries. Organized in compliance with state and city laws; the
property and business owners determine the services and programs needed for the
district. The BID will utilize the competition to bring visibility to its
streetscape improvement efforts and to enliven the community’s central business
district.