How to Become a Public Art Artist
Channel: St. Pete Arts Alliance
Date: 24/12/2020

On December 17, 2020, the St. Pete Arts Alliance presented a Zoom panel discussion with successful professional public art artists and those in the public arts sector. They discussed how an artist can develop the credentials needed to qualify to compete for a public art commission. Topics range from building the artist’s resume and finding the right calls to artists, to writing proposals and collaborating with the right entities to create your project.

Topics covered:
Requirements to becoming a public arts qualifying artist - How to build a public arts resume
How to find calls to artists - Public commissions, Private commissions
How to build a winning proposal - Understand the site and requirements/limitations, Budgeting to the award amount, Writing the story of the proposed art
Steps to expect with a call to artist - Making the first cut, Fabricating the maquette, Presenting to the commission, Contracting the art
Collaborating with a fabricator - Insurance, Engineering, Installing, Civic requirements - approvals needed before installation, Managing the schedule

Moderator: Wayne Atherholt

SPAA Workshops are a program of our Virtual Arts Resource Center, supported by the Bank of America Foundation, Pinellas Community Foundation, TD Bank Foundation, and the City of St. Petersburg's Office of Cultural Affairs.

Panelists Biographies
Greg Belew – Principal-in-Charge, Hands On! Studio. As a project manager and exhibit designer for decades, Greg Belew has experience leading every phase of exhibition development from start to finish. He has a comprehensive knowledge of the management of the critical juncture between content, design, and fabrication/installation coordination. He takes a collaborative approach to management and design that has resulted in successful and sustainable projects around the world.

Leslie Tharp - Leslie Tharp creates large-scale sculptures that often entwine the forms of native flora and fauna found near the sites in which they will stand. Leslie’s passion for our natural world is echoed in her work, which aims to spark interest in the creatures we live amongst and provide education to support coexistence.

Another key component in her practice is her love of blacksmithing. Leslie’s portfolio of metal sculpture reflects a priority in fluid forms and descriptive curves that can often seem surprising to find within the material. Her process for designing and building is anchored in the malleability of metal. 

Mark Aeling – Mark Aeling has been a public artist for nearly 20 years, creating sculptures that serve as iconic landmarks in their community or organization. An overarching goal of his public art is to promote the heart and legacy of their location, so his process begins with immersive research into the spirit and background of a site. He and his team fabricate all of his work in-house and install the final work onsite, which includes locations across the United States.

Inspired by patterns in nature and the spatial relationship of elements, Mark is driven by the process of investigation and how material affects the communication of form.
This month MGA is completing the First Flight monument for the St. Pete Pier and working on an 18’ ammonite for Fort Collins, CO; a 20’ crane for Altamonte Springs, FL; and several other pieces to be completed in 2021-2022.

Cecilia Lueza - Argentine-American artist Cecilia Lueza is well known for creating vibrant public art pieces across the United States and beyond. Throughout her career, the artist has intensely explored a wide range of artistic media including painting, sculpture and monumental public art installations. Her geometric, nature inspired murals can often be found in unexpected locations such as rooftops and street intersections.

Lueza's work is a personal expression of her lifelong fascination with the visual effects of color and the concepts of space, movement and transition. Through a meticulous and careful process she strives to create unique works of art of great visual impact.

Since 2000 she have been working on a variety of private and public art commissions in many cities throughout the United States. In the last year she completed public art projects in Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville FL, Washington DC and Tampa Bay, among others.

David Ramsey – retired.

Financial Advisor - 1979 - 2019 last position Managing Dir. Sr VP with Raymond James
Avid arts collector - focused on metal sculpture, glass and clay.
Current and past Art Board Positions:
City of St Pete Arts Commission - Bd member 2013 - present
St Pete Police Dept. Public Arts Selection Comm. - 2018-2019
St Pete Arts Alliance - Bd member 2014 - present, chair of Cultural
Tourism Comm.
Florida CraftArt - Bd member 2019 - present, past Pres. & Treasurer from 1998 - 2004
Warehouse Arts Dist. - past Bd member 2017- 2019.
American Stage - past Bd member 2004 - 2008
Mainsail Arts Festival - Bd member 2008 - 2014