The City of Philadelphia’s Percent for Art Program and Rebuild announce a competition to commission a site-specific, community driven public artwork for the Vare Recreation Center. This is a Rebuild construction project, consisting of a new recreation center building, football field, playground, and outdoor plaza. The purpose of this Percent for Art opportunity is to create a beautiful and enduring work of public art that is permanent, site specific, and reflects the culture, values, and diversity of the Vare community. This public art project will be an outdoor sculpture located near one of the main entrances to the new recreation center building. Artists will be encouraged to propose sculptural works that reflect the themes and values that are important to the community in meaningful and engaging ways, using materials that are appropriate and durable for exterior use.

The City of Philadelphia’s Percent for Art Program encourages artists who live or work in the local community around the Vare Recreation Center to propose works that respond directly to the characteristics of the specified site. Local artists will be prioritized for this opportunity, but any artist may apply. Priority will also be given to artists who reflect the diversity of the community and who propose to work in collaboration with community members. Minority and female artists are strongly encouraged to apply. Community input is a priority for this project and artist or artist teams will be encouraged to work with the public to align their proposal with the desires and feedback from the community. A Public Input Meeting for Semi-Finalists will be held on the week of August 8- 12, 2022 to allow artists to hear directly from members of the Vare community who wish to share their ideas and aspirations about this project.

Please see the Commission Portal for full application information, and find the application form linked here.