The Price Center Arts Committee is calling local artists through the month of August to submit design proposals for the transformation of two outdoor picnic tables for a monetary prize.
The Price Center’s proposal for new permanent outdoor seating in its garden area is open to all local artists. There are few requirements for submission, with artists able to move in any creative direction they choose. The artist or artists picked will transform two 8-inch tables and benches, with $1000 awarded to one winner or $500 to each artist chosen.
“We need to make sure [the artist] knows what they’re doing [and] that this isn’t the first time they’ve tried to paint something,” Clay DeStefano, executive director of the Price Center said. “We’re asking for a proposal that would include rendering or some sort of a sketch of what they are thinking and then examples of previous work.”
According to DeStefano, the permanent seating will be located in the center’s garden, which serves as a venue for outdoor events and a place to enjoy. The seating is currently in the garden and is waiting to be redesigned.
The center’s garden is one of the key characteristics to its building. It houses 14 other art installations, including a San Marcos mermaid statue, a mosaic bust and three mosaic, river-themed benches. The mosaic benches were the first commission created by the Committee of the Arts at The Price Center, hiring Sondra Kretschmar, co-founder of River City Glassworks, to complete the project.
“[The center] wanted [the benches] to… have to do with the river,” Kretschmar said. “[River City Glassworks] came up with a little sketch… [and] once they approved it, then I was able to come up with an overall draft… then I drew the design on the seat and started putting it together.”
Kretschmar drew her inspiration for the mosaic benches, titled “Love Flows Like a River,” from the San Marcos River. The benches feature various wildlife one might see on the river, as well as sun rays that represent the newness of another day, according to Kretschmar. While the proposal for the garden picnic tables allows creative freedom, the Center also asks for elements of San Marcos to be included.
“It would be best for someone who’s considering [entering the art proposal] to come look at the garden and see it in context to see where it’s going to fit,” DeStefano said. “Most of the works that are currently in the garden… focus on the flora and fauna of the area, so that seems to be kind of the theme… but it’s not limited to that.”
Susan Warren, a self-taught artist and business owner of Odds and Ends, entered her proposal for the transformation of a bust of a female torso for the Price Center’s garden. The bust is decorated with a mosaic of various designs which Warren used to blend the art with the flora and fauna of the garden. When submitting an artist proposal, Warren said planning is an important step.
“Make sure that… you can follow through with your plan,” Warren said. “There’s a lot of [mosaic pieces] that I’ve done recently that I really spent a lot of time thinking about and trying to make it seem pretty realistic.”
DeStefano said there is a lot of history in San Marcos that someone could tap into, and if someone came up with a different idea, it would be considered. The proposal call is open until Aug. 31, and the transformation of the picnic tables is to be completed before the end of 2024.
For more information, view the proposal call on the Price Center’s website at https://www.price-center.org/single-post/price-center-issues-rfp-for-new-art-garden-tables or contact DeStefano at [email protected].
