Airport Art Taks Force Reissues Art Solicitation to Adress Questions

The Barnstable Municipal Airport Arts Task Force has issued a revised solicitation for art work. It is directed at Cape Cod artists who are interested in displaying their work in the new Hyannis terminal.

            At the same time, the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, which is a project partner, announced that it received 86 submissions to the original artist RFQ which expired February 1. “The response from local artists was terrific, of high quality and beyond our expectations,” said airport commission vice chairman Donald Megathlin. “These submissions will remain under consideration while we clarify some issues and address any new ones from the revised RFQ.”

            The updated Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeks to address questions raised about the potential sale of displayed art, the duration of displays and the amount of insurance coverage for loaned art.

            The new RFQ says, “Each installed piece of art at the airport will include the following information: name of artist, gallery affiliation, phone number, e-mail address or other artist contact information such as a QR code. Patrons interested in the art should contact the artist directly.” Because the terminal is a municipal building, art for sale “from the wall” is not permitted, and it would not be insured by the Town of Barnstable’s insurance policy, Megathlin said.

            Each displayed work would be insured by the town without limit, the RFQ says, as long at it is listed specifically on the town’s policy. Megathlin said the airport intends to develop a contract with displaying artists that transfers custody rights of the art to the town on a temporary basis.

            Finally, the new request notes that art loaned to the airport will be displayed generally for no more than six months.          

            A task force of local gallery and museum leaders was organized last year to help airport officials bring a Cape Cod “sense of place” to the terminal and airport grounds. The group is seeking “works of originality and high quality” that reflect “the artistic and cultural legacy of Cape Cod, including the role of the region in aviation history.”

            Artists interested in having their works considered under the terms of the new RFQ should complete a form available online at the airport’s web site: www.town.barnstable.ma.us/airport/ or on the Arts Foundation web site: www.artsfoundation.org.

Paper copies may be picked up in the airport manager’s office on the second floor of the new terminal or at the Arts Foundation office, Three Shootflying Hill Road in Centerville, next door to the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce. The revised deadline is March 9, 2012, and there is no cost to apply.