ORLANDO — The I-4 Ultimate Project is still under way and impacting daily commutes across Central Florida, but the city of Orlando is already thinking ahead and looking for a way to make this highway expansion project even more appealing: through art.
Orlando just issued a Call For Artists, which could include a team of artists, for this I-4 Ultimate Public Art project, which will involve creating a three-dimensional artwork for a prominent site in downtown Orlando along the new Ultimate I-4.
As the city noted in a news release, “The proposed artwork should capture the distinct character and culture of the community and visually enhance the public space.”
What Are The Details of this Call For Artists?
I-4 Ultimate is a 21-mile makeover of Central Florida’s major highway, Interstate 4, with plans to widen the highway and add toll lanes in the middle. It runs from west of Kirkman Road in Orange County to east of State Road 434 in Seminole County.
As part of that, the city of Orlando now wants art to become a fixture of this highway expansion, and the Call for Artists is open to professional artists who have experience working in three-dimensional media.
The chosen artist or artists will create art for a site located near the Colonial Drive Pedestrian Bridge south of Colonial Drive, north of Concord Street, east of Garland Avenue and I-4 and west of the CSX railway corridor.
Submissions started being accepted today and artists have until midnight (mountain time) on Aug. 27 to apply. That can be done through the CAFÉ online service. It’s free for artists to register with CAFÉ or to submit their application. The city is not accepting paper or electronic submissions outside of the online CAFÉ portal. Artists are being asked to submit the information and images being requested in the application on CAFÉ.
What’s The Timeline For This Project?
According to the city, after the Artist Submission deadline passes on Aug. 27, the I-4 Ultimate Art Committee will meet to review all submissions on Sept. 10, and finalists proposals are due to be submitted to the I-4 Ultimate Art Committee by October.
The I-4 Ultimate Art Committee will meet, review and rank the final submissions in October, and the I-4 Ultimate Art Endowment Committee will do its own review in November.
The chosen artwork is expected to be installed and completed by May 28, 2021.
To learn more, contact Mary-Stewart Droege at Mary-Stewart.Droege@cityoforlando.net or at 407-246-3276.
Michael Freeman is an Orlando journalist, playwright, and author of the book When I Woke Up, You Were All Dead. Contact him at Freelineorlando@gmail.com.
