Call for Proposals: Folly

Last month, when we spoke with Alyson Baker, former executive director of Socrates Sculpture Park, about the exhibition Civic Action: A Vision for Long Island City, she made mention of her fervent belief in the creative potential of collaboration and hinted at a new program at Socrates:

We have just initiated a new project at the park where we are creating a forum where young architects and young artists work together, on separate projects, on their own things, but in the same studio. I think that kind of collaboration is important, especially when it comes to work within the public realm, and when you have so many artists who are interested in architecture, urban planning, design — a much bigger picture.

We’re pleased to announce that this “new project” is a collaboration between Socrates Sculpture Park and the Architectural League: Folly, a new design/build residency for architects and designers leading to an exhibition at Socrates next year.

Call for Proposals: Folly
A project organized by Socrates Sculpture Park and the Architectural League
Deadline: January 16, 2012

For more information and to download the full Call for Proposals, visit archleague.org or socratessculpturepark.org.

Socrates Sculpture Park and the Architectural League invite emerging architects and designers to apply for the opportunity to build and exhibit a full-scale project around the theme of an architectural folly. This residency was established to explore the intersections between architecture and sculpture and the increasing overlaps in references, materials, and building techniques between the two disciplines.

Socrates and the League welcome proposals for full-scale projects and installations that explore contemporary interpretations of the architectural folly. By definition a fanciful architectural form, built to lend interest to a view or serve as a conversation piece, the folly serves as an ideal launching point for a dynamic exploration of architectural form and its relationship to sculpture.

A jury of architects, artists, curators, and arts administrators will select a single project to be realized within the grounds of Socrates Sculpture Park. The recipient will receive a $5,000 production grant to fund the project, as well as full access to the resources and fabrication facilities of Socrates Sculpture Park’s outdoor studio during a two-month residency at the Park, beginning in May 2012. The completed project will open to the public in July 2012.

JURY
Alyson Baker, Director, Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
Yolande Daniels, studio SUMO
Richard Gluckman, Gluckman Mayner Architects
Christopher Leong, Leong Leong Architecture
Leo Villareal, artist

ELIGIBILITY
Architects and related designers are invited to apply. Applicants do not need to be registered architects. Architects and designers outside of New York City are eligible to apply but housing and transportation are not provided as part of the award. If selected, non-resident architects will have to make their own living and travel arrangements. Full-time matriculated students are not eligible to apply.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Applicants are strongly encouraged to visit Socrates Sculpture Park before submitting their application. Applicants must take into account the site’s rugged, urban outdoor environment and be aware that installations in the Park are subject to final approval by Socrates and League staff and must meet safety requirements to be able to withstand the effects of weather and public use. Additional application instructions are in the full Call for Proposals.

SUPPORT
Folly, a partnership of Socrates Sculpture Park and The Architectural League of New York, is made possible through a generous grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts.

For more information and to download the full Call for Proposals, visit archleague.org or socratessculpturepark.org.