larger than life: the everyday made big

The City of Roanoke, through the Roanoke Arts Commission, is accepting submissions now until midnight, February 3, 2025 for freestanding sculpture responding to the theme “Larger than Life.” The installation will celebrates the 15th anniversary of a well loved work of public art, Trojan Dog, by artist Ann Glover, with a call for oversized reimaginings of everyday objects. Both proposed work and finished pieces will be considered.

The two-year lease of each work (not to exceed $4,500 per piece) will be funded through Roanoke’s Percent for Art fund.

In the spirit of bringing fresh perspectives on our collective journey and the world around us, the Roanoke Arts Commission invites submissions of 3-D work.

• Concepts and finished work must directly respond to the theme: “Larger than Life.” In the concepts, we invite consideration of everyday items, with their likeness rendered at a grand scale.
• Work can be new or proposed. New work is encouraged.
• Materials used might reflect:

1. Roanoke’s natural environment;
2. the city's industrial and cultural history;
3. the knowledge-based activity of the Innovation Corridor, including new materials and methods; and
4. strides in inclusion and equity as the city reconsiders and invests in itself and this place.

• The use of materials will reflect the strength, resilience, imagination, aspirations, and inclusive nature of the city and its creative cultural community.
• The development of the work will reflect innovative and collaborative approaches that explore new ways of looking at both at the resources at hand and the processes deploying them.
• Works must be:

1. of a scale and material suitable for outdoor display,
2. designed to withstand an outdoor, high traffic, unmonitored environment,
3. require little or no maintenance for the two-year duration of the show,
4. original,
5. suitable for family viewing, and
6. constructed so that they can be securely anchored.

The Art Walk includes up to seven (7) available pads surrounded by native plantings. Each pad is 6’ by 6’ and can hold up to 1,500 lbs. Work cannot be over 15’ tall or 6’ wide. Anchor bolts are required and must be set at least six inches from the edges of the pads.