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Date: 2/13/2023
EASTHAMPTON – Nashawannuck Pond Promenade is missing an endpiece.
Almost a decade ago, when the boardwalk was being designed, two pedestals for large outdoor sculptures were set aside. Now, Easthampton City Arts (ECA) seeks proposals for the missing piece, a sculpture for the pedestal on the eastern end of the boardwalk.
The sculpture will honor the lifeblood of the arts: volunteers.
“An empty concrete pad [has been] waiting for public art for many years now,” said Pasqualina Azzarello, arts coordinator for the City of Easthampton. “This sculpture will also serve as a memorial piece to acknowledge…Debra Tautznik and Denise Herzog.”
Tautznik and Herzog were artists and long-standing champions of Easthampton’s community of artists. According to the ECA website Denise Riggs, a member of the coordinating committee, and ECA member Marcia Morrison proposed a sculpture that honors all volunteers, but especially Tautznik and Herzog, who gave so freely to arts in the city.
The project, Celebrating Service: Honoring Our Volunteers, will be sited on the pedestal beside Cottage Street, near The Water’s Fine coffee shop and Platterpuss Records. The pedestal will feature a rectangular poured concrete pad edged with four inch granite curbing. Proposed sculptures must be attachable to the pad, which is 50 inches by 78 inches, and not exceed the overall pedestal size, which adds eight inches to both dimensions.
“The committee is very open to a wide range of artistic interpretations of the theme,” Azzarello said. “We are absolutely open to figural, representational, abstract, interactive. We’re open to different materials, [but] it is very important that the materials can withstand the weather.”
The winning proposal will be vetted for durability by a city engineer. Residents from the city and the region are especially encouraged to submit, though artists anywhere are eligible. Underrepresented creators, LGBTQ and BIPOC sculptors, are specifically encouraged to submit proposals. Artists must be 18 years of age. Designs must be feasible, take into account the day traffic in the area, and mesh with the rest of the promenade.
Azzarello commented that volunteers who support the art and the work of artists in Easthampton keep the town vital and energetic.
“Every time we introduce new public sculptures, murals, artist designed bike racks, artist designed maps, we are engaging our local population, as well as new visitors to our area,” Azzarello said. “It is a wonderful and positive way to activate city streets and to engage our growing community.”
The deadline to apply for the commission, which comes with a $10,000 stipend, is March 15. The stipend covers the costs of materials, fabrication, installation and the artist’s fee. The winning proposal will be announced in May. Crafting the artwork may take the next five months, with the unveiling and dedication scheduled for later in the fall or early winter.
The other pedestal, located a good distance away, features artwork by Brandon Spurkini. Spurkini’s sculpture is interactive, an option with the new work, but not a requirement. Azzarello said beyond guidelines for safety and durability, the ECA is looking for a piece that creatively focuses on volunteerism.
“We are open to any artistic interpretation of the theme. We see this sculpture as its own unique individual piece,” Azzarello said. “We do ask [artists to] consider the physical environment, where the sculpture is located—but we are looking for a truly unique and original piece.”
Azzarello recalled those lost members of the arts community. Herzog was a nationally recognized ceramics artist who started the Riverside Arts Program, which brought art to the disabled.
Tautznik, the wife of former mayor Michael Tautznik, died while volunteering at Cultural Chaos in 2015. Both generously contributed to the vitality of the city itself.
“Both of these women were incredibly dedicated volunteers and community members in the City of Easthampton,” Azzarello said, “and truly helped make the art and cultural community that is thriving here today.”
Guidelines for proposals can be found on the ECA website at https://www.easthamptoncityarts.com.