The City of Ocala announces a Call for Entries for the Sixth Biennial Ocala Outdoor Sculpture Competition. Ten works will be selected for a two-year outdoor exhibition in Tuscawilla and Tuscawilla Art Park. This competition is open to artists currently working and residing in the United States with experience in designing, fabricating, and installing large outdoor Public Art. Each artist selected for the exhibition will receive a $2,000 honorarium. Merit Juror, Dr. Rangsook Yoon, Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Baker Museum of Artis-Naples, will select Best of Show, Second Place, and Honorable Mention. Selection in these categories will include a cash award:
• Best in Show: $2,000
• 2nd Place: $1,000
• Honorable Mention: $500
• People’s Choice: $500
• Grand Total $24,000 – 10 honorariums at $2,000, plus additional awards
The ten jury-selected sculptures will be installed between January 3 – 14, 2022 at Tuscawilla and Tuscawilla Art Park and will be on display until January 2024. The Ocala Outdoor Sculpture Competition is accompanied by a scavenger hunt, catalogue, an online and mobile device tour as well as coverage in other media outlets. The public is invited to attend two events to welcome the sculptures to Ocala. BOBA (Beginning of Bolted Art), a ticketed VIP breakfast and Q&A with selected artists and juror, will take place on Saturday, February 19, 2022 followed by the Tuscawilla Sculpture Stroll, a free community event. Bring the whole family to enjoy tours, live entertainment, free art activities and vote for your favorite sculpture to win the People’s Choice Award.
The City of Ocala Cultural Arts Office creates opportunities for public art to transform ordinary spaces into destinations. The goal of our Public Art Program is to foster creativity, discovery and thoughtfulness among our citizens and visitors. The selected works will be on exhibit in Tuscawilla and Tuscawilla Art Park, considered the “crown jewel” of Ocala’s parks, the 45-acre green space is an extension of the downtown and the adjacent Tuscawilla Art Park, hosting arts events throughout the year.
For submission guidelines and to apply, please visit www.ocalafl.org/sculpture. Deadline for entries is August 30, 2021. For more information, contact the City of Ocala Cultural Arts Office at 352-629-8447 or email artinfo@ocalafl.org.