Graduate School seeks input for planned public art installation

From: Graduate School

Nearly two decades after the Graduate Life Center opened as one of the first facilities of its kind in the nation, the Graduate School at Virginia Tech is launching a project to create a new public art installation celebrating the university’s graduate community. Artists are encouraged to respond to a request for proposals (RFP) for the project when it is released in early April.

The planning committee envisions a work that reflects themes that have shaped graduate education at Virginia Tech over the past 20 years: the Graduate Life Center as a central space for learning and community; the university’s commitment to transformative, interdisciplinary education; and the strength, inclusivity, and curiosity that define the graduate experience.

Interactive, accessible designs that encourage sitting, gathering, or physical engagement and that offer multisensory experiences — visual, tactile, and/or auditory are encouraged. Proposals will be welcomed from individual artists as well as artist-led or faculty-led student teams with experience in public art, architecture, engineering, or related fields.

The installation will honor the impact of graduate students and the Graduate School on the university’s mission, recognize the creativity and resilience of the graduate community, and expand the presence of public art on the Blacksburg campus. The work will be located in the vicinity of the Graduate Life Center, which opened in August 2005 and quickly became an award-winning hub for graduate student life, learning, and collaboration.

To help shape the direction of the project, the Graduate School is inviting public input through two opportunities in March:

GLC Public Art Charrette
Friday, March 20, 3–5 p.m., Graduate Life Center Room C
Graduate students and community members may participate in a guided visioning session focused on how community, interdisciplinarity, scientific exploration, and graduate student experiences might be expressed through public art. Registration is requested.

GLC Public Art Community Input Survey
Those unable to attend the charrette may share ideas through a short online survey.

The Graduate School anticipates funding the project through a combination of institutional support, philanthropy, and community partnerships, which will help shape the scope and timeline.

More information about the project, the committee, and the upcoming RFP is available on the Graduate School’s website.