SEVENTH OCALA OUTDOOR SCULPTURE COMPETITION

The City of Ocala Cultural Arts Office is placing a call for entries for the 7th Biennial Ocala Outdoor Sculpture Competition. Ten works will be selected for a two-year outdoor exhibition in Tuscawilla Park located in Ocala, Florida. This call is open to artists currently working and residing in the United States with experience designing, fabricating, and installing large outdoor Public Art. 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 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.

All work must meet the following criteria to be eligible for consideration:

•Be able to withstand a high traffic, public, family park environment for a period of two years, while taking into consideration the safety of the audience and other outdoor elements.

•Be capable of withstanding adverse weather conditions common to the state of Florida (high humidity, high temperatures, heavy rain, frequent thunder storms, high winds, etc.)

•Be maintenance free for the duration of the two-year exhibition.

•Work must have been completed within the last five years (2018 or after.) 

•Be built in a manner to allow fastening to a concrete pad with anchor bolts measuring 5/8” (unless an optional anchoring system is provided by the artist and approved by the City prior to installation.)

•Work may not have been previously displayed within Marion County, Florida, or entered into this competition.  

Only entries that have been completed, or that are guaranteed to be completed three months before installation, are eligible. If a proposal is submitted and proof of completion is not received by three months prior to installation the work will be disqualified.

The ten works for exhibition will be selected by a jury composed of art professionals, arts & culture agency representatives, community representatives and artists.  This year’s Merit Juror will select the Best in Show, Second Place, and Honorable Mention award winners once they are installed.  The winner of the People’s Choice Award will be determined by a simple majority vote of the attending public at the Tuscawilla Park Sculpture Stroll on Saturday, February 17 2024.

The 7th OOSC Merit Judge will be Jade Powers, Curator of Contemporary Art - The Harn Museum of Art.