Public Art Commission: Blaenavon, South Wales
Deadline: September 16, 2011
Torfaen County Borough Council would like to invite expressions of interest for a public artwork to commemorate the life and achievements of Ken Jones.
Kenneth Jeffrey Jones, rugby player and athlete: born Blaenavon, Torfaen 30 December 1921; OBE 1960, died 18 April 2006. Ken Jones will forever be remembered as the man who scored the vital try that helped Wales to beat New Zealand at Cardiff Arms Park in 1953 - the last time Wales beat the All Blacks. Yet there were many more golden moments in one of the greatest British sporting careers of the past sixty years, including a sliver medal at the 1948 Olympics.
Three to four shortlisted candidates will be invited to spend a day in Blaenavon researching his life: visiting the places that were significant to him and talking to his family, members of the community, Rugby representatives (Blaenavon and Newport Rugby Clubs and Welsh Rugby Union) and the Olympic body. The research will culminate in a figurative sculpture of Ken Jones, to be created in a material suitable for the public realm (bronze, iron, stone etc). The candidates will be invited back to present their proposals in an open forum.
Design fee: £1200 (including travel)
Sculpture budget: £70,000 - £90,000 (including fabrication and transport)
Please submit a portfolio of relevant work and budget guides by Sept 16th 2011 to:
Catherine Thomas
Art Acumen Ltd
286 North Road
Cardiff
CF14 3BN
Or email to [email protected]
Any queries please call 07590 844828
Torfaen County Borough Council is committed to using public art as an integral part of a holistic regeneration plan for the area, creating a critical mass of quality pieces of artwork which transform perceptions of the area, a commitment which is echoed across the wider Heads of the Valleys.