Letter of Interest

The announcement of Public Art for McCall Urban Renewal District gained my interest immediately as I have lived in the Treasure Valley for over 25 years and am enthusiastic over the increasing amount of public art being placed throughout our state. The selected artist will have the opportunity to not only help bring individual works of art to life but also create an enduring piece that will represent the community. The skills needed for this project; practical experience with permanent materials, meticulous craftsmanship, solid outdoor fabrication, collaborative working experience, and creative design; are skills that I have been employing on many individual installations internationally.

Two of my more recent projects, Journey of Heroes and Place In Time, entailed working with community leaders as well as facilitating community engagement, and I found the process to be extremely rewarding. Located in Heroes Park in Meridian, ID, Journey of Heroes moves in the wind representing adventure, transformation and change. While the illustrated ghost images on the kinetic sculpture pay tribute to courageous individuals throughout history, individual trail markers around the walking path in the park depict local heroes. I worked with city council to determine which historical and local figures were represented on the central sculpture, and with local schools to determine which community heroes were illustrated on the trail markers. I also worked with the Park Place community in Norfolk, VA on an artwork, Place In Time, which was placed in Munson Park, located in the heart of the neighborhood. Place in Time is a free-standing sculpture representing generations within the Park Place community as well as the changing dynamics of the community itself. Three figures surrounding a tree signifying the roots of the community; the past, present and future generations. Each figure has a specific map engraved on the surface; the largest showing a hand drawn 1918 map of Park Place and Munson Park, the medium displaying a modern-day map of the area, and the smallest showing a simplified unlabeled map representing the future. Working with the president of Park Place’s neighborhood association, I selected historically significant street names that are engraved on the tree’s leaves. The base of the tree encompasses 3 time capsules in the base, enabling ongoing community engagement. For example, area schools and neighborhood residents collected items (drawings, essays, pictures, etc.) and placed them within the time capsules at the dedication; creating a vehicle for timeless interaction with the artwork as well as promoting creative thought and a new tradition within the community. In addition, I worked with local business owners at the Roosevelt Market in Boise, ID to create one of my earlier public art pieces, Tootsie, that also functions as a Free Little Library. Collaboration with Girl Scout Troop 803 ensures stewardship of the books that are housed within the sculpture.

Each public art project has its own potential and my approach is to create a new design for each opportunity. Working in primarily metal allows the flexibility to produce both delicate and monumental objects of art that can live in almost any space. The materials I work in most often are aluminum and stainless steel which are extremely versatile for lasting outdoor installations. The meticulous craftsmanship that my studio employs gives a seamless quality to the art which emphasizes the elegant lines of the design. Color is used carefully to enliven the space and I often incorporate other materials in the work as important details. These projects have required working with architects, contractors, engineers, neighborhood associations and city planners in a team effort. The resulting art is a combination of artistic vision, solid craftsmanship and careful integration of the piece in the natural setting. Because I fabricate my own designs, I’m able to offer “more sculpture” so to speak as I don’t have the cost of hiring someone else to build my artworks.

I am confident in my abilities to work with City staff and engineers to identify artwork locations, design, fabricate and install unique pieces for the McCall Urban Renewal District. This is an exciting opportunity to create artwork that captures the essence of the town to both uplift and provoke thought in those who interact with it. I believe that my own artistic vision, years of professional design and fabrication, and collaborative working experience contribute to give me extensive knowledge of working on artwork as well as combine to make me a unique candidate. Thank you for your consideration, Ken McCall

Ken McCall

Boise, Idaho 83712

com McCall-Studios.com 2017 Designed, worked with committee, fabricated and installed (as lead artist) Gilded River for Bend, OR roundabout with assistance from Mark Baltes and Leslie Dixon – Project Total: $130,000 2017 Designed, fabricated and installed Journey of Heroes sculpture for Heroes Park in Meridian, ID – Project

Total: $73,000 2017 Designed, fabricated and installed, with partner Leslie Dixon, 24/7 for Fire Station 4 in Boise, Idaho – Project

Total: $45,000 2017 Artist on contract (for 3 years) for Ketchum, ID – Project Total: varies, up to $50,000 2017 Designed, fabricated and installed Spiral of Injustice for the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in

Bose, ID – Project Total: $30,000 2018 Designed and fabricated Guffey Bridge sculpture for Nampa Highway District for roundabout in Nampa, ID –

Project Total: $28,000 2019 Designed and fabricated Boise Interurban Sculpture for Nampa Highway District in Nampa, ID – Project

Total: $33,000 2019 Fabricated public artwork by Trademark Creative for St. Luke’s Hospital in Boise, ID – Project Total:

$1,500,000 2019 Artist on contract (for 3 years) for Washington State Arts Commission – Project Total: varies, up to $250,000 2019 Designed, fabricated and installed Illuminations sculpture for Renaissance Park in Meridian, ID – Project

Total: $40,000 2019 Designed, fabricated and installed Heron Bench for Garden SITy art bench project in Garden City, ID and

currently fabricating another bench for the program – Project Total: $5,000 per bench 2019 Leaf Spiral selected for temporary public art in Napa, CA 2019 Artist on contract for Park Identities Public Art Roster (for 3 years) in Meridian, ID – Project Total: varies 2020 Designed, fabricated and installed public artwork in Munson Park in Norfolk, VA – Project Total: $80,000 2020 Currently in design phase for Washington State Arts Commission for public artwork at the Center for Allied

Health Education at Bates Technical College in Tacoma, WA – Project Total: $110,000 2020 Currently in design phase for new artwork for the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise, ID –

Project Total: $40,000 2020 Currently on Pre-Qualified Database for public artwork in Sacramento, CA and Livermore, CA 2020 Current artist on the Oregon Art in Public Places Roster (for 3 years) – Project Total: varies 2020 Currently on pre-qualified list for artwork in the Choice Neighborhood Project in Phoenix, AZ – Project Total: varies, up to $150,000 2020 Current finalist for public artwork at Redmond Pool in Redmond, WA – Project Total: $45,000 2020 Current finalist for roundabout public art for Nampa Highway District in Nampa, ID – Project Total - $38,000

References

Mike Barton Parks Superintendent City of Meridian

33 E. Broadway Ave. Meridian, ID 83642 Dan Prinzing Executive Director Wassmuth Center for Human Rights

777 S. 8th Boise, ID 83702 Karen Rudd Manager Norfolk Arts

Eric Shannon Project Director Nampa Highway District No. 1

Kim Snyder Public Art Coordinator City of Greeley

Greeley, CO 80631 Richard Young Professor of Art, Art Department Boise State University

Boise, ID 83725

Images of Past Completed Work

Transference

Gilded River

Arlo Agoseris

Leaf Spiral

Symmetry

Family Tree

Call and Respond

Circuitree

Journey of Heroes

Twenty-Four-Seven

Place in Time

Heron Bench

Boise & Interurban Railway Trolley

Beaver Dam Railing

Illuminations

Image List

1. Transference 2016 $24,000 15’ x 16’ Plasma cut steel and Plexiglas panels Created for the City of Boise and Boise State University, Transference celebrates Boise’s success in geothermal energy. While the colors illustrate the cooling and heating of the water, the panels show the actual map locations of buildings in Boise and on BSU’s campus receiving the geothermal system. 2. Gilded River 2017 $130,000 25’ x 50’ x 50’ Stainless steel, aluminum and gold leaf Created for the roundabout collection in Bend, OR, this kinetic sculpture features five stylized “trees” that engage the surrounding space and created a strong signature presence. The frequent breezes create a rippling effect amongst the 500+ golden leaves. 3. Arlo Agoseris 2014 $9,500 15’ x 16’ Aluminum, stainless steel and steel A private commission for Liquidity Wines in B.C., Canada, this kinetic sculpture represents the element of wind. Present throughout mythology and folklore, this Mountain Dandelion’s entire top turns while the wind blows. 4. Leaf Spiral 1998 Independent work in studio 7’ x 2’ Steel and stainless steel Leaf Spiral is inspired by the autumn leaves swirling down from the many trees in my hometown of Boise, ID. It has been selected as temporary public art in Ketchum, ID and currently calls Redmond, OR home in their Art Around the Clock program.

5. Symmetry 2016 $30,000 20’x 30’ x 15’ Powder coated steel and aluminum A private commission for the Inn at 500 in Boise, ID, Symmetry was designed to represent the delicate balance in nature. The idea was inspired by one of the Boise’s most prized assets; trees. The large spiraled aluminum sections house the small kinetic leaves, which spin and turn in the wind. 6. Family Tree 2016 $5,000 7’ x 2’ Stainless steel Public art for the City of Boise, ID, this piece symbolizes one of the most significant foundations of society, an idea of being part of something greater than ourselves, and the cohesiveness that exists between those we feel a oneness with – family. 7. Call and Respond 2017 $45,000 10’ x 15’ x2’ Concrete, stainless steel and acrylic Created for Fire Station 8 in Boise, ID, this piece signals the station's calls to the Overland Rd. community with light and sound. The design uses strong graphics associated with the community and the firehouse to show the vital connections between the two. 8. Circuitree 2016 $10,000 20’ x 7’ Powder coated steel and acrylic A free-standing sculpture created for the Uptown Tree Project in Greeley, CO, this design embodies the idea of technology in a tree-like form. The three large panels, each unique and depicting beautiful electronic patterns of circuitry, have two sides per panel that encapsulate a sheet of green acrylic. 9. Journey of Heroes 2017 $73,000 25’ x 15’ x 2’ Powder coated steel and aluminum This kinetic sculpture created for Heroes Park in Meridian, ID, moves in the wind representing adventure, transformation and change. While the large aluminum sails depict the harnessing of wind power, the illustrated ghost images pay tribute to courageous individuals throughout history.

10. Twenty-Four-Seven 2017 $45,000 20’ x 15’ x 2’ Stone, steel and acrylic Inspired by the constant service our firefighters dedicate to the community, the design of this functioning sundial sculpture incorporates details representing the mission of the fire station. The sundial's daytime shadow, and the Maltese Cross and Helmet lighted at night signify the continuous hours firefighters devote. 11. Place in Time 2020 $80,000 Munson Park – Norfolk, VA 20’ x 13’ powder coated steel, aluminum and navy brass This contemporary, free-standing sculpture represents generations within the Park Place community as well as the changing dynamics of the community itself. The center tree moves in the wind and contains “leaves” engraved with Park Place street names, with Munson Place at the heart. As it spins, it, at times, forms the shape of a heart. It encompasses three time capsules in the base, enabling ongoing community engagement - area schools and neighbors collected items (drawings, essays, pictures, etc.) and placed them within the time capsules: creating a vehicle for timeless interaction with the artwork as well as promoting creative thought and a new tradition within the community. The three figures surrounding the tree signify the roots of the Park Place community; the past, present and future generations. Each figure has a specific map engraved on the surface; the largest showing a hand drawn 1918 map of Park Place and Munson Park, the medium displaying a modern-day map of the area, and the smallest showing a simplified unlabeled map representing the future. 12. Heron Bench 2019 $5,000 Garden City, Idaho 7’x 4’ x 6’ Powder coated steel Created for Garden SITy’s Art Bench program, this site-specific bench was inspired by its location along the Greenbelt at Heron Park in Garden City, ID. 13. Boise & Interurban Railway Trolley 2019 $33,000 Nampa, Idaho 12’ x 23’ x 4.5’ Steel Representing one of the trolley cars from the historic Boise & Interurban Railway, this free-standing sculpture is displayed in the center island of a roundabout in Nampa, ID.

14. Beaver Dam Railing 2016 $12,000 4’ x 10’ x 6” Powder coated steel Located on the campus of Boise Watershed, this custom handrail represents the unique environmental habitats beavers create. 15. Illuminations 2020 $40,000 Meridian, Idaho 20’ x 14.5’ powder coated steel and acrylic This free-standing sculpture created for Renaissance Park celebrates the significant musical, scientific, literary and artistic contributions made during the Renaissance. Each portal portrays an iconic symbol which signifies the impact of each medium during this transitional period in European history; the largest portal displaying the Vitruvian Man representing math and science, the medium with the Creation of Adam portraying the fine arts, and the smallest with the quill pen and the Stradivarius violin signifying literature and music. The structures of the portals were influenced by Renaissance era architecture, with primary colored panels blending together to make multiple colors that cast beautiful mosaics on the ground. The position of “Illuminations” was engineered to radiate a marker on the ground representing Spring Solstice, the beginning of spring, or revival - a corresponding concept of the Renaissance, as it means rebirth.