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I in public spaces @ HORIZON UPTOWN

INTRODUCTION

Community Vision: Horizon Uptown is a healthy, connected, sustainable community Horizon Uptown will be developed to be the heart of east Aurora and the immediate area, bringing responsible, connected and healthy choices in living, working, shopping and entertainment to this rapidly developing part of the Denver metropolitan area. It will be an urban community linking the environmental aspirations of an active, involved segment of the Denver metro population with a community where environment, community and economic are within reach of everyone.

Lendlease will bring to Horizon Uptown its unique approach to sustainable community creation through the delivery of sustainability in its holistic sense – that is: social, economic, and cultural as well as environmental. As an iterative part of the development process the Horizon Uptown’s program will promote a strong sense of community connectivity and cultural belonging, including a sense of community ownership and pride in the developments public spaces.

At the time of preparation of this document concept plans for individual parks and areas of open space are presently under development. The confirmation of final artwork locations will be considered and designed in collaboration with Landscape Architects to ensure an integration of art in landscape and will be further identified in each Contextual Site Plan (CSP) Public Art Plan.

I ART in public spaces @ HORIZON UPTOWN

OBJECTIVES The vision for Horizon Uptown is that it will become an urban village which connects people to their aspirations and values. As a new community, the early establishment of public art will play a key roll in successfully creating the identity of the community. Community engagement in the delivery of some aspects of the public art at Horizon Uptown will further encourage a sense of ownership and pride in public spaces, help to create a sense of identity for Horizon Uptown and contribute to the creation of a sense of place. The City of Aurora has developed a set of principles that it sees as desirable in the planning and commissioning of public art as part of the Horizon Uptown development. The mission of the Metro District Public Art Program is to, “increase the value of a development by creating a unique identity while giving back a cultural amenity to the community. Public art represents an opportunity for Aurora to contribute to the civic pride of the community while reinforcing and expanding the City’s commitment to improving the aesthetic character of its public places.” In response to Aurora’s guidelines and public art mission, the following are the public art program objectives for Horizon Uptown: • Commission Artworks of Excellence – any public art created for the Horizon Uptown site should aim to achieve the highest standards in terms of sustainable art practice. It should also aim to inspire visitors who are new to visit the community and possibly the City of Aurora. • Creation of a Sense of Place – individual artworks will contribute to a sense of place by being site specific and have a strong conceptual link to the site and engagement for the viewer. The public art will also visually communicate Horizon Uptown’s commitment to sustainability. • Master planned Approach – each CSP Public Art Plan will provide a whole of site approach to planning for a range of diverse opportunities for public art. • Building of Community Connections – artworks will draw people to recreational and open spaces, particularly the Ramblas and Central Park and have appeal for people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. LLc’s objectives for the Horizon Uptown public program include: • Utilize public art as a tool for education and learning • To create opportunities for community interaction through public art programs and artwork pieces • Provide opportunity for the community to participate in the public art program • To create high quality landscaped open spaces • Utilize public art as a way to establish Horizon Uptown’s identity I ART in public spaces @ HORIZON UPTOWN

SITE DESCRIPTION

Over 92 acres of open space and parks will allow for both active and passive uses of public art. The community’s town center, a mixed-use core, contains a Ramblas that opens to the Central Park, a 32-acre public park destined to become the social and symbolic heart of the community. Designed to provide a wide range of both active and passive recreation opportunities, the Ramblas and Central Park will become venues for public gatherings, markets and other leisure activities. The Central Park connects the residential neighborhoods in the community to the mixed-use core by a system of highly connected and integrated trails and paths. Each of the fore mentioned locations and amenities will provide for excellent public art locations, events and opportunities.

I ART in public spaces @ HORIZON UPTOWN

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The public art program will be a visual representation of the sustainability values woven throughout the fabric of the community. This visual representation will be created through the selected artists’ utilization and integration of sustainable materials, innovations in sustainable art , conservation, and tactile approach.

Any public artwork created as part of Horizon Uptown should also look to be contemporary and/or forward looking in style and intent. Within this approach artworks can reference the past but should do so in a contemporary manner. The following are initial conceptual starting points for artwork ideas only. Any of the following could be taken up by artists and developed into artworks that have appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds, use sustainable materials and sustainable fabrication techniques.

The conceptual framework aims to highlight the unique characteristic themes within the urban context including: • Celebration of Life • Connectivity • Education and Learning • Environment • Technology • Community • Healthy Living • Heritage

I ART in public spaces @ HORIZON UPTOWN

CURATORIAL APPROACH

There will not be a single approach to projects and artist selection for Horizon Uptown, rather, a multiplicity of approaches in keeping with the conceptual framework. These approaches will consider the most appropriate method of engagement and at what stage of the project artists should be engaged to provide the best outcome. These approaches will include: • Open Competition • Invitation Competition • Direct Purchase • Art in Landscape (or by ) The range of artworks opportunities will include: • Temporary Artworks • Permanent Artworks • Artist-in Residency project • Artist Collaborations • Art Events and Ephemeral Artworks The Horizon Uptown parks plan will provide for opportunities for artists to collaborate with Landscape Architect and Urban Designers to integrate public art into Horizon’s parks and open spaces. During construction there may also be opportunities for temporary works to help diminish the sense of Horizon Uptown as just a construction site and create a sense of what is to come. As Horizon begins to develop there will be an opportunity for artists to engage with members of the newly created community through the establishment of a series of Artist Residencies. These projects may involve community members in exploring their own creativity and contributing to projects that will result in artworks located in the public realm or engage residents, workers and students in understanding the work of the project artists and the process of art making. Art events will be developed to create opportunities for one-off activities and ephemeral artworks that seek to engage the community in coming together to get to know one another through discussion and debate about art, design and related issues centered around the spirit of having fun and celebrating together.

Large scale permanent artworks will also be created that will become symbols for Horizon Uptown.

I ART in public spaces @ HORIZON UPTOWN

PUBLIC ART OPPORTUNITIES The range of artwork opportunities can be grouped into the following categories: Civic Art These artworks will: • Be iconic in scale • High quality in their execution • Individual expressions of individual artists • Create landmarks for Horizon Uptown • Encapsulate the sense place and sustainability in this new urban community • Be contextual Functional Art These artworks will be commissioned by professional artists and will: • Focus on site conditions and infrastructure items • Celebrate the site’s uniqueness and contribute to a sense of place • Include, benches, railings, shade structures, trash receptacles, bike racks, clocks, children play elements, street lighting, etc. Intrinsic Art These works will be commissioned by a professional artist and will: • Focus on site conditions and infrastructure items such as pavers, fences, gates, etc. • Celebrate Horizon’s uniqueness • Contribute to a sense of place Community-based Artworks These artworks will: • Involve the local community in working with professional artists • Include an aspect of skill development for community members • Bring members of the community together to meet and get to know their neighbors • Further enhance a sense of belonging

I ART in public spaces @ HORIZON UPTOWN

It should be noted that a number of projects while having been categorized under one heading, may also fit under another heading. The overlap in categories reinforces the interconnectedness of environment to sense of place and major commissioned artworks to artworks developed with community participation.

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY Horizon Uptown will be submitting multiple CSP’s to the City of Aurora during this 15-year project. At the time of each CSP, LLc will provide a more detailed public art plan outlining the public art program to be implemented for that phase of construction. This will enable LLc to engage the community through participation in the public art program. Additionally, LLc will utilize an art coordinator to help ensure the delivery of high quality, cohesive and sustainable art throughout the community. The public art coordinator will perform the following tasks for each CSP submittal: • Task 1 - Development of a CSP Public Art Opportunities Plan • Task 2 – Facilitation of art selection process • Task 3 – Facilitation of art installation

Task 1 - CSP Public Art Opportunities Plan The Plan will include the following: • Public art location, possibilities and criteria for specified areas • Project schedule • Policies and Guidelines • Budget • Documentation • Artist contracts • Resume & Biography of Selected Artists • Maintenance plan

Task 2 - Facilitation of Art Selection As the community evolves, Horizon Uptown will create opportunities for on-site residents and workers to become involved in their community by participating in the public art program. This participation will create a visual expression of Aurora’s local values and cultural diversity, fostering the I ART in public spaces @ HORIZON UPTOWN

community’s sense of pride, for generations to come. As such, an art selection committee will be formed and include: Art Coordinator Serving as Facilitator (1), Lendlease (1), City of Aurora Employee (1), Horizon Uptown Retail Representative (1), Horizon Uptown Community Members (2)

Task 3 – Facilitation of Art Installation • Manage the installation of artwork • Prepare Closing Documents for City of Aurora Arts in Public Places Staff

BUDGET

Total Horizon Uptown Public Art Budget∗ Location Type Total Acres Cost Per Acre Total Residential 224.90 $ 325.39 $ 73,180.21 Mixed-use 48.49 $ 500.60 $ 24,274.09 Non-residential 120.68 $ 540.00 $ 65, 167.20 Total Minimum 394.07 $ 162,621.50 Expenditure

Project Itemized Expenditures 75% Professional Artists Budget $ 121,966.12 5% Public Art Plan Application Fee $ 8,131.08 Future Maintenance & Repairs (paid to 10% $ 16,262.15 Metro District) 10% Project Coordinator $ 16,262.15 Total Public Art Expenditures $162,621.50

∗ Budgets will be itemized and further defined in each CSP submission