Request For Proposals: Paramount Plaza Banner Design/Artwork

1. Scope of the Overall Project: The artist/designer will create up to two designs for a public arts banner as part of an eight original banner artwork project. The eight banners will be suspended from four street light posts located in the Paramount Plaza. The design must visually support both the musical and cultural legacies of the Village of Grafton as well as the Village of Grafton stated Brand Position.

The Public Arts Board will provide the selected artists with the metal banners which will be in the shape of a musical instrument.

The relationship that the banners have with the Paramount Plaza, the relevant history and the Village of Grafton brand position is a critical consideration of design and the artist/designer should be cognizant of its use as a visual reference in the Plaza. They should be designed as a integral component of the overall experience that helps define the Plaza as a monumental environment by its own form and space. Based upon their location, the banners will be visible from two sides and should be designed to be appealing in all directions. Both figurative and abstract designs are welcome as submittals.

2. Proposal Requirements: Each interested artist/designer shall submit up to different designs from the artist. All designs must be received at Grafton Village Hall, located at 860 Badger Circle, Grafton, WI 53024, by Thursday, March 1, 2012, at 4:00 p.m. Submittal packaging shall be clearly marked “Paramount Plaza Banner Design Submittal” and made to the attention of Darrell Hofland, Village Administrator.

In addition to the design, the applicant/designer may provide a résumé that includes relevant educational background, references, and work history as in relates to producing artwork of this nature. Examples of constructed fine art projects that have been commissioned by other entities designed by the applicant may be submitted as part of the submittal. If the applicant/designer has done work of this type previously for the Village of Grafton, the applicant/designer may utilize that project as an example in their application.

3. Selection Criteria: The criteria for the selection of the artist/designer finalists shall include, but not be limited to, the following: 1) the quality of the design, how well it creates a focal point, defines a sense of place, and provides relationship with the Paramount Plaza and Village of Grafton stated Brand Position; 2) positive references of past performance (if applicable); and 3) any other criteria, as it relates to the quality of the project, that the Public Arts Board may find necessary to make a decision.

4. Expectations Upon Selection: The selected artist/designer will be expected to enter into a contract with the Village of Grafton to cooperate with the Village on the final design. The designer reserves all rights of reproduction and copyrights of each conceptual submittal during the selection process. However, once a selection has been made and the design has entered into a contract with the Village, the original design(s) used for reproduction and ultimately the banners will become property of the Village and all rights associated with display and copyright will be that of the Village of Grafton. The artist/designer will be allowed a small location to place their name on the banners themselves.

The Village agrees not to modify the design in any fashion without the permission of the artist/designer. Minor repairs and maintenance can be made by the Village if it does not modify the “look” of the banners. If the banners ever warrant relocation or termination , those decisions rest solely with the Village of Grafton.

The Village of Grafton and the Public Arts Board will expect that the installation of the banners will be completed in late spring.

5. Selection: The Public Arts Board will review all proposals and make a selection at their March 12, 2012 meeting . The artist/designer will be notified the next day. Questions and Information:

Please address all questions to: Darrell Hofland Village Administrator 860 Badger Circle Grafton, WI 53024

(262) 375-5300 Email: [email protected] A critical Point of reference and consideration: Village of Grafton Paramount History

Ask people about some of the most important cities in the history of blues music and you'll undoubtedly hear answers like Chicago, Memphis, St. Louis or Clarksdale. What you're not as likely to hear uttered, however, is Grafton, WI. But with a rich history of recording, manufacturing and distributing music from some of the most important and influential blues musicians of the 20th century, such as Charlie Patton, , , and , Grafton is every bit as important as some of the better known blues cities in the nation.

The Wisconsin record label that these artists recorded for was Paramount Records. The recording studio and record-pressing plant was located in Grafton, a quiet suburban town 20 minutes north of . The label was originally better known in the area, however, as The Wisconsin Chair Company; a business that originally manufactured wooden chairs out of their Port Washington, WI location before they branched out to manufacturing wooden phonograph cabinets for . With the success of their phonograph cabinet division in 1915 the company executives decided to produce their own line of phonographs and 78 records under the subsidiary of Paramount.

The Paramount Company's physical location was situated on the edge of the Milwaukee River in Grafton, where it did business for 15 years, from 1917 to 1932. While the company started recording and pressing primarily "ethnic" records targeted for German, Scandinavian and Mexican audiences, it wasn't until they released 's "Daddy Blues" record in 1922 that they entered what was to become known as Race Records - primarily blues and spiritual recordings aimed at black audiences in both urban cities and the rural south. With advertisements for these records in the Chicago Defender, a weekly African- American newspaper distributed throughout the nation, Paramount was able to reach their target buyers, where the majority of their sales came via mail orders through these ads.

One of the major coups for both Paramount and the history of American music was talent scout H. C. Speir, who owned a music store in Jackson, MS. Speir played a pivotal role in securing talent for the record label from the Delta South, such as Charlie Patton and Son House - two early blues artists who would go onto not only directly influencing young blues musicians such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Elmore James, but who would also much later, indirectly, play a role in shaping rock & roll through acts such as The Yardbirds, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin.

Through mismanagement the label eventually folded in 1932, but not without leaving a major mark on the history of the blues and evolution of modern music.