Theme: World’s Fair

Photo (c) 2009 Florence Wang

The deadline for submissions for the FIGMENT 2010 Minigolf Course has passed. The deadline was 3/1/2010. For questions about the pavilion, please email minigolf@figmentproject.org. To see the minigolf holes that we have selected to be part of the FIGMENT Minigolf Course in 2010, click here.

Over the past two summers, FIGMENT has worked with the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation to create a free, artist-designed minigolf course on Governors Island. The course started with 9 holes in 2008 and expanded to 18 holes in 2009. The course has been a huge success, in constant use throughout the entire season and loved to death by visitors of all ages. This year, FIGMENT plans to start over again with a majority of new holes. The course will be free and open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays while the island is open from June 5 to early October.

Our theme for our 2010 FIGMENT Minigolf Course is “World’s Fair.” Once a place for people to gather and learn about different people and cultures, as well as about new technologies, World’s Fairs inspired tremendous energy and enthusiasm, and provided a great vehicle for education and the free flow of information around the world. Key examples of World’s Fairs include the Colombian Exposition in Chicago in 1894, the New York World’s Fairs in 1939 and 1964, and the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville Tennessee. More recently, World’s Fairs have evolved into international “expos,” focusing more on commerce than on education, such as the 2010 Shanghai Expo.

Your challenge is to design and construct a single hole for this mini golf course, following the theme. We intend to interpret our theme very loosely, and are seeking 18 holes that interpret this theme with as much diversity of perspective as possible. You can interpret the theme metaphorically, literally, historically, or with as much poetic license as you like. Designs will be selected on creativity, structural integrity, playability, feasibility, adherence to theme, and budget.

• Creativity: Your piece should be visually stunning and wildly innovative.
• Structural Integrity: Your piece must be able to withstand use by players of all ages and sizes, as well as four months’ worth of exposure to the elements on an island in the middle of New York harbor. We will provide basic guidelines and minimums for safe construction of the platforms.
• Playability: Mini golf should be fun, not frustrating. Please design a hole that you can sink consistently in 2-5 putts. Remember that young children still developing motor skills will be playing.
• Feasibility: Please note that you will be responsible for the design, construction, maintenance, installation, and de-installation of your piece. All 18 holes will be installed on Governors Island during the week of May 25-29 (dates to be confirmed). Holes must be designed to be disassembled. De-installation will occur during October 2009, exact dates TBD.
• Adherence to Theme: “World’s Fair” is a deliberately open-ended theme.  We encourage your unique interpretation.

Governors Island is located in the New York Harbor, approximately 1/2 mile from Lower Manhattan and 1/4 mile from Brooklyn. Its waterfront offers dramatic and impressive vistas of the New York skyline and New York Harbor, including the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. In 2003, the Island was opened to the public with the mission of serving as a cultural and educational location for all New Yorkers.

To submit a proposal, please respond with the following 6 things:

1.    Your name, address, email, and best phone number to reach you

2.    1-3 artistic sketches of your proposed piece

3.    1-3 sketches of piece’s structural elements

4.    Brief (100-500 words) description of how your artistic vision connects with the theme

5.    Brief construction/installation plan: Where will you build your piece? What resources do you need, or hope to share, to build and install the piece?

6.    Approximate budget for materials: Artists will be reimbursed for materials purchased up to a certain amount yet to be determined, pending fundraising for this project. Last year all holes were built for under $1000 and we received enough funding through grants and donations to reimburse all artists in full for materials costs and construction expenses.  Any materials costs above budget are the responsibility of the artist.

Please submit your proposal by Monday, March 1 at 11:59 pm ET to minigolf@figmentproject.org. Any questions should be directed to this address, as well.

Follow this link to download a short guide to building durable, sustainable mini golf holes.  Preference will be given to artists who take into account building guidelines.

Follow this link to see images of the 2009 FIGMENT Minigolf Course.