Wanted to rent: Two public art pieces, not more than 35.5 metres tall

FILE - This Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013 file photo shows artist Christo during a show of sketches and photos of some of his in-progress works at the Metropolitan State University Center for Visual Art in Denver. Christo and his late wife, Jeanne-Claude, have won state and federal permits to build Over the River, which would involve suspending nearly six miles of giant fabric panels from anchors and cables over parts of a 42-mile stretch of the Arkansas River next to U.S. 50. Yet construction is on hold, as of August 2013 due to lawsuits challenging the approvals the project received.

The federal government has become increasingly reliant on term employees in place of permanent hires. Now it could be bringing the same approach to public art in the capital.

A notice posted Thursday by the Canadian Heritage department seeks proposals for two art pieces to be displayed at a highly visible spot at the foot of Major’s Hill Park adjacent to the Alexandra Bridge — but only for two years.

Exactly what form the art will take is up to the submitters. The government says only that it “could include functional, interactive, contemplative or playful elements inviting the public to take a public art break.” Oh, and the two pieces shouldn’t be more than 33.5 metres (110 feet) tall.

For each, it’s willing to pay $28,000 for a two-year rental, with the artist responsible for installing and dismantling the work and paying for an engineering report to ensure it’s safe. But artists thinking of entering the competition had better have something waiting on a shelf (a very big shelf, should their entry be close to the maximum height). As with the short notice that is customary with contract employee postings, the Heritage department wants submissions by March 9 and the winning artwork in place by March 30.

Officials at Heritage, the department that has taken over supervision of public art and many other duties from the National Capital Commission, were unavailable Thursday to discuss whether the posting represents a broad shift away from permanent art installations or just some extra cash found in a government drawer.

But one artist suggests a possible motive for temporary installations.

“They may be trying to ‘deresponsibilitize’ themselves” from works some could find objectionable, said Stefan St-Laurent, director of AXENÉ07 in Gatineau.

In theory, that might make the government more amenable to showing art that challenges the viewer and prompts public discussion, St-Laurent says. But he can’t see it moving quickly away from a preference for “classical and decorative” pieces for the capital, even for short-term display.

Apart from Winterlude ice sculptures, temporary public art is relatively new to Ottawa, although the NCC experimented with a pop-up reading garden and “urban beach” along the Rideau Canal a few years ago. In many cities, however, it’s become a way to cope with declining acquisition budgets while giving exposure to more artists.

Some sculptures and other pieces move to new homes after their public display, but others are meant to be short-lived. Most famous in the latter category could be works by the artist Christo and his wife, Jean-Claude, who wrapped the German Reichstag in fabric and lined footpaths in New York’s Central Park with thousands of flowing banners.