Apply Today for the 2025 Spring Bulb Show Art Installation Commission
Published August 28, 2024
The botanic garden is seeking submissions from individual students to propose a design concept for an installation to be centrally featured in the 2025 Spring Bulb Show, amidst the blossoms of 10,000 flowering bulbs. This commission is an opportunity for Smith College students to experience the dynamic challenges and rewards of designing, fabricating and installing site-specific, commissioned work. The goals for this project are to foster collaboration among and between students and the botanic garden, and to showcase and celebrate the diversity of voices and breadth of skills possessed by Smith College students with the greater community who attend the show.
The prompt for this year’s commission is: “The legacy of Here and Now”. The prompt connects the installation to the year-long, campus-wide exhibition titled Younes Rahmoun: Here, Now.
“Foremost among the exhibition’s themes are nature, place, and landscape; spirituality; migration as a consequence of de/colonization; and art as a premise for coming together.”
The proposed work should reflect on, interpret and respond to this prompt, however, it need not relate to Rahmoun's work specifically. The botanic garden will host an info session on September 10th, 2024 during which Rahmoun will speak about his work and about his process working on site-specific installations. If interested, RSVP today.
This commission will take form as a Special Studies for which each student will receive 2 credits upon successful completion of the project. There is a $2,000 materials budget for the project.
Ready to apply? Here's the application.
Looking for more information?
Get the who, what, when, where and how below.
The Botanic Garden of Smith College is accepting submissions from Smith College students to work individually on the design, fabrication and installation of an original concept. A maximum of 2 students will be selected to realize their design.
Applicants will be asked to share portfolio images of relevant prior work to demonstrate their capacity for such a demanding project both in concept and in technical ability.
Each year during the first two weeks of March, approximately 25,000 people visit Lyman Plant House to see the Spring Bulb Show. It is a much loved and highly anticipated event; a Smith College tradition which dates back to the very beginning of the 20th century. Since 2023, students have been invited to design and install a work of art in response to this tradition, expanding, shaping and elevating the exhibit itself.
This is a demanding project which will follow a tight schedule. The fabrication process will take place during J-Term 2025, so students must expect and be available to be on campus during that time. Installation will be completed over the course of the week of February 17th, 2025.
After an initial selection process between October 18 and 24, 3-5 individuals will be invited to present their proposal to the committee to engage in a more in-depth discussion about their concept and answer questions. Winning submissions will be announced on Thursday, November 14.
Timeline
| Tuesday September 10, 2024 | Info session with Younes Rahmoun |
| Friday October 18, 2024 | Submissions Due |
| Friday October 25, 2024 | Candidate selections announced |
| Monday November 4 - Friday November 8th | Candidates present to committee |
| Thursday November 14, 2024 | Winning submission(s) announced |
| Monday December 2, 2024 | First feedback/critique provided |
| Monday December 9, 2024 | Final plans submitted |
| Friday January 2, 2025 | Final materials list submitted |
| Monday January 6 - Friday January 24, 2025 | Ongoing fabrication during J-Term |
| Friday January 10, 2025 | Crit #2 |
| Friday January 17, 2025 | Crit #3 |
| Monday February 17, 2025 | On-site installation begins |
| Thursday, February 20, 2025 | Crit #4 |
| Sunday February 23, 2025 | Installation complete |
| Saturday March 1, 2025 | Bulb show opens to public |
This is a site-specific commission. Each student's work will be installed in one of the two Lyman greenhouses where the bulb show takes place. The two greenhouses, Physiology and Cold Storage, were built in 1914 and are named for their historic uses. The Physiology house was built and used as a laboratory for conducting experiments in plant physiology, and the Cold Storage house was built as a storage space for overwintering bulbs.
The bulb show is installed throughout both of these adjoining greenhouses which are separated by a doorway. The proposal should illustrate evidence that the artist has visited the space and has taken the infrastructure and rough measurements of their chosen greenhouse into consideration. The bulbs will be arranged around the work after it is installed, and the artists will collaborate with the horticulturists to determine their placement.
Use this form to apply. You will be instructed to:
- Include your name and email address
- Note your major and minor (declared or intended)
- Include a written proposal clearly outlining the design plan and describe how the piece relates to the prompt “The legacy of here, now”
- Upload at least 2 illustrations of the proposed installation
- Upload a link to a google drive folder with portfolio/ images of relevant past work
For questions regarding the process or about the space with regard to how it can be used and what might or might not be logistically possible, reach out to Lily Carone to schedule a time to talk or meet in person before submitting your proposal: lcarone@smith.edu
Curious to see what previous students have done? Check out the installations from the 2023 bulb show and the 2024 bulb show.
