Call for artists

Public Art Commission at University Hospital Dorset

Pub­lic Art Com­mis­sion at Uni­ver­si­ty Hos­pi­tals Dorset

Call-out for South-West established artists to submit an expression of interest for a Public Artwork at Royal Bournemouth Hospital, BEACH building.

Our brand new BEACH building at Royal Bournemouth Hospital will open in the spring of 2025. This flagship building is a major part of a £500M transformation of University Hospitals Dorset (UHD), providing improved hospital care for our community. BEACH stands for Births, Emergency, And, Critical Care, Children's Health, and will be the major site for emergency treatment in our Trust.

We are looking to further enhance this building with a public artwork, to:
-Champion art as a key aspect of the healing environment
-Form the focus point for an art trail at the hospital, connecting to the wider hospital environment
-Link to other art initiatives across the hospitals, including staff and patient participation projects
-Create a sense of welcome and improved wellbeing for public visitors to the hospital.

The artwork will be sited on the exterior of the BEACH building, on the primary approach to the main entrance from the public transport hub. This location will see an extensive daily footfall and would be the first impression of the hospital for a large number of patients and visitors, as well as a main route for staff.

This commission seeks to appoint one artist or an artist partnership for this key site.

The successful artist/s will:
-Create and deliver an original proposal that responds to the site and key themes
-Work in any media and material, as long as the artwork created is permanent and durable, with a minimum 15 year lifespan.
-Ideally have a connection to the local area

Visit our online portal here: https://atamis-1928.my.site.com/s/Welcome and click on ‘view our live opportunities’ and search ‘public art commission for University Hospitals Dorset’. Job reference number: C284297.
There is more detail about the commission on this link.

Artists to initially submit:
-Up to six images of previous works relevant to this project
-Your CV
-A cover letter expressing your interest and outlining your initial ideas
and approach to the artwork (500 words max), in response to the brief 'From the coastline to the forest', reflecting the catchment area of residents and staff who access and work at University Hospital Dorset.

UHD is keen to support freelance artists and welcomes you to contact us
if you would like to request any reasonable adjustments to the submission requirements.
Disciplines
Sculpture Public art