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Public Art Opportunity | VenturaWaterPure

CAMH is thrilled to share this unique opportunity for artists working in the public realm to engage with a major water recycling initiative in Ventura, California. This partnership extends beyond the walls of the Museum in service of our goal to reach new audiences and directly impact civic life in Houston and beyond. See more about CAMH’s partnerships and public initiatives here.

The City of Ventura, California, with support from Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH), is seeking artists qualifications for the design of integrated artworks at VenturaWaterPure – Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF), a forthcoming water treatment facility in Ventura, California. VenturaWaterPure aims to create a platform for artist-led initiatives that celebrate the story of water recycling and highlight the ecological significance of new water resources while also incorporating an educational component to promote water recycling awareness.

VenturaWaterPure is a prominent civic initiative that will recover, treat, and reuse water currently discharged into the Santa Clara River Estuary, establishing a locally-owned water source independent of rainfall and ensuring a drought-resilient supply. The planned facility represents the city’s commitment to environmental stewardship by implementing sustainable water practices while integrating public artwork(s) to celebrate water resources, engage the community, and capture the imagination.

The selected artist(s) will be commissioned to create new work(s) designed to integrate within the projects landscape, architecture, or stand alone, enhancing its aesthetic qualities and amplifying the project’s civic mission. As part of this initiative, artists will be encouraged to consider the potential of their artwork to ‘show’ the transformation of water within the facility. We look forward to receiving submissions from artists who can envision and portray the journey of water recycling in a way that inspires and captivates the public, leaving a lasting impact on the community by promoting environmental consciousness and appreciation for its precious water resources.

Request for Qualifications are due September 30, 2023 and open to professional artists or artist-led teams with experience in public art.

Apply Here

About VenturaWaterPure

Ventura Water manages the operations of the Ventura Water Reclamation Facility (VWRF), which provides wastewater services to approximately 109,000 residents and businesses within the City limits and water service to limited areas within unincorporated Ventura County. VenturaWaterPure is an indirect potable reuse program that will recover, treat, and reuse water currently discharged into the Santa Clara River Estuary. This project will divert treated water from Ventura’s wastewater treatment facility to a new Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF), which will treat the source water to drinking water standards and inject it into local groundwater basin for storage and later extract and deliver it to customers. The VenturaWaterPure project will allow the City to meet legal and regulatory requirements, improve water quality, and secure a new local and drought-resilient source of drinking water.

Image caption: Rendering of VenturaWaterPure Advanced Water Purification Facility, courtesy the City of Ventura, California.