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Call to Artists for Public Art for Downtown Links
Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
Application Deadline: Tuesday, October 28, 2008, 4 PM
Budget for Artwork:
Currently Advertised Artwork Budget: $550,000
Multiple artists or teams may be selected as the roadway offers varied opportunities; anticipated allocation per selected artist or team to not be less than $100,000
Additional Artwork Budget: $100,000
An additional $100,000 of the art budget is being set aside for several smaller commissions for emerging artists to be awarded (through the Arts Council’s Public Art Roster or a 2nd Call to Artists) toward the end of the design phase (anticipated as mid-2010)
The City of Tucson Department of Transportation is seeking artists, as individuals or teams, to create public art for a transportation project in downtown Tucson, connecting Barraza-Aviation Parkway to the I-10 Frontage Road and providing multimodal access between neighborhoods and business districts adjacent to the four lane roadway. This mile-long road includes varied opportunities for artwork with at grade and below grade segments.
Background: Downtown Links continues Barraza-Aviation, an Arizona Department of Transportation road project completed in 1999. Barraza-Aviation is a limited access highway; Downtown Links, as the last mile of Barraza-Aviation, is designed as a 30 mile per hour, modest, four-lane roadway with slowed traffic, increased access, and improved safety. Information about the background of Downtown Links and the community process to determine the route and configuration may be found by linking to: www.downtownlinks.info.
Status: The alignment for Downtown Links was approved by the Mayor and City Council in June 2008. The anticipated project timeline calls for design into 2010 with construction anticipated to begin in 2011. A two-year construction period is anticipated. View the approved alignment by linking to: www.downtownlinks.info/images/ProposedRecommendations/3D_Curved6thSt.pdf
Urban Design: The Downtown Links project process includes an extensive Urban Design component seeking to identify land use opportunities and implementation strategies. The urban design process is continuing with a series of design workshops scheduled through December.A summary of the current findings can be found by linking to: www.downtownlinks.info/LandUseUrbanDesign.aspx .
These ideas, as well as those to be conveyed through additional resources, offer valuable community context for the artwork.
Opportunities for Art: The above grade and below grade segments offer varied built features with different types of opportunities including but not limited to landscaped areas in which artwork could be sited, vertical surface treatments, integrating artwork into a deck surface area linking neighborhoods to the Warehouse District, and impacting the design of the deck itself. The road traverses and links to several business areas, including the Tucson Historic Warehouse District, Fourth Avenue, Tucson’s downtown, and multiple neighborhoods with distinct characters.
Expectations:
Actively engaging the community or adjacent neighborhoods in artwork design and production may be desirable for some or all roadway segments. Artists, applying as individuals or teams, that encourage and involve local collaboration may be of particular interest. In addition to creating artwork, the selected artist(s) will identify locations along the roadway for additional artwork that could be sited in the future. This artwork will include that commissioned from the $100,000 set-aside or artwork that might be donated in the future.
The artist selection panel, composed of artists, community representatives, a representative of the sponsoring City department, and a project professional will select a number of artists from the applicants, based on qualifications, to interview for the project. The panel may choose to commission one or more artists or teams for the project. A variety of artists may be commissioned based on skill sets and capacities to deal with the variety and specificity of the opportunities.
The awarded artist(s), after being brought under contract, will develop their ideas and designs for the artwork during a design phase expected to extend into 2010. The awarded artist(s) will be expected to interface with one another to encourage compatibility or contrast in the artwork.
The awarded artist(s) will also continue to work with the artist selection panel during the design phase. The awarded artist(s) should anticipate approximately four (4) meetings with the artist selection panel during the design phase. The artist selection panel will review the proposed designs with associated budget projections and determine the allocation of the artwork budget between the selected artists. A goal is to equalize the density of artwork placement and allocated art budget throughout the roadway while remaining sensitive to the relative expense of the various artistic treatments and various physical opportunities.
The awarded artist(s) must be available to participate with the Citizens Advisory Committee, the Technical Advisory Team, and community during the artwork design phase. The awarded artist(s) should anticipate attending up to sixteen (16) public meetings for input and to present the developing artwork design(s) to the community.
The awarded artist(s) should anticipate participation in additional meetings with Project Design Team including the Department of Transportation Project Manager, project engineer, and additional consultants during the design and construction phases.
Following completion of artwork design(s), the awarded artist(s) must meet with the artist selection panel for review, comment, and approval before entering into production of the artwork.
Art Budget: The budget of $550,000 for art must cover all costs related to design, materials, production, transportation and installation of the artwork, as well as costs for permits, taxes, and insurance that may be required by the City of Tucson.
Presubmission Meeting: A Presubmission Meeting for artists interested in applying for this project will be held on Tuesday, October 7, 2008, at 4 PM at the Tucson Pima Arts Council in the Lower Level Conference Room. The Tucson Pima Arts Council is located at 10 E. Broadway on the southeast corner of Broadway and Stone Avenue.
No new or additional information about Downtown Links will be provided at the Presubmission Meeting that cannot be found on the Downtown Links website. The Presubmission meeting is an opportunity for artists not familiar with the artist selection process administered by the Tucson Pima Arts Council to ask questions about the selection process. A Tucson Transportation Department representative will also be available.
Selection Process: A panel composed of members of the Project Design team, artists, arts professionals, and community members will select multiple finalists, based on qualifications as demonstrated through the materials requested below. Interviews with finalists are tentatively scheduled for Thursday, December 4, 2008 beginning at 10 AM. Each finalist will receive a $300.00 honorarium to interview for the project. The Tucson Pima Arts Council is unable to pay travel expenses at this time.
Availability: Calls to Artists issued by the Tucson Pima Arts Council are available on our website at http://www.tucsonpimaartscouncil.org/ . Internet access is available at all public libraries. Artists may sign up to receive email notification of public art opportunities offered through the Tucson Pima Arts Council at: www.tucsonpimaartscouncil.org/mailingList.html . Interested artists without Internet access may obtain a copy of this Call to Artists by calling (520) 624-0595, ext. 10, or a copy may be picked up during regular business hours at the Tucson Pima Arts Council, 10 E. Broadway, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ.
Application Procedure: The following materials as listed in 1, 2, 3, and 4 are required as electronic versions on a CD. All written materials as specified in 1, 2, and 4 below (statement, résumé, and image list) must be submitted on the CD along with one printed copy. Printed versions of the digital images are not required. No application materials will be returned.
- A statement, not to exceed 1 page, of interest and relevant qualifications.
- A résumé or biographical sketch, not to exceed 2 pages, highlighting pertinent experience and which includes a list of Public Art Master Planning projects, including reference or contact, year completed, and if available online, and web address or a list of relevant public art projects with a planning component.
- Eight digital images of your artwork in JPG file format; artists applying as team members may submit four images each. Images are limited to 72dpi and no more than 640 x 480 pixels (no exceptions). High-resolution images will not be accepted. The images should be organized on the CD as individual files and named to correspond to the image list requested below. The JPG file names must include your name, a number, and the image title. A suggested convention for naming the files starts with your last name followed by a number (1-8) and then a brief title of the artwork (Example: Smith-1-Spacelight.jpg).
- An image list, organized to correspond with the image order on the CD, identifying each artwork by title, year completed, medium, dimensions, and a brief description.
Timeframe (Tentative)
Call to Artists Issue Date......................... Thursday, September 11, 2008
Presubmission Meeting............................ Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Application Deadline................................ Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Announcement of Finalists........................ Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Finalists Interviews................................... Thursday, December 4, 2008
Announcement of Recommended Artist(s)................... Monday December 8, 2008
Approval/Contract Process......................................... December 2008 – January 2009
Art Design................................................................ February 2009 through mid-2010
Art Production – Installation........................................ Mid-2010 – June 2012
Note: The timeline for the design, production, and installation of the artwork for different segments may vary to allow coordination with phased construction.
Submission Deadline
Application materials must be received by 4:00 PM on Tuesday, October 28, 2008. Materials may be mailed or delivered to:
Public Art for Downtown Links
Tucson Pima Arts Council
10 E. Broadway, Suite 106
Tucson, AZ 85701
For more information, contact Mary Ellen Wooten at (520) 624-0595 ext. 12 or mewooten@tucsonpimaartscouncil.org, or Shellie Ginn at (520) 791-4371 or Shellie.Ginn@tucsonaz.gov at. Favor de llamar al Tucson Pima Arts Council, 624-0595, para asistencia técnica en español.
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