City of Baltimore Seeks Public Art for Community Health Clinic

City of Baltimore Seeks Public Art for Community Health Clinic

Website: https://promotionandarts.submittable.com/submit/101589/request-for-qualifications-public-art-for-community-health-and-wellness-center-a

 443-263-4338

 Baltimore, MD, Unknown

Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA), in collaboration with the Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) and the Baltimore City Department of General Services, seeks a professional artist or artist team to design and produce unique, public artwork for the interior of the new Community Health & Wellness Center located at 1200 E. Fayette St. in Baltimore City. BCHD hopes to feature artwork that can add to the overall quality of life throughout the Community Health & Wellness Center as well as engage the patients using the clinic.

Budget:  $130,000

Eligibility:  Professional artists or artist teams, living in the United States and with all members over 18

Deadline:  February 28, 2018

Project Overview

BCHD operates two clinics that provide essential health services to underinsured and uninsured individuals. Services provided by the clinic include  immunizations for children, reproductive planning services, STD and HIV prevention and testing, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C care, dental services, and tuberculosis screening and treatment.

This clinic is designed to replace BCHD’S Eastern Clinic, a building built in the 1950’s. The Eastern Clinic building does not reflect the quality of care that patients receive or respect that they deserve. Purchasing the new building at 1200 E. Fayette provides the Health Department the opportunity to modernize technology, expand services, and create a welcoming environment for all of its patients in order to reduce the potential stress of receiving health services. In addition to the clinical services listed above, the new center will have a wellness center where activities such as cooking demonstrations, yoga, and support group meetings will be held. The second floor of the building has office space for various Health Department programs and a conference room that will be used for staff meetings and community trainings. The clinic serves a multicultural, multilingual, and multigenerational patient population.

Opportunities for Public Art

Getting HIV/STD testing or receiving immunizations can be stressful. The Community Health and Wellness Center should be a welcoming environment for staff and patients and should instill a sense of calm as patients enter and wait for their appointment. This call seeks to commission an artist or team to develop new and unique public artwork for the interior of the Community Health and Wellness Center to assist in developing this atmosphere.

Multiple areas have been identified to integrate artwork throughout the interior public spaces of the Center:

  1. The main entrance and waiting area will host many patients as they enter the clinic and wait to be seen.
  2. The hallway/stairwell atrium is a large high ceiling space with natural light, and a main thoroughfare for both patients and staff.
  3. The secondary waiting area will host patients and include a children’s corner
  4. The wellness center and training kitchen will host fitness classes, support group meetings, and healthy cooking lessons.
  5. The courtyard adjacent to the communal space/kitchen is planned to be a “sanctuary garden” where patients or staff may find a moment of peace.
  6. The communal conference center will be a space featuring modern technology to support community education and staff professional development.

BCHD hopes to feature artwork that can add to the overall quality of life throughout the Community Wellness Center as well as engage the patients using the clinic. The opportunity is open for any artist(s) with community arts or teaching experience to work directly with patients, community members or staff in developing or creating elements of a project that would be visible throughout the interior of the center.

Application Requirements

All applications are required to provide:

  • Artist Name/Team Name
  • Contact information (address, telephone, email, website)
  • Brief personal, or team biography (300 words max)
  • C.V. or Resume (2 pages max)
  • Statement of Interest (500 words max) In 500 words or less, please describe why you or your team are well suited to create art for the Community Health and Wellness Center at 1200 E. Fayette St.
  • Work Samples & description sheet (1 page): Please submit 6 photos, video or audio samples documenting previous work. Work samples should illustrate your artistic practice, qualifications for this project, and any relevant public art experience. Applicants may provide concept drawings and renderings for in-progress commissions. Applicants should not submit proposals or renderings for the project associated with this application. Single Page “description sheet” should provide the title, project title, size, material, and budget/cost for the work samples.

Selection Criteria

  • Artistic Quality and strong design skills: Applicants should be able to produce a creative and functional plan that meets the goals and the specifications set forward for this project.
  • Strong verbal, written and graphic communication skills: Applicants should exhibit good people and communication skills and be able to effectively collaborate with multiple project stakeholders and agencies as they develop, present, and receive feedback on their designs.
  • Previous experience: Applicants should have professional experience working on public art or design projects that include project development, planning, fabrication. Artists with experience working in public health or public service settings, and/or arts based community or social engagement projects within their portfolio, are encouraged to apply.
  • Accessibility and Availability: This project requires the selected artist to be able to meet and collaborate in person with a variety of stakeholders and clients. Availability, proximity and familiarity with Baltimore City are an advantage. Applicants should maintain reasonable availability to perform this work and complete the project within the estimated project timeline.

How to Apply

Apply online via Submittable.

QUESTIONS?  Contact Ryan Patterson, Public Art Administrator, rpatterson@promotionandarts.org or call (443) 263-4338.