The City of Minneapolis invites experienced artists to apply to design patterning for portions of the bird-safe glass frit for the New Public Service Building. Artists will NOT be responsible for the cost of installation: the fee is for DESIGN ONLY. This is the second of multiple calls for artists for the New Public Service Building. Future calls could include narrative murals, luminous ceilings, drinking fountains, a handrail and media works.
BUDGET: $30,000 (design fee only; no fabrication responsibility)
ELIGIBILITY: U.S. professional artists
DEADLINE: August 3, 2018, 4 p.m. Central time
Optional Local Informational Meeting for Artists: July 13, 3:30 p.m., CST, Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall
The New Public Service Building
The New Public Service Building will strategically co-locate City employees and services currently in several leased and owned sites throughout downtown Minneapolis. It is being designed to be sustainable, resilient, better serve residents and businesses, and to improve productivity. This new City building will be at 501 Fourth Avenue South, a site that is currently a parking ramp. The building is expected to be ten stories tall and accommodate 250,000-300,000 square feet of interior space. The design team for the Consolidated Office building includes the Minneapolis firm MSR (Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle) working in partnership with the international firm Henning Larsen. Construction of the new building is expected to begin in the fall of 2018 and be completed by summer 2020. The City expects the building to be occupied and open to the public by the fall of 2020.
Location and Neighborhoods
The New Public Service Building will be strategically located across from the Hennepin County Government Center and diagonally across from City Hall. This area of Minneapolis, known as Downtown East, is home to many recent major developments, including US Bank Stadium and a new Wells Fargo campus.
The Consolidated Office Building Bird-Safe Glass Frit Project
The City is seeking artists to design the patterning for portions of the bird-safe glass frit for the building. Artists do not need to have experience designing glass works in order to apply.
The intent of this commission is to create a large-scale integrated artwork that becomes part of the architectural iconography of the New Public Service Building design and that reflects the city and this new building as a shared public space. The selected artist will design an appropriate work for the building and work with city staff and design team to refine the design as necessary, obtain approvals and create documents for the fabricator.
The final design should:
- Be a sophisticated, timeliness and appropriate design for this important civic building.
- Be an abstract geometric pattern.
- Use a white frit.
- Complement the architectural language of the exterior and interior of the building.
- Fluidly integrate with the architectural frit of the rest of the building.
- Consider the effects and composition of the frit as it is read from a distance on exterior, as well as up close as it creates a play of light and shadow on the interior spaces of the building.
- Be successful as the light changes throughout the day.
- Meet stated criteria in terms of transparency and percentage of area covered by the pattern.
The exact location for the art frit within the building has not been finalized, as the City is still investigating where bird-safe glass is needed. It is estimated that 3,000 square feet may be covered by the art frit. Finalists will be provided with interior and exterior diagrams of exact locations.
The frit design will also need to be compatible with the overall aesthetic design for the building exterior and the public goals of the public art program for the building, which include:
- Create a public space that is inviting, pleasant and compelling for visiting businesses and residents.
- Reflect the culture and diversity of the city through history and storytelling.
- Reflect the mission of public service, the City’s commitment to transparency and educate the public about the City services.
- Support a work environment that promotes wellness, a diversity of work styles, collaboration, and innovation.
- Be thoughtfully integrated into the architectural identity and design, materials, and palette.
- Be contemporary, yet timelessly elegant, and meaningful.
- Enhance the focal points, entrances, plazas and wayfinding systems.
- Celebrate the sustainability goals of this project and the facility.
- Be durable and maintainable in Minneapolis' climate and urban environment.
Artist’s Responsibilities
Artists/artist teams will collaborate with the design team, project staff and steering committee. Responsibilities include:
Design and Engagement
- Working closely and in person with design team members for the project.
- Designing a fritted glass pattern according to the constraints of the process.
- Developing and refining this design with input from staff, the design team and facility committees.
- Developing designs that comply with all codes and functional requirements.
- Developing final drawings, presentation materials, and other visual and written items.
- Providing documents for the purpose of the City obtaining approvals from all of the appropriate entities.
Communications and Administration
- Providing ongoing regular updates to City staff and project managers including regular and consistent email communications.
- Coordinating as needed with other consultants for the project.
- Communicating completed phases of the project and requesting payment.
- Aligning communications and outreach with City staff, project team members and others.
Copyright and Ownership
- Providing the City with copyright privileges to make two-dimensional reproductions for non-profit use, such as brochures, publicity and web-site publications.
- Providing the City the right to use any documentation of the project submitted including site plans, images of engagement, fabrication, installation, etc.
- If the artwork is integrated into the site in a way that it cannot be removed without destroying a portion of the site infrastructure, waiving their rights according to appropriate sections of the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990.
Documentation
- Providing the City with documentation of the project, including designs, written descriptions and presentations.
Project Timeline
- June 28, 2018: Call for Artists Posted
- July 13, 2018: Artist Informational Meeting, 3:30 p.m., CST, Minneapolis Central Library Doty Board Room, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis
- July 20, 2018: Deadline for Submitting Questions to mary.altman@minneapolismn.gov
- July 22, 2018: Posting of Materials from Informational Meeting and Questions and Answers on Website
- August 3, 2018: Deadline for Submission of qualifications, 4 p.m., CST
- Week of August 13, 2018: Finalists Notified
- Week of August 20, 2018: Informational Meeting for Finalists
- September 17: Deadline for Finalists submissions
- Week of September 17: Finalists Interviews and Selection
- Mid November: Final Drawings Due
- Fall 2020: Building Open to the Public
How to Apply
All questions regarding this proposal should be submitted in email to: mary.altman@minneapolismn.gov by July 20, 4pm CST. All questions and answers will be compiled and posted online as an addendum to this Call for Artists. They will also be sent to all artists who complete an Intent to Apply form.
Artists planning to apply must complete the Intent to Apply form. You will then receive an email with a link to a folder to upload your application. Do NOT email proposals or send links to file transfer programs such as Dropbox. It is recommended that you complete the Intent to Apply form prior to the day of the deadline.
For more information, visit the City’s website at: http://www.minneapolismn.gov/dca/callforartists.
What to Submit
Artwork Samples
- Submit images of your previous work that demonstrate your ability as an artist to design a pattern for the glass frit.
- Submit ten images as jpegs. It is recommended that your images be roughly 1920 x 1920 pixels and no more than 1.8 MB in file size.
- Images that do not meet the required formats may not be considered.
- Videos or websites will not be reviewed.
Written Materials: Proposal packets should be submitted in one single 8 ½” x 11” pdf. Please include:
- Cover Sheet: A completed copy of the attached cover sheet.
- Written Description: A written description of up to two pages that addresses:
- Why you are interested and what excites you most about the project;
- If you are an artist team, your experience working together in the past, and which artist will be the lead contact for your team;
- Other commitments and time frames during which you would be unavailable.
- Resume: A current resume(s) of all of the artists involved, including information on background and ability to conduct the tasks listed. Up to two pages per artist.
- Image List: A completed copy of the Image List form.
- References: The names, addresses, and daytime phone numbers of three references who can speak about your ability as an artist and, a collaborator, and if relevant, as a team
How Will Applications Be Reviewed?
A selection panel will review applications based on these criteria. The panel will include: An artist, arts administrator, architect or landscape architect, arts commissioner; a project site representative, a Public Works staff member, an appropriate community representative, and two at-large members. Their selection will be based on the following criteria:
Stimulate excellence in urban design and public arts:
- Is the artist’s submission, previous work and/or proposed idea engaging and high quality in concept and construction?
- Is the quality of the artist’s previous work comparable to other artwork commissioned by the City?
- Is the artist not over represented in the City’s collection?
- Does the artist have a significant or engaging body of work?
- Does the artist have experience collaborating with city planners and other professionals?
- Does the artist have experience with architectural and engineering drawings and methods?
- Does the artist have experience in comparable projects and artistic disciplines?
Enhance community identity and place:
- Is the artist familiar with the community and setting and its characteristics, including history, identity, geography and cultures?
- Has the artist’s previous work been appropriate to those communities and settings and the above characteristics?
- Does the artist have experience integrating artwork into infrastructure and public spaces?
Contribute to community vitality:
- Have the artist’s previous projects attracted visitors and residents?
- Does the artist’s previous work or proposed process build capacity between the private and public sectors, artists, arts organizations and community members?
- Does the artist’s previous work or proposed process encourage civic dialogue about community, cultures or City issues?
- Do the artist’s previous projects incorporate or address relevant cultural or historical events?
Involve a broad range of people/communities:
- Does the artist have experience working with communities and diverse groups?
- Does the artist have a demonstrated ability to address ADA regulations as they apply to public art?
- Does the artist’s previous or proposed process celebrate one or more of the City’s cultural communities?
- Does the artist have experience in projects that bring people together or create gathering places?
Value artists and artistic process:
- Does the artist have a unique or appropriate cultural, geographic or artistic perspective?
- Does the proposed project or process appropriately support the integrity of the artwork and the moral rights of the artist?
- Does the proposed project or design process include the artist and the artistic process as a central element?
Use resources wisely:
- Is the artist’s previous work or proposed project sustainable, secure and technically feasible?
- If the proposers are a team, is the team a manageable size and do they show demonstrated experience working together?
- Has the artist’s previous work been within the timeline and budget and is the artist able to work within the City’s timeline and budget?
QUESTIONS? Contact Mary Altman, Public Arts Administrator, City of Minneapolis – Community Planning and Economic Development, Office: 612-673-3006; email mary.altman@minneapolismn.gov
