Public Art Sought for Fire Station

The City of Bothell, WA is seeking a qualified artist or artist team to develop site-specific artwork for Fire Station #42.

Budget: $100,000
Eligibility: Professional artists living in the United States
Deadline: 07/17/2020

About Bothell
The City of Bothell, Washington is located in the Seattle metropolitan area, straddling two counties, King and Snohomish, and approximately 20 miles northeast of downtown Seattle. It has an estimated population of 46,000. A one percent (1%) for Public Art is assessed on City of Bothell capital improvement projects (CIP), and the Bothell Art Commission (BAC) together with City departments manage the design and development of art that is integrated into City projects and approved by City Council. The Art Committee reviewing this project is composed of members from BAC, Fire Department personnel, and Design-Build team members.

Project Description
Fire Station #42 is located at 10726 Beardslee Blvd in downtown Bothell. Located on a bustling street, this station links Bothell's Main Street of shops and eateries and UW Bothell/Cascadia College campuses. The design team has determined that preference will be given to artwork that is located on the exterior of the property and can be viewed by passersby. The art committee welcomes an innovative approach to the art that is potentially:

• Reflective of the City of Bothell Fire Department’s mission and vision
• Engages the community and is of historic significance
• Connects to other significant areas or neighborhoods such as UW Bothell/Cascadia College
• An opportunity to incorporate light
• An opportunity to signify when a fire or medic response is occurring

Artist Scope of Work
The artist will work collaboratively with the City’s project manager and Design-Builder in development of plans and specifications, schedule and installation, and specifications for the artwork installation and maintenance. The installation specifications must be complete within the design timeline and the fabrication and installation must be complete by substantial completion. The City has retained the team of BNBuilders and Miller Hull Architects to design and build the building with plans and specifications anticipated to reach 90% design by the first quarter of 2021. The artist will work with the art committee and the City’s project manager to develop an artwork that meets stakeholder expectations, fits the needs of the project, and is fabricated and installed within the schedule of general construction.

Timeline
The following schedule is of major milestones and may be modified as needed:

• June 8, 2020: RFQ Posted
• June 19, 2020: Questions Due
• June 26, 2020: Answers Provided
• July 17, 2020: RFQ due
• Week of July 20: If needed, selection panel conducts virtual interviews and recommends finalists
• Friday, July 31: Finalists notified to proceed with concept proposal
• Week of August 3: Virtual Project Orientation with Artist Finalists, Art Committee, Project Manager and Architect
• August 28: Selected finalist’s concept proposals due
• Week of September 1: Art committee reviews proposals
• Week of September 7: BFS/DB review of Art Committee finalist
• September 10: Art Committee meets with Bothell Arts Commission and recommends finalist
• September 15: Council Consideration to Approve Artist and Concept
• September 16: Contract of Award for Artist
• October 26: Construction Documents for Artwork and Fabrication and Installation Schedule
• Winter 2021: Building Construction Start
• Station 42 Q4 of 2022: Building Construction Substantial Completion

Selection Process
The art committee will review responses to the RFQ and select up to three finalists to submit proposals. Finalists will be compensated $1,000 to present a concept description, budget, and simple model, and/or preliminary schematics. Finalist that are chosen to present proposals will be provided with a project orientation prior to their submittal.

Selection Criteria

• Quality of past work of similar scale and context
• Demonstrated ability to research and develop art that is reflective of the community
• Demonstrated design and project management skills working with a public project
• Demonstrated ability to work with architects, engineers, contractors and a diverse project team, including examples of how previous works have
• evolved in response to input from diverse stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to meet project timeline and budget

What to Submit

1. Letter of Interest (1,000 words or less) that includes: • Why this project is of interest to you  • General approach to concepts and designs for public artwork  • Relevant skills and experience including concept development, review process, and implementation  • Description of similar projects
2. Digital work samples (one pdf of no less than 10 images that clearly show past work experience)
3. Resumes of artist or artists with identification of team leader if that applies. Only one file may be uploaded so multiple resumes must be combined and submitted as one file.
4. Contact information for three references.

How to Submit

Submit online only via the CaFE system.  Submittals will be accepted by the City of Bothell until 10:59 p.m. PDT on July 17, 2020. Late submissions will not be accepted. All qualifications must be submitted using this platform. Paper copy submissions will not be considered.

QUESTIONS?  Contact DeNae McGee, denae.mcgee@bothellwa.gov