The City of Raleigh is overhauling two major downtown streets, Blount Street, and Person Street, and converting them from one-way thoroughfares into two-way streetscapes. Potential public art opportunities include stand alone sculptures, and/or artwork integrated into pedestrian paving, lighting, benches/bike racks or other site elements.
BUDGET: $120,000
ELIGIBILITY: Professional artists residing in the United States who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents
DEADLINE: June 15, 2020
Project Description
The Blount St.-Person St. Corridor can be seen through multiple lenses: as a major urban thoroughfare, as a commercial and business street, and as a neighborhood address. The corridor extends over five miles from Capital Boulevard to Interstate 40, including Wake Forest Road, Blount Street, Person Street, and Hammond Road, with the core of the corridor being the one-way pair of Blount Street and Person Street.
The project runs through several historic neighborhoods, and a close look reveals that the corridor reflects the complicated history of the American South. The north end of the corridor is anchored by the historic Mordecai and Oakwood neighborhoods as well as William Peace University. The Mordecai House which sits along the corridor, was once the site of the largest plantation in Wake County.
The middle of the corridor cuts through the downtown core and an area that was referred to as Raleigh’s Black Main Street. Within this center area are the newly renovated Moore Square and City Market (one of the few non-segregated shopping areas in the early 20th century).
At the southern end, sits the South Park-East Raleigh Neighborhoods. This historic district is a collection of African American neighborhoods that
developed just after the Civil War through the first decades of the twentieth century. The thirty-block area lies east and south of downtown Raleigh and is predominantly residential with working-class and middle-class housing stock, churches, and small grocery stores. Houses are densely packed and sometimes close to the street with well-kept yards and flower gardens. Notable landmarks that abut the streetscape include the Tupper Memorial Baptist Church and Shaw University (First four year medical school, and first African American University in North Carolina).
The Northern and Southern ends of the corridor also indicate a transition from residential homes to the industrial/commercial areas outside of the downtown area. One-way streets are a relatively recent invention intended to increase throughput and speed for motor vehicles. During the 1950s to 1970s, many two-way streets, particularly in downtowns, were converted to one-way to facilitate higher volumes of motor vehicles to, from, and through the city as well as to encourage faster access. The unintended consequences on retail success, pedestrians, and quality of life were not well understood at the time. Many cities have restored two-way operations on some of their one-way streets in order to help revitalize street-level activity, promote business access and visibility, and calm traffic in commercial districts and neighborhoods, as the City of Raleigh has recently done on Lenoir Street and South Street.
To learn more about the project visit: https://raleighnc.gov/projects/blount-st-person-st-two-way-conversion-project
Public Art Goals and Opportunities
The public art can be stand-alone or integrated into the site. Potential opportunities include stand alone sculptures, and/or artwork integrated into
pedestrian paving, lighting, benches/bike racks or other site elements. The Project adds roundabouts at the north and south ends of downtown
Raleigh. These roundabouts provide potential locations for gateway artwork(s). The artist will work closely with the design team, project stakeholders, and the community.
Project Timeline
Selection Process and Criteria
Applications submitted in response to this RFQ will be reviewed by the City of Raleigh Public Art Director, who will then forward all complete and eligible applications received by the deadline to the Artist Selection Panel, appointed by the Public Art and Design Board. The Panel may include: a member of the Public Art and Design Board, professional artists and arts professionals, stakeholders from community groups, and representatives from city departments.
The selection process will consist of two stages: During the first stage, the Artist Selection Panel will evaluate qualifications of artists based on three criteria:
The Artist Selection Panel will identify up to three finalists to invite to Raleigh for interviews. Finalists selected for the Stage 2 interviews will receive a $1000 stipend to cover travel and related expenses associated with the interview (NOTE: in person interviews in July may not be an option with the current Coronavirus situation). Artists who video-conference for this interview will receive a stipend of $250. In addition to reviewing qualifications, panelists will discuss with finalists their prospective approaches to the project. They will also respond to questions. A specific proposal is not expected at this interview.
The Artist Selection Panel will choose the artist for the project and forward that recommendation to the Public Art and Design Board. Upon approval by the Public Art and Design Board, a scope of services and budget will be developed based on the artist’s or artist team’s approach to the project.
What to Submit
Artists wishing to be considered must submit the following materials:
Do not provide or submit any other materials with your application. They will not be reviewed by the panel and will not be returned.
How to Submit
Apply online using this link: https://raleigharts.slideroom.com/#/permalink/program/54431
QUESTIONS? Contact Kelly McChesney, Public Art Director for the Office of Raleigh Arts, at 919.996.5657 or Kelly.McChesney@raleighnc.gov.
