Roundabout Artwork Opportunity in Toledo

Posted by City of Toledo ; Posted on 
Public Art; Visual - DEADLINE :  
Roundabout Artwork Opportunity in Toledo
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The City of Toledo, The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, and Mercy Health have partnered to commission public art for two newly constructed roundabouts as part of the Cherry Legacy Project at the intersections of Berdan Ave., Detroit Ave., Cherry St. and Manhattan Blvd in Toledo OH.  Artists experienced working in, and with, diverse communities are encouraged to apply.

BUDGET:  $200,000 for 2 roundabouts (one artist/team will be selected for both roundabouts)

ELIGIBILITY:  Professional artists and artist teams over 18 and working in the United States

DEADLINE:  November 29, 2018

ABOUT MERCY HEALTH

The Sisters of Charity of Montreal (Grey Nuns) came to Toledo, OH in 1855 and worked immediately to meet the needs of those in Toledo—once known as the Black Swamp. The sisters literally gave their lives for the people of Toledo. They started small on Cherry Street and continued to grow in size, scope, and service—inclusive of a hospital and orphanage. Under their stewardship, that facility grew into a regional tertiary center now known as Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center. St. Vincent is the oldest hospital in Toledo and continues to be a vital anchor in the Cherry Street corridor. There are seven hospitals in the Toledo area that are owned and operated by Mercy Health.

ABOUT THE CHERRY LEGACY PROJECT

The Cherry St. Legacy Project is anchored at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center. The mission of the hospital is to improve the health of the community with a focus on the poor and the underserved. The Cherry Legacy project brings together multiple neighborhoods around the hospital to create a Health District where people want to live, work and visit. The Project strives to build the neighborhood as a place of evident pride with a strong social fabric, and a safe and walkable area with a solid infrastructure where people interact positively and work together. It is a data driven, neighborhood led initiative.

The Project brings together both neighborhood residents and experts to determine the best alternatives to move the neighborhood forward. LISC assisted in the development of the first Cherry St.Legacy Plan in 2005 with community input and participation from Lagrange, Warren Sherman, Neighborhood In Partnership and North River CDCs. The Plan provides guidance on how the Medical Center can help facilitate the stabilization of the neighborhoods surrounding the hospital. The plan was finalized in 2009 and adopted by the Toledo Plan Commission in January 2011. With a 2010 Neighborhood Housing Services contract to develop and implement an analysis of the neighborhood, the Project has held multiple meetings with the public, performed one-on-one interviews with over 200 residents, and assessed over 600 neighborhood structures. With this information and the expertise of its partners, the Project has passed ordinances and taken steps to improve the neighborhood, including upgrading lighting, resurfacing and repaving roads, structuring partnerships with police and others to reduce crime, demolishing blighted homes, building new homes with NeighborWorks Toledo Region and Ohio Housing Finance Agency, and completing over 150 side lot parcels with the Landbank and the residents.

ABOUT THE SITE

A mix of residential, commercial and industrial property, including the newly redeveloped Overland Industrial Park, surrounds the site. There are two roundabouts that have potential for public artwork at this stage. The selected finalists may consider one or both roundabouts for their proposals based on concept and available budget. The corridor connects major transportation routes such as Interstate 75 and State Route 24. A map of the site can be found here: https://goo.gl/maps/uo88GPhaGML2

TIMELINE

  • October 29, 2018:  Request for Qualifications Launch
  • November 29, 2018: Deadline for RFQ Submissions
  • December 5, 2018: Review of Applications
  • December 12, 2018: Finalists Notified
  • January 16, 2019: Finalists Site Visits
  • February 20, 2019: Finalists Present Proposals
  • March 5, 2019: Winning Proposal Announced

The Arts Commission reserves the right to change the project timeline. Dates for site visits and proposals are tentative and will be based on the availability of the finalists.

SELECTION PROCESS

Submitted qualifications will be judged on a competitive basis. The Design Review Board for this project will review all submissions and select all artists to be reviewed for this commission. Up to three finalists will be selected and asked to create a proposal for the site. The finalists will be invited for a site visit and interviews with the design team. The finalists will then be asked to develop a conceptual approach for artwork at the site and make a presentation of their proposal, including concept, materials, size, weight, details of maintenance guidelines, special equipment needs, and budget. The finalists will be compensated ($2,000) for their participation in this stage of the selection. Travel, lodging and food expenses related to site visits will be reimbursed.

The Design Review Board will be comprised of members of The Arts Commission, Mercy Health, the City of Toledo Engineering Services department and neighborhood stakeholders.

The selected artist(s) shall collaborate closely with the project management team through in-person meetings and other necessary means of communication when developing conceptual designs for artwork and other aesthetic improvements, including identifying the site(s), content, scale, media and to allow the thorough integration of the artwork into the site. The artist must be willing to learn in-depth about the community and the relation to surrounding areas of Toledo, participate on the design team with members of the community and utilize this information in the overall conceptual development of the work.

WHAT TO SUBMIT

Artists interested in this project must prepare and submit the following:

  1. Letter of Interest - This letter should be no more than one page and should explain the artist’s interest in the project.
  2. Current Resume - If submitting as a team, a current resume for each team member should be provided.
  3. Visual Support Materials - Submit 10 digital images of your professional work. Images must be submitted in the following format: File Type: JPEGs   Image Size: Images must be no more than 1920 pixels on the longest side saved at 72 dpi.   File Labeling: Files must be titled with a number indicating the viewing order, followed by the artist's last name. The numbers must correspond to the accompanying Image List. Use "0" in front of single digit numbers. Do not use more than 30 characters, and use only letters, numbers and underscores. example: 01_Smith.jpg
  4. Annotated image list - The image list must include the artist’s name and a brief description of image stating its title, date, medium, size, location and if a commissioned project, the commission budget.
  5. Community Engagement: 2-3 Examples of community engagement projects or workshops that were coordinated with past public art projects
  6. References - A list of at least three professional references that have an intimate knowledge of their work and working methods. The list must include complete emails and telephone numbers.

All submissions must be received by 11:59pm EST, November 29, 2018.

HOW TO SUBMIT

Materials (including links to file sharing services) should be emailed to: nmattimoe@theartscommission.org   Subject line: RFQ Submission – Toledo Roundabouts Art Project

QUESTIONS?  Contact Nathan Mattimoe, Art in Public Places Coordinator 419-254-2787 ext. 1011 or nmattimoe@theartscommission.org