The City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs invites architects, artists and designers to submit qualifications for the design, production and installation of laser cut metal fence to be installed on MLK, Jr Drive underneath the I-20 overpass. The artwork will be part of the 7.2 mile east-west corridor that connects points of interest such as the new Mercedes Benz Stadium, the Atlanta University Center, the Atlanta BeltLine, Westview Cemetery, and several MARTA bus stops.

Please review complete Request for Qualifications here.

Budget: $600,000 all-inclusive ($1,000 proposal fee for finalists)

Deadline: 04/02/2018 10:59 PM Central Time

Eligibility: Architects, designers or artists with portfolios that demonstrate professional experience designing, fabricating, and installing contemporary fencing.

Project Description

Years of community-driven planning, detailed analyses, stakeholder support, and political and financial commitment have come together and integrated social justice to transform the corridor in the heart of Atlanta into a world-class “boulevard.” The goal of the coming together of these entities is to transform through tailored, multi-modal improvements and complementary workforce capacity building, business recruitment, socio-cultural preservation, and green infrastructure. This will not only honor the name of Atlanta’s most famous resident, Martin Luther King, Jr., but further the City of Atlanta’s vision to preserve its historical past, maintain the livability of the present, and transform its future through the highest quality of implementation to enhance the level of service it provides to all people of Atlanta. The initiative is a global showcase for the community-based deployment of recent innovations in transportation safety, delivery, and risk management practices, in a high visibility, internationally significant cultural context.

The area’s culture is internationally significant. It was home to intellectual leaders of human rights, including W.E.B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington, and of course the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.  The goal is to transform MLK, Jr. Drive into an art filled pedestrian and bicycle friendly corridor with improved access to the Atlanta BeltLine and MARTA bus service.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive corridor carries some 28,000 motorists a day and MARTA, which provides local bus service on and parallels the corridor with four heavy rail stations, provides 438,000 trips per weekday. Users of the corridor will benefit from improved operations, more multi-modal options and connections, and reduced conflict between modes.

Artwork Goals

The Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs is looking for qualified applicants to design, fabricate, and install perforated metal fencing under the I-20 overpass on MLK, Jr. Drive with LED backlighting. The westside fence should be roughly 182’ L and the eastside fence should be roughly 156’ L.

Site History

MLK, Jr. Drive is a heavily used east-west corridor linking points of interest such as Downtown Atlanta (which includes the government center), Philips Arena, the new Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta University Center (Morehouse College, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse School of Medicine), historic Westview Cemetery, four MARTA heavy rail stations, and the Fulton County Airport-Brown Field. Suburban and historic urban neighborhoods line the corridor alongside notable parks such as Mozley Park and Washington Park and other community facilities such as the historic Booker T. Washington High School, Adamsville Recreation Center, Atlanta BeltLine, and the Lionel Hampton Multi-use Trail. The corridor also parallels I-20, the region’s major east-west freeway and crosses I-285, the region’s perimeter freeway. At the intersection of Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, MLK Jr. Drive becomes State Route 139 going westward past historic Westview Cemetery, through the Adamsville community and eventually to the Atlanta city limits and Fulton Industrial Boulevard in unincorporated Fulton County. The corridor is served by 14 local and one express bus route and is located near portions of regional multi-use trail systems that currently have limited connectivity. The eastern end of the corridor intersects with the Atlanta Beltline Southwest Trail that is currently under construction.

There are three MARTA Heavy Rail stations within one quarter of a mile of MLK, Jr. Drive and one located on the street. There are 14 MARTA bus routes and three core and secondary bicycle routes on the Drive. I-20 an east-west expressway and I-285 an interstate highway loop encircling Atlanta both intersect MLK, Jr. Drive.

Application Requirements

• Statement of Interest:  In one page using no smaller than 10 pt font, address the conceptual approach of the project; aspects of the site that are of interest; how you would engage the public; and, how the project will contribute to your existing body of work.
• Résumé:  Outline professional accomplishments (maximum 2 pages per person). Include three professional references (name, affiliated organization, email address and phone number).
• Past work samples:  Include images and a list of the works submitted for review that includes title, location, date completed/performed, media, brief description of the project/conceptual information, and budget (if applicable).

Selection Criteria
Finalists will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Artist’s merit and technical expertise
• Demonstrated successful, innovative, and effective approach to architectural, design and public art projects of a similar scope
• Ability to successfully execute projects in a culturally rich and complex area
• Express interest in creating artwork for the opportunities presented by this request for qualifications

Timeline

• March 19, 2018: Deadline for submitting questions
• April 2, 2018: Qualifications due
• April 9, 2018: Evaluation of Qualifications
• April 12, 2018: Artist or artist team selected to submit proposals
• May 28, 2018: Team Presentation/Interviews via skype
• June 4, 2018: Artist or artist team selected and announced
• January 25, 2019: Anticipated completion and installation of final artwork

How to Submit
All submissions must be received ONLY through the CaFE system:  https://www.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=5077

QUESTIONS?  Contact Emily Fisher, EAFisher@AtlantaGA.gov