The Oklahoma City Airport Trust is seeking to commission a professional artist(s) or a team of artists to design, and oversee installation of, integrated permanent works for two specific sites in the Will Rogers World Airport terminal expansion project.

Budget:  $130,000 (for design fees and supervision only)

Eligibility:  Practicing artists over 18 with prior public art experience

Deadline:  September 26, 2018, 4:00 p.m. Central time

BACKGROUND

Will Rogers World Airport is Oklahoma City’s commercial airport that is operated and managed by the Oklahoma City Airport Trust (Trust). The airport is classified as an origin/destination airport, meaning that 95% of the people traveling through the airport are either originating or terminating their trip in Oklahoma City; less than 5% of passengers connect through WRWA. Currently there are 70 tenants on airport property employing nearly 13,000 employees.

WRWA is served by seven major airlines, Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest and United. The airport averages 150 daily arrivals and departures to 30 nonstop destinations. In 2017, nearly four million passengers passed through the airport.

Steady airline, passenger, and tenant growth has created the need for expansion of the existing terminal building at Will Rogers World Airport. The expansion project will add four new airline gates, a larger, more efficient security checkpoint, increased public circulation and new customer amenities such as comfortable greeter lobbies, a military welcome center, and additional concessions.

SITE INFORMATION

Site one is the terrazzo flooring located in the new lobby area in front of the new security checkpoint. The design should be incorporated into the flooring.

Site two is a public circulation area located on the mezzanine level and where a glass wall extends the length of the access corridor and seating area. The design should be acid-etched into the glass.

ADDITIONAL PROJECT CONSIDERATIONS

Since the selected Artworks will require a high level of coordination, artist(s) or the team must be available and willing to work closely with the Arts Liaison, Will Rogers World Airport staff, the project consultant, general contractor and subcontractors to integrate the site-specific Artwork into the newly designed facility.

Artists must also consider the following:

• Design must contribute to the architectural and cultural heritage of Oklahoma City.
• Design must reflect the local customs, styles or cultural attitudes, and provide a sense of place.
• Artist must be sensitive to the budget, construction timeline, and overall schedule for terminal expansion completion.
• Ease of maintenance for the Artwork
• Work will be limited to the areas to be used by the public as reflected in the design and construction documents.
• General contractor and subcontractors will install the work, excepting any artist designed elements as may be selected and recommended for contract.

TIMELINE

• Technical Questions (due by 12:00:00 PM CDT) ………………………………… September 20, 2018
• Deadline for Artist Submissions (due by 4:00:00 PM CDT) …………………. September 26, 2018
• First Selection Committee Jury ………………………………………………….. week of October 15, 2018
• Notification of First Selection Round Results …………………………………….. by October 22, 2018
• Deadline for Artists to accept/decline invitation to tour and interview ……… October 26, 2018
• Mandatory Site Tour …………………………………………………………………………. November 20, 2018
• Second Jury/Finalist Interviews …………………………………………………………….. January 11, 2019
• Design Review and Trust Selection………………………………………………… January-February 2019
• Contract Approval ……………………………………………………………………………….. March 28, 2019
• Production/Fabrication ………………………………….. TBD by contract and construction schedule
• Installation and Final Inspection …………………….. TBD by contract and construction schedule

Construction of the terminal expansion is expected to begin the first quarter of 2019 and to be completed first quarter of 2021.

SELECTION PROCESS

After the submission deadline, artist(s) application materials will be screened by staff to ensure completeness of applications and conformity to the standards outlined in this Call to Artists before presentation to the Selection Committee. Incomplete submittals will not be considered. The Selection Committee will be comprised of:

• Director of Airports or his designee
• Trustee or Surrogate Trustee of the Oklahoma City Airport Trust
• Terminal Expansion Design Architect Team Representative
• Oklahoma City Arts Commissioner
• Professional Art Juror
• Stakeholder Representative

The names of the committee members will not be announced prior to the jury. The Selection Committee will be highly involved in the selection of finalists and the recommendation of artist selection to the Trust.

At the first selection meeting, the committee will evaluate all submittals that were complete and timely made to produce a short-list of three to five finalists. The initial evaluation is blind. The finalists will then be invited to participate in two events:

1. The first event is a mandatory site tour of the existing airport terminal and for a first-hand look at the design, layout and materials to be implemented for the overall Terminal Expansion project. Artists will meet local representatives and hear about the project and relevant history. The local representatives will also familiarize the finalists with the design, materials, construction schedule, and requirements for the final selection interview.

2. The second event is an in-person presentation interview with the Selection Committee, where the artist(s) will present a site specific conceptual design report and other information resulting from what was learned from the mandatory site tour. The artist(s) may also present dimensioned sketches, renderings and/or a model of their proposed design, along with:

• A detailed budget for all design elements
• Installation details
• Background information about their artist, team members, and each member’s role on the project
• A maintenance plan with an estimate of costs to operate and maintain the work proposed
• One-page artist statement about work proposed
• Statement about any conflicts in schedule for project
• Comprehensive list of curated shows, commissions and awards over the last ten years (public and private)
• Project reference contact information for each artist team member

Each Finalist or Finalist Team who is selected and invited to participate in the mandatory site tour and design presentations will be paid an honorarium of $4,000 to include all design fees, materials, transportation, and any other costs or fees associated with competing in the final selection phase.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The Selection Committee will use the following criteria in selecting the appropriate artist(s) or team and design for this project:

1. Artistic excellence, originality and ability to produce a consistent body of work, as evidenced by representation of past work in images and other supporting materials
2. Experience with projects of a similar scale and scope
3. Appropriateness of artist’s or team’s approach and style to the project’s intent and site
4. Availability to work within project’s time frame and budget, and to be present in Oklahoma City during the design and coordination meetings
5. Price and current market value of artist(s) work in relation to the scope and value contemplated for this commission
6. Technical feasibility of proposed project
7. Good work habits: ability to meet deadlines, experience with budgeting, good communication skills, good problem-solving abilities—as supported by references
8. Important consideration will also be given to: safety, accessibility, durability, maintenance requirements, permanence of materials, protection against vandalism, and timelessness of the artwork proposed by the Artist(s).
9. Other criteria as may be established by the jurors–any additional criteria shall be outlined in the jury’s written instructions provided to artist(s) invited to compete in the second stage of the competition.

WHAT TO SUBMIT

To fully respond to this Request for Qualifications you will be required to upload the following items to BidSync prior to the 4:00:00 pm CDT deadline established in this announcement. Failure to submit the following will result in disqualification from consideration.

• Artist Statement:  The artist statement is developed by the artist who will be the principal contact and project manager. This artist will lead and manage the project and shall provide a brief letter explaining why you are the best candidate for this project. If a team, explain the team members’ roles and why your combined experience makes you the best candidates to be considered for this project.
• Resume: Include a current professional resume for each artist emphasizing public art experience.
• Six Digital JPG Images for each team member: Note: Only digital (JPG or PDF) images of completed work will be accepted. No renderings or proposals may be included. Include six digital images in.jpg format, not to exceed 2MB in size (use image resolution not less than 72 ppi and not more than 200 ppi). Match images to Image ID sheet, numbered and ordered correctly. The initial Selection Committee review is “blind”; no identifying information of the artist/team, or anything but the artwork itself and surrounding detail can be on the images.
• Image ID Sheet: An example Image ID Sheet is attached in the full project announcement. You will create a similar form with the same information on your computer, save, and upload along with the other required documents when you submit your qualifications.

SUBMITTING THROUGH BIDSYNC

Proposers must register with BidSync at https://www.bidsync.com in order to submit their qualifications electronically. It is recommended that potential proposers register and become familiar with the BidSync electronic proposal process far in advance of submitting their qualifications materials. There is no charge to the proposer for registering or submitting an electronic proposal for this project through BidSync. You may receive a sales call about upgrading your registration, but there is no obligation to do so for projects announced through Oklahoma City’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. Instructions on how to get registered to propose through BidSync can be found on the City’s website at http://www.okc.gov/bidsyncinstructions.

QUESTIONS?

All questions must be submitted and answered through the BidSync system.  Download full RFQ here.