Convention Center in OKC Seeks Interior Public Art

Convention Center in OKC Seeks Interior Public Art

Website: https://www.bidsync.com/bidsync-app-web/vendor/links/BidDetail.xhtml?bidid=2032989&returnPage=searchResults

 Oklahoma City, OK, Unknown

The City of Oklahoma City announces this call for professional artists to submit their qualifications to be considered for public art for the two atriums of the new MAPS 4 Convention Center currently under construction.  The goal of this public art commission is to create a monumental public art experience to capture the grandeur of Oklahomans’ spirit and resources, in one or both of the glass-fronted atria. These atria create the grand entrance to the Convention Center.

Budget:  $1,300,000 (one commission for two artworks)

Eligibility: All practicing artists/teams, with all members at least 18 years of age

Deadline:  November 7, 2018 4:00 p.m. Central

View full RFQ for Bid #RFQ-OCITY-060 – REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS: Interior Public Art for Maps3 Convention Center at BidSync.  Applications will only be received through the BidSync system. Free registration is required.

BACKGROUND

Oklahoma City’s new convention center will occupy a site in a formerly blighted zone previously separated from Downtown by an elevated portion of Interstate 40. After the I-40 relocation the area between Downtown and the Oklahoma River was opened for redevelopment. The 70-acre Scissortail Park and the Convention Center, both under construction, are the major publicly funded elements in this renewal. A 605-room Omni Hotel is under construction next door as a public-private partnership, and private developments are planned for adjacent properties.

The facility, scheduled for a summer 2020 opening, is designed by Populous architects, an international leader in convention center design with work across seven countries. The $288 million center will include 200,000 square feet of exhibit space, plus meeting space and a 30,000 square foot ballroom. Main entries to the facility open into spacious atriums, which are the suggested focal points for the art in this announcement.

SELECTION PROCESS

After the submission deadline, artist 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, but not limited to:

  • Project Design Team Member
  • Oklahoma City Economic Development Trust member
  • MAPS 3 Sub-Committee Representative
  • Stakeholder (or designee) Recommended by Arts Commission
  • Arts Commission Representatives (2)
  • Professional art Juror with experience in public art, or as a working artist
  • City Council or City Manager’s Office Representative
  • Facility Operator or designee

The selection committee will be highly involved in the selection of finalists and recommendation of project award. At the first selection meeting, the committee will evaluate all submittals to produce a short-list of three to five finalists. The finalists will then be invited to participate in a mandatory site tour and detailed project overview.  After the site tour the artist will be paid $5,000 to present a site-specific conceptual design to the selection committee.

TIMELINE

  • Call to Artists Announced:  Wednesday October 10, 2018
  • Deadline for Artist Submissions:  No Later than 4:00:00pm CST on November 7, 2018
  • Notification of Jury Results:  December 12, 2018
  • Deadline for Artists to accept/decline invitation to interview:  December 17, 2018
  • Mandatory Site Tour:  January 15, 2019
  • Second Jury/Finalist Interviews:  March 25, 2019
  • Notification of Selection:  by March 28, 2019
  • Contracting Period:  April 1-30, 2019
  • Production/Fabrication:  TBD by contract and construction schedule
  • Installation and Final Inspection:  2020

SELECTION CRITERIA

The following four criteria are considered in the first round of the selection process:

  • 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
  • Experience with projects of a similar scale and scope
  • Appropriateness of artist/curator’s approach and style to the project’s intent and site
  • Price and current market value of artist(s)’ work in relation to the scope and value contemplated for this commission

The following five criteria are considered in the final round of the selection process:

  • Availability to work within project time frame and to be present in Oklahoma City during the design review public meetings
  • Technical feasibility of proposed project
  • Good work habits: ability to meet deadlines, experience with budgeting, good communication skills, good problem-solving abilities—as supported by references
  • Important consideration will also be given to: safety, accessibility, durability, maintenance requirements, permanence of materials, protection against vandalism, and timelessness of the artwork proposed
  • 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.

HOW 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 November 7, 2018 deadline established in this announcement. All document files must be in Word or PDF format. Pages documents will not be accepted: convert them to PDF. Put identifying information on each document (not images) that is submitted: your name, email, and the category, at a minimum.

  1. Artist Statement:  The artist statement is developed by the artist who will be the principal contact and project manager. The artist will lead and manage the project. Prepare 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.
  2. Resume: Include a current professional resume for each artist, emphasizing public art experience.
  3. Six Digital JPG Images for each team member:  NOTE: ONLY DIGITAL (jpg) IMAGES WILL BE ACCEPTED. Include six digital images of COMPLETED WORK ONLY (NO RENDERINGS OR PROPOSALS WILL BE ACCEPTED) in .jpg format with a resolution of approximately 1800 X 1200 pixels (4”X6” at 300dpi/ppi). Images should not exceed 1800 pixels. Review your images against the Image ID Sheet to ensure that the images you submit are numbered in the same order as the information on the Image ID sheet. The six images will be reviewed by the Selection Committee. The initial committee review is “blind”, requiring that no identifying information or the artist/curator or anything but the artwork itself should appear on the images.
  4. Image ID Sheet: An example Image ID Sheet is provided in the 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.

QUESTIONS?  Contact Robbie Kienzle, Robbie.Kienzle@okc.gov All questions must be submitted in writing no later than October 31, 2018 and the answers will be made public.