St. Louis Lambert International Airport (“the Airport”), owned and operated by the City of St. Louis, is seeking qualifications from artists and artist teams to create an original work of art for a highly visible two-story wall in the C-Concourse Checkpoint/Exit area of Terminal 1.

Budget: $200,000
Eligibility: (none indicated)
Deadline: 08/26/2019 11:59 PM Central Time

Site History
The project coincides with the 100-year anniversary of aviation at the current Airport site. Major Albert Bond Lambert, a World War I veteran and student of the Wright brothers, first leased 170 acres of Missouri farmland in 1920. The land was initially used for hot air balloon flights, a National Guard base, mail delivery, air races, and even early transcontinental flight. Lambert later bought the field and sold it to the City of St. Louis in 1928, to establish one of the first municipally-owned airports in the country. Throughout its history, the Airport has influenced significant aviation milestones: Charles Lindbergh; impact on the Space Race through the growth of the McDonnell Douglas Corporation (later Boeing); and the historic Minoru Yamasaki-designed Terminal. The Airport continues to meet the ever-changing challenges of air travel and the aviation industry, connecting the St. Louis region to the world for nearly a century and thinking innovatively into the future.

The Lambert Art and Culture Program builds upon the culturally rich legacy of St. Louis Lambert International Airport. Our mission is to elevate the visitor experience and uplift regional pride through the presentation of artwork created by local, national, and international artists. To date, the Lambert Art and Culture Program has commissioned ten permanent public art projects. In addition to public art, the Lambert Art and Culture Program has a growing temporary exhibitions program throughout the Airport. The exhibition program currently boasts more than ten locations throughout the Airport, which highlight the efforts of local artists, cultural and historic institutions, and curators on a rotating basis.

Artwork Location Description
The site for the 2020 Legacy Project is a wall located post-security in the C-Concourse area of Terminal 1. Prominent to the C-Concourse security checkpoint, visible from the pre-security area on the level above, and a potential milepost for arriving passengers exiting the C-Concourse, the wall has the potential to help define the experience of passengers arriving and departing, visitors awaiting friends and families, and TSA and Airport employees moving through their day.

Project Description
A two-dimensional or low-relief artwork can be applied to the selected wall within the light-filled atrium. The artwork could be a painted or mosaic mural, a large-scale painting, or a wall installation using glass, tile, wood, plastic, fabric or other materials. The selected artist should make use of the multiple sightlines and the height of the space to create a unique and engaging site-specific two-dimensional artwork.

The selected artist will work with Airport staff to determine weight limitations and appropriate wall surface preparation. The site is located near the Security Checkpoint, therefore artists should avoid projects which have distracting technology, including flashing lights, sound and moving imagery.

The selected artist will be responsible for designing, fabricating, and installing the artwork, including:

• Developing a concept design and presenting it to the AAAC for review and recommendation to the Airport Director for approval.
• Executing the final design on schedule and in a manner that conforms to the approved concept.
• Communicating with the Airport throughout the design development, fabrication and installation process in order to facilitate reviews and coordination of installation.
• Managing installation of the artwork.
• Participating, as requested, in community outreach and attending dedication events.

Artwork Goals
The project will provide a new focal point for visitors, passengers, and employees as the Airport celebrates its extensive past and bright future.

The goals for the Lambert Art and Culture Program are to:

• Feature the best local, national and international talent.
• Enhance gathering places for airport customers.
• Complement and build upon the established visual identity of the airport.
• Generate community pride while inspiring joy and wonder.
• Create a visually outstanding impression of St. Louis.
• Endure multiple visits to the Airport.

The goals for the 2020 Legacy Project are to:

• Reflect, juxtapose, or otherwise create a dialogue with the iconic design, modern grandeur, celebration of air travel and/or formal relationship to flight and aerodynamics provided by the context of the Yamasaki-designed Terminal 1 building.
• Enhance the environment and provide a focal point for passengers waiting in the security queue.
• Continue the spirit of innovation and forward thinking that led Albert Bond Lambert to begin the Airport in 1920.
• Celebrate 100 years of the Airport as a link between the region and the world.
• Work at the scale of the space.

Timeline

• August 26, 2019: Qualifications due
• September 2019: AAAC review of artists and recommendation of finalists.
• October 2019: Staff checks references and AAAC interviews finalists. AAAC makes recommendation for selection.
• Early March 2020: Artist presents concept design to AAAC for recommendation to Airport Director for approval.
• March 2020: Artist proceeds with final design.
• April 2020: Final design approved.
• April-October 2020: Fabrication
• TBD 2020: Artwork installed

Selection Process
The Lambert Art and Culture Program is advised by the Airport Art Advisory Committee (AAAC), consisting of seven highly qualified local arts professionals appointed by the Mayor of St. Louis. The AAAC will serve as the Selection Panel for the 2020 Legacy Project. The AAAC will recommend the selection of an artist based upon qualifications, interview and references. Upon all necessary approvals, the selected artist will be placed under contract to develop a two-dimensional concept proposal, narrative description and budget.

Selection Criteria
Artist qualifications will be reviewed by the AAAC based on the following criteria:

• Artistic excellence and innovation as demonstrated by past work and the submitted materials.
• Understanding of the project and ability to create an artwork that responds to the goals of the project.
• Ability to meet the timeline.
• Ability to create artwork that provides interest in public spaces and continues to engage viewers through multiple visits as demonstrated by past work and submitted materials.

What to Submit

You will be asked to submit the following response in your online submission, via the CaFE system:

1. Brief statement or letter describing your interest in the project (no more than 2 pages)
2. A résumé/CV no longer than 3-pages, including current contact information and email address (PDF).
3. Three professional references with current contact information (PDF).
4. Up to 10 sample images of previously completed projects that represent your body of work (JPEG).
5. Information about each work sample, including: artist’s name, artwork title, a brief description of the artwork (100 words or less), media, completion date, dimensions, location, and total budget/cost (please use the Price/Value field in CaFE). In the description field, please state the commissioning agency if applicable, and state your role in the creation of the artwork if other artists or design professionals were involved in its creation.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND SPECIFIC PROPOSALS AT THIS TIME.

How to Submit
Submit ONLINE ONLY via the CaFE system at http://www.callforentry.org . There is no application fee.

QUESTIONS?  Contact Angie Villa, villa@viapartnership.com