RFQ – Art in Public Places Opportunity / Calls & Submissions
Deadline
November 5, 2023
Organization Name: Oregon Arts Commission and Oregon State University
Organization Location: Corvallis, OR
Type: Calls & Submissions
Fee: Free
Discipline:
Request for Qualifications – Art in Public Places Opportunity
Oregon State University, Upper Division Housing, Corvallis, OR
The Oregon Arts Commission is accepting qualifications from artists or artist teams for a Percent for Art in Public Places opportunity on Oregon State University’s (OSU) main campus in Corvallis, Oregon. The Upper Division and Graduate Student Housing (USGSH) Project is a new construction project consisting of a five-story apartment-style building with adjacent parking. The building is scheduled to open in summer 2024.
Eligibility: National and international professional artists and artist teams residing west of the Mississippi River in North America (including all of Mexico and Canadian Provinces from British Columbia to Manitoba, including Yukon and Northwest Territories) are eligible to apply. Artists from traditionally or currently underserved communities including (but not limited to) rural communities and communities of color are especially encouraged to apply.
Budget: The anticipated art budget for the project is $240,000 (US dollars). The budget includes artist fees, materials, fabrication, insurance, shipping, travel, installation, documentation and any other project costs.
About Oregon State University:
Established in 1868, OSU was founded as a land grant institution. It was established on the idea that everybody deserves an extraordinary, attainable, and accessible education, and has a vision to become a national model for inclusive excellence. OSU continues to build on over 150 years of excellence and is one of only three universities in the US to hold the Land, Sea, Space, and Sun Grant designation. Currently, OSU is Oregon’s leading public research university with nearly 200 degree programs.
OSU’s Corvallis campus is located within the traditional homelands of the Marys River or Ampinefu Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855, Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.
About Upper Division and Graduate Student Housing (USGSH):
OSU’s Department of University Housing & Dining Services is constructing a 223-bed student housing building on OSU’s main campus in Corvallis. The USGSH Project project will be one new wood-framed five-story apartment complex, approximately 90,000 square feet.
The residential structure will house second-year and above students in a blend of studio apartments for single-student occupancy and two-bedroom apartment-style suites suitable for students with partners and/or dependents. The project is building a small parking lot with bike shelter adjacent to the new building. The building will have on-site amenities, including first-floor offices, laundry services, and student common spaces on all five floors. Design considerations for accessibility on this project will meet or exceed OSU’s Best Practices for Accessibility. University Housing & Dining Services’ core values include inclusive community, specifically, embracing the diverse collection of identities, thoughts, perspectives, beliefs, ideals, and lived experiences of our staff and students.
The building is near a small wetland with protected vegetation and green space. The building is adjacent to Azalea House (OSU childcare center), Champinefu Lodge (OSU Basic Needs Center and the OSU Family Resource Center), and the Madison Avenue Gateway Walk. The Gateway Walk is a recently constructed walkway that commemorates the historic path traveled by OSU students upon their arrival to campus via passenger train and riverboat and celebrates the connection between OSU and Corvallis. The Gateway Walk is also part of the Corvallis Art Walk route.
To learn more about OSU: https://oregonstate.edu/
To read OSU’s full land acknowledgment statement: https://oregonstate.edu/land-acknowledgment
To learn more about OSU’s Diversity Strategic Plan: https://diversity.oregonstate.edu/diversity-strategic-plan
To learn more about OSU’s Housing & Diving Services core values: https://uhds.oregonstate.edu/uhds-vision-and-values
Themes, Goals and Characteristics for the Art:
The art selection committee is not prescribing specific themes, goals, and desired characteristics for the USGSH Project. Instead, the Art Selection Committee would like commissioned artwork to draw inspiration from the site and/or its users. Artwork is expected to be of materials and design that are lasting, sustainable, and maintenance-free as possible. If the artwork is interactive, it must be usable for people with mobility impairment.
Art Locations:
There are two (2) potential art zones for USGSH Project. Images of the art locations are available upon request. Artists may consider site-specific and/or integrated artwork in Art Zone 1.
Exterior Art Zone 1. The art zone is located near the southeast corner of the building and is approximately 10’ x 14’ or 140 square feet. This site is mandatory.
Exterior Art Zone 2. The art zone is located behind the building near the green space and is approximately 18’9” x 7’8” or 143 square feet. Artists can use this site if they wish to make contingent works in both locations.
Selection Process:
A selection committee for this project includes university/agency faculty and administrators, arts professionals and the project design team, and is facilitated by an Oregon Arts Commission project manager. The committee will review submitted qualifications and select up to four (4) finalists.
The following criteria will be used to select finalists, based on the submitted materials:
* Appropriateness of scale, material (including long-term durability), and style of past work as they relate to the project values/goals and site.
* Artistic and technical quality of past work, including mastery of skills and techniques, communication of a unique artistic perspective, and/or consistent application of professional practices, conceptual framework or use of materials.
* Demonstrated ability of the artist to successfully complete artwork with a project timeline, limited budget and input from community stakeholders.
The selection committee will also consider an applicant’s experience with:
Completion of two or more prior public and/or private artwork commissions with minimum budget of $150,000 (US dollars).
Finalists will receive $2,400 (US dollars) per artist/artist team to design and propose an artwork. The design proposal will include: a concept narrative, description of materials and durability, visual representations of proposed work, estimated budget and timeline. Finalists will present their proposal to the selection committee.
Anticipated Schedule:
November 5, 2023 Submission of qualifications deadline
November 2023 Finalists notified
December 2023 Finalists virtual site visit
February 2024 Design proposals deadline and presentations to selection committee
February 2024 Artist selection
March/April 2024 Contracts awarded to selected artists
TBD Artist site visit* – optional
TBD Design, fabrication and installation schedule to be determined depending
on scale and budget specific to the artwork
How to Submit Qualifications:
Send the materials described below via a file share program of your choice to coutureartcoordinator@gmail.com.
Artists currently on the Oregon Art in Public Places Artist Roster may use Roster application materials for this opportunity, with the addition of a letter of interest specific to this project.
Please email your letter to: coutureartcoordinator@gmail.com and indicate that you’d like your Roster materials to be used.
Application Materials:
1. Letter of interest. As a PDF file named with “artist’s last name, first initial, letter” (garciamletter.pdf); limit 1 page.
Describe your interest in this project and how your artwork and art-making process would be a good fit for the opportunity.
2. Resume. PDF or DOC format; name file with “artist’s last name, first initial, resume” (garciamresume.pdf); limit 2 pages. For artist teams, include resumes of each team member. Include complete contact information: street address, phone number, email.
3. Up to 10 Images of Past Work. JPG, PNG, or PDF format; name files with: “artist’s last name, first initial, number that corresponds to the image information on the image list” (garciam01.jpg). File size: minimum 1200 pixels on the longest side and 5 MB maximum.
4. Image Descriptions. PDF or DOC format; name file with “artist’s last name, first initial, list” (garciam.pdf); limit 1 page. Provide a description for each image including:
Key details: title, location, cost/budget, date completed, materials, dimensions, commissioning agency (if applicable), project partners (if applicable);
Brief description of your vision or conceptual ideas for each artwork.
Assistance
For questions about the project and the application process, contact Oregon Arts Commission project manager Renee Couture: coutureartcoordinator@gmail.com or 541.580-9666.
The information in this RFQ is available in alternate formats upon request. For more information or assistance with the application process, contact Ryan Burghard, Oregon Arts Commission: ryan.burghard@biz.oregon.gov or 971-374-3083.
Oregon’s Percent for Art in Public Places Program
Managed by the Oregon Arts Commission, the Percent for Art in Public Places program places art in state buildings and public universities throughout Oregon. The collection, including more than 2,500 works of art, is searchable via Oregon’s Percent for Art in Public Places Collection website.
Art Location Plans and Images available upon request. Email your request to: coutureartcoordinator@gmail.com
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