Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, CO, is renovating their Arts building, French Hall, which includes their theater, a very high-traffic area. This is a very open Request for Qualifications and they are looking at all types of indoor and outdoor 3D, sculptural and installation-based artworks. The deadline for submissions is July 15th, 2015. Click through for full information.
ABOUT NORTHEASTERN JUNIOR COLLEGE AND FRENCH HALL
Northeastern Junior College is a comprehensive two-year institution that is committed to providing excellence in learning, training, and service. The College strives to enrich the quality of lives through affordable and accessible learning opportunities. The student enrollment is approximately 2,200 and the college offers over 80 programs of study, with classes held at the campus or online. In addition to traditional course offerings, the college offers classes in agriculture, including equine management and turf management, cosmetology, nursing, and wind energy technology. The school is located in Sterling, Colorado, a city of approximately 18,000 located in Northeastern Colorado.
E. S. French Hall has been Northeastern Junior College’s main academic building for the past 40 years. It was constructed in 1968 and currently houses programs for Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Graphic Arts, Social Sciences, English, Early Childhood Education, History, Geography, Pre-Teaching Courses, Humanities, Foreign Languages, and Criminal Justice. The construction project is a renovation to the existing building. The building contains a public theater, and is a widely used facility, with more foot traffic than rest of campus besides the event center. The theater is available for outside rentals – approximately 7,000 people use theater who are not directly affiliated with NJC.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The renovation is slated to be completed in December of 2015. French Hall has numerous classrooms, and with the renovation, every classroom will have updated technology, and there will be 2 computer labs/graphic labs. The renovation project will also enclose the outdoor courtyard, which will become a commons that will be 2.5 stories tall, with skylight and naturally illuminated. The building’s two focal areas are the theater and commons space as they have the most traffic. Public enter the building from the West and the student entrance to the East is less formal.
BUDGET: $74,700
The public art budget is $74,700. All costs associated with the public art project including, but not limited to, artist design fee, structural engineering, insurance, materials, fabrication, transportation, installation, building or site modifications, travel to and from the site, per diem expenses, project documentation, contingency to cover unexpected expenses and any other costs related to the project. Selected semi-finalists will be invited to propose artwork for one or all of the locations listed below. An honorarium will be provided in the amount of $1,000-$1,500. Out-of-state artists will receive $1,500 and in-state semi-finalists will receive $1,000.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC ART
Through the public art process, the Art Selection Committee will select the finalist artist(s)/team(s) who will work closely with the project architect and Art Selection Committee on the best approach to integrate the artwork(s) into the previously designed and constructed building.
As there are a couple of site options targeted for the building, this call is open to both indoor and outdoor 3D, sculptural, or installation-based artworks. Panel will consider free-standing works, as well as installation-based works that might be attached to a wall. The selection panel would like an artwork that draws people to campus – a statement piece that is a must see, a place that students want to take picture in front of.
Panel will consider the following:
- Artistic excellence;
- Technical competence;
- Suitability to potential site;
- Conceptual compatibility
- Scale, material, form and content
- Appropriate relationship to the function of the site
- Contribution to diversity of the State’s public art collection
- Structural and surface integrity;
- Accessibility by the public;
- Resistance to general wear, vandalism, or theft;
- Ease of maintenance, minimal and low cost maintenance;
- Compliance with applicable public safety codes.
Public art must be sustainable:
- Artwork in exterior spaces would need to be able to withstand the intense sun and snow, wind and temperature extremes and fluctuations characteristic of the area.
- The artwork must be designed and fabricated to be durable, require low maintenance and low cost maintenance.
MAINTENANCE AND DURABILITY
All applicants are expected to consider the issues of long-term preservation and maintenance of public art, along with the timeline and budget. Public art projects are in the public realm and may therefore be exposed to environmental challenges and subject to vandalism. Public art projects should be fabricated of highly durable, low maintenance materials. Semifinalists are encouraged to consult with a professional conservator prior to the submission of a final proposal.
COLORADO ART IN PUBLIC PLACES PROGRAM
All works of art purchased or commissioned pursuant to this request are owned by the State of Colorado via Northeastern Junior College. De-accession of the public art, if necessary, will follow the policies and procedures established by the Colorado Creative Industries.
ELIGIBILITY
All applicants must be legal residents of the United States. The artists or artist teams must have the skills and experience commensurate with the responsibility of successfully completing a major public art installation. The Program is open to all artists regardless of race, color, creed, gender, gender variance, national origin, age, religion, marital status, political opinion or affiliation, or mental or physical handicap. The Art Selection Committee reserves the right to give preference to those artists residing in Colorado.
SELECTION PROCESS AND SCHEDULE
The Art Selection Committee will review all complete submittals. A short list of semifinalists will be invited to prepare and present a final proposal in person and be paid an honorarium of $1,000 for in-state artists and $1,500 for out of state artists. Travel expenses may be reimbursed. Final selection(s) will be made from the semifinalists’ proposals.
The anticipated schedule is as follows:
July 15, 2015, 11:59 MDT – Deadline for receipt of submittal via CaFÉ™ system
August 2015 – Selection panel meets to select Semi-Finalists
August 2015 – Semifinalists notified
October 2015– Semifinalist presentations to the committee
November/December 2015 – Execute artist’s contracts
Spring/Summer 2016 – Installation of artwork(s)
APPLICATION PROCESS
All applications for this project are being accepted through CaFÉ™
(www.callforentry.org ). No hard copy submissions will be accepted. The applicant will be asked to submit six digital images of art and/or videos (see below for more information), a resume, a statement of interest and responses to questions. There is no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system. Applications must be submitted through CaFÉ™ to be considered.
Digital Images. In order to be considered for this project, the applicant must electronically submit six digital images of previously completed artworks through the CaFÉ™ system.
Instructions on how to use CaFÉ™ and format images/video can be found at www.callforentry.org/image_prep.phtml. Assistance in using the CaFÉ™ system is available during regular business hours by calling 3036291166, 18885627232 or email cafe@westaf.org.
Resume: Submit a current résumé, via CaFÉ™, that outlines your professional accomplishments as an artist. Your resume may be any length, but the committee members are only required to read to the first two pages. If applying as a team, please submit a resume for each artist, with the lead artist first.
Statement of Interest and Responses to questions: A statement of interest in 250 words or less must be submitted via CaFÉ™. It should briefly outline the artist’s interest in the specific opportunity and the artist’s experience working on projects of this scope. Please also include answers to the questions specified in the CaFÉ™ application.
Questions: Questions posted on CaFÉ™ related to this project must be answered.
QUESTIONS
If you require more information or clarification, please contact Ruth Bruno, Public Art Program Manager, Colorado Creative Industries at 303-892-3813 or ruth.bruno@state.co.us .
ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION
http://www.njc.edu/
Full information listed at: https://www.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=2719