Public Art at the University of Utah RFP
The University of Utah, in partnership with the Utah Division of Facilities Construction and Management and the Utah Arts & Museums’ Public Art Program, requests qualifications from artists and/or artist teams interested in creating site-specific artwork(s) for the new Applied Sciences Facility in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Project Scope
This facility is a 40,700-square-foot renovation of the historic William Stewart Building, including a 100,000 square-foot addition. It will house the Department of Physics & Astronomy and the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, focusing on aerospace, semiconductor technology, biotechnology, data science, hazardous weather forecasting, and air quality.
The University of Utah Applied Sciences Facility Art Selection Committee encourages artists to consider
the collaborative nature of the new facility, uniting the existing historic structure with a new space. Consideration should be given to the investment in education established by the Stewart Building. It also celebrates the Science Yard in totality as a display of scientific achievement. Accordingly, artists should reflect on the building as both an education hub and an educator in and of itself.
Concurrently, the committee envisions the space as a nationally recognized, interdisciplinary research and learning facility, with a goal to steward the next generation of inquisitive and impact-driven scientists. All in all, they have outlined five (5) principles that artists should take into consideration:
- Interactive: enable a variety of activities, such as auditory, visual, and kinesthetic
- Community: emphasize interactions through open design while fostering a collaborative and healthy energy
- Visible: encourage curiosity, discovery, and learning using technology and storytelling within the space, allowing visitors to experience hands-on learning
- Responsible: address the diverse needs of different races, nationalities, genders, ages and abilities through safe, functional, and enjoyable spaces; commit to a sustainable and healthy environment
- Human: design first and foremost for people to raise the standards of learning and research
Artwork Sites
Furthermore, the design of the building provides many opportunities for the integration of artwork into the architecture and site. The selection committee is open to artist-suggested sites and has also identified some of the opportunities artists may consider:
- Atrium/lobby or exterior at the southwest entrance of the new build
- Atrium/lobby or exterior at the northwest entrance of the new build
- Exterior plaza between the Crocker Science Center and the new build
- Second-floor stairway in the Stewart Building
$165,000 is available for all related expenses of this public art commission(s), including artist fees, fabrication, engineering, insurance, shipping, travel, installation, documentation, etc.
Evaluation Criteria
Resident American or legal resident artists/artist teams are encouraged to apply. Utah artists are strongly encouraged to apply. Art Selection Committee members, staff of Utah Arts & Museums, and EDA Architecture are not eligible to apply for this commission.
View the full RFP by visiting the Utah Government Official Site.
Submission Information
Interested artists may submit applications online via CallForEntry.org. Follow the directions for registration and submitting material for this University of Utah RFP. The application process will prompt you for all necessary documents and information. This includes up to 10 images and/or up to two (2) movie files of previous work, a CV or resume, and a Letter of Interest explaining your interest in the project and how your work might relate to the project.
The deadline is September 7, 2022.
Interested in Responding to this University of Utah RFP?
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