Item 09 - 03 Palmer Events Center _ RFQ.pdf — original pdf

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CALL TO ARTISTS Palmer Events Center: Interior Installation - Public Art Opportunity City of Austin (National): Art in Public Places (AIPP) Deadline for Submissions – 5:00PM CST: October 31, 2023 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS The City of Austin Art in Public Places program (AIPP) seeks to commission a professional visual artist or artist-led team to design and fabricate a site-specific artwork that enhances the interior second story space of the Palmer Event Center located at 900 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, Texas 78704. https://www.palmereventscenter.com/ BACKGROUND The Palmer Events Center is nestled near Butler Park with amazing views of the downtown Austin skyline. Over 125,000 square feet of the multi-purpose venue spans is utilized for hosting national conventions, sporting events, theatrical performances and more. The Palmer Events Center (PEC) actually dates back to 1940 when the City of Austin purchased an airplane hangar on the south shores of Town Lake. The hangar was then converted into an all- purpose City Coliseum that opened to the public in 1949. A new structure was voted on as a part of the 1998 bond election which resulted in the highly used after events center today. The Palmer Events Center is a part of the Austin’s Convention Center Department. It is a state-of-the-art energy efficient facility powered by 100 percent renewable energy from Austin Energy’s Green Choice Program. As Austin continues to receive the nick-name “Silicon Hills”, the Events Center increasingly attracts tech conventions. PROJECT OVERVIEW The artwork is intended to provide an aesthetic enhancement for an interior wall spanning the length of a narrow walkway of approximately 90 linear feet and extending upward about 20 feet. The wall is located on the 2nd level of the open lobby space running parallel to functional decorative railing that together create a walkway to the Events Center offices. The artist or artist-led team selected for this project will be expected to coordinate with staff during the implementation of the project so as to minimally impact operations. This project is an opportunity for an artist to create a tactile, visually engaging artwork on the 2nd level of the main entrance lobby space of the Palmer Event Center. The artwork should consider the surrounding natural context of the space and earthy interior finishes. The final artwork could use technology to inform, illuminate, provide humor or narrative while visually engaging visitors and other users of the Palmer Event Center. APPROXIMATE BUDGET: $400,000 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City of Austin, AIPP Palmer Events Center - RFQ page 1 of 3 Last updated 09/012/2023 The total budget allocated for this opportunity is approximately $400,000. This amount is inclusive of all artists’ design fees, engineering, permitting, machining and fabrication, transportation, installation, travel, shipping expenses, insurance, and other artwork project- related costs. ELIGIBILITY The City of Austin AIPP program strives to commission a broad range of artworks which contribute to the current dialogue in the field of visual art by broadly awarding commissions among local, state and national artists. AIPP defines artist as an individual recognized by critics and peers as a professional practitioner of serious intent and substantial ability in the visual, performing, or literary art. Artists and makers skilled in working with analog and digital technologies, creating sculptural work in ceramics, glass, carved wood, and metal are encouraged to apply. Experience creating permanent artwork is a requirement. Only one commission will be awarded for this opportunity. This opportunity is open to visual artists who reside throughout the United States. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age. Applicants not meeting these eligibility requirements will be withdrawn from consideration. INELIGIBILITY Design professionals, including architects who do not have a consistent visual art practice are ineligible to apply as team leads, but may be a part of an artist-led team. Artists who have more than three permanent artworks represented in the City of Austin’s Art in Public Places public art collection; artists who currently are under contract with the City of Austin for a permanent Art in Public Places project; and artists who have completed an AIPP project within the past year are ineligible to apply. Artists residing outside of the United States are ineligible for this opportunity. City of Austin full-time employees, architects, designers or contractors employed by the project’s consulting firm are ineligible. SELECTION PROCESS A five-member selection panel comprised of visual arts professionals and community representatives and advisors will review all eligible submissions. Up to five artists or artist- led teams may be shortlisted, invited to interview and submit a proposal for a fee of $1,500. The selection panel reserves the right to recommend one or more artists and one or more alternate artists at the time of the initial review. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City of Austin, AIPP Palmer Events Center - RFQ page 2 of 3 Last updated 09/012/2023 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS 1. Credentials: CV/Resume (limit 2 pages) 2. Short responses to the following questions (100-300 words per question): a. Describe your general approach to and experience with creating large scale public art installation. b. What specific interest or experience do you have with creating artwork that includes or interfaces with technology? c. Describe how engaging communities has informed the concept(s) or outcome of one or more of your artworks. 3. Ten images of previous work (only one image per page). a. Label each image with the following information: title, date of completion, location, materials, art budget. b. For team applications, please indicate the lead artist for each project c. IMAGES OF INCOMPLETE PROJECTS, PRELIMINARY SKETCHES, or PROPOSAL IDEAS FOR THIS PROJECT WILL NOT BE REVIEWED will subject the application to disqualification. 4. Three Professional references: (names, phone numbers and email addresses) EVALUATION CRITERIA The selection panel will evaluate applications based on the following criteria: • Quality and aesthetics of past work • Experience with public art projects of a similar size and scope • Creativity and innovation in the portfolio of past work • Expressed interest in and ability to engage and include communities specific the artwork site TIMELINE (subject to change) Information Meeting Submission deadline Short-listed artists notified Interviews Selected Artist under contract Target Installation/Project close-out November 15, 2023 December 19, 2023 January 2024 February 2024 April 2024 TBD 2025 Submit all information via Publicartist.org. Deadline to submit qualifications is December 31, 2023, at 5:00PM CST. Submissions received after the deadline will be considered unresponsive and will not be reviewed. Questions regarding this solicitation must be directed in writing to: Art in Public Places Manager – Constance Y. White constance.white@austintexas.gov __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City of Austin, AIPP Palmer Events Center - RFQ page 3 of 3 Last updated 09/012/2023