Item 10 - AIPP - St John Redevelopment Site RFQ.pdf — original pdf

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• Project: St. John Site Redevelopment Project • Artist(s): TBD • Phase: Project RFQ Approval • Sponsoring Department: Financial Services Department • Project Budget: $250,000 • Council District: District 4 • Project Manager: Ryan Runcie AIPP PANEL MEETING AGENDA ITEM #5 DATE:1/13/2025  CALL TO ARTISTS Public Art Opportunity City of Austin (Texas): Art in Public Places St. John Site Redevelopment Deadline for Submissions – 5:00PM CST: March 14, 2025 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS The City of Austin Art in Public Places program (AIPP) of the Cultural Arts Division, Economic Development Department (EDD) seeks to commission one artist or artist team to create a site-specific installation or artwork that highlights the history of the St. John neighborhood as prioritized by the Council-adopted St. John Community Vision (Resolution No. 20200729-0117). This opportunity is within the improved park space for the St. John Site located at 800 E. St. Johns Avenue, Austin, Texas 78752. BACKGROUND The St. John Site is roughly 19 acres of city-owned land located in Council District 4 at the northeast corner of the intersection of St. Johns Avenue and N IH 35. With a rich history as a Freedmen’s community dating back to the 1890s, the St. John Site has been a pivotal location for Central Texas’ African American community to date. PROJECT OVERVIEW As Austin works to acknowledge the grim events of the past, this in-depth effort to strengthen and provide a well- planned and community-focused addition to the St. John neighborhood is key. One artist or artist team will be selected to create an integrated installation or artwork to be placed within the redesigned and expanded St. John Park that welcomes, informs and excites the local community and visitors alike. The attached map (Exhibit A) highlights the proposed park improvements and potential locations for art opportunities within it. Final location of art installation or artwork to be determined with the developer, but the opportunity will be focused within the improved park space. The selected artist will design, fabricate, and implement one installation or artwork that pays homage to the past and links the site improvements and park space to the community today and tomorrow. BUDGET $250,000 One commission will be awarded for this project. The project budget is inclusive of design, fabrication, installation, engineering, permitting fees, travel, shipping expenses, insurance, and other project-related costs. ELIGIBILITY This opportunity is limited to teams of artists based in the State of Texas. All team members must be at least 18 years of age. Applicants who do not meet these eligibility requirements will be withdrawn from consideration. Artists are ineligible if they are currently under contract with the City of Austin for a permanent public artwork commission or if they are a City of Austin full-time employee. SELECTION PROCESS A three to five voting member selection panel comprised of visual arts professionals, and community representatives, and non-voting advisors with subject matter expertise to the proposed development and community will review all eligible submissions. Up to three teams of artists will be shortlisted, invited to interview and submit a proposal. Artists will be reimbursed $1,500 towards the cost of the submitted proposal. The selection panel reserves the right to recommend one team of artists and one alternate at the time of initial review. Only one applicant will be selected to receive a commission. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS • Credentials: CV/Resume (limit 2 pages) • Short responses to the following questions and scenario (100-300 words per question): o The goal of this effort is to highlight the long, rich history of the St. John neighborhood. How does historic content and research play a part in your artistic expression? o Describe any previous public art experience that would align your approach with this opportunity including how community history has informed your process. o Highlighting the history of the St. John neighborhood is the core goal of this effort. With this in mind, how does community engagement and participation inform the outcomes of your artwork? Please describe your experience engaging with under-resourced, communities of color as part of your process, and describe ways in which you might engage the St. John community for this project. o Describe your relationship to the St John neighborhood, if applicable. If you do not have an existing connection to the neighborhood, how would you familiarize yourself with the neighborhood, its residents, and its history? • o How would you with your art practice and artwork impact the St. John community? Ten images of previous work (only one image per page). Label each image with the following information: title, date of completion, location, materials, art budget. For team application, please indicate the lead artist for each project; or provide an annotated image list. IMAGES OF INCOMPLETE PROJECTS, PRELIMINARY SKETCHES, or PROPOSAL IDEAS FOR THIS PROJECT WILL NOT BE REVIEWED • Three Professional references: (names, phone numbers and email addresses) • Demographic survey EVALUATION CRITERIA The 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 to the artwork site • Experience and approach to community engagement TIMELINE (subject to change) Information Meeting Submission deadline Short-listed artists notified Interviews Selected Artist under contract TBD 2025 March 14, 2025 Early April 2025 April 2025 Summer 2025 Target Installation/Project close-out TBD Submit all information via Publicartist.org. Deadline to submit qualifications is March 14, 2025, 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: Ryan Runcie, Art in Public Places at ryan.runcie@austintexas.gov Exhibit A: Potential Art Opportunities Map Final location of art installation or artwork to be determined with the developer within red dashed area