Through the preliminary design development of Link Rapid Transit and the public engagement process, including work conducted by the Community Co-design team, the integration of art in the station designs was identified as a high priority for the aesthetics and user experience. As an outcome, the City of Rochester is seeking interested Artists or Artist Teams to submit their qualifications to join in on this exciting aspect of the project. This is an open call to artists working locally, regionally, and nationally.

Art is envisioned to be an integral part of the station design, not just an added element. Art and artist will represent the past, present, and future of the City of Rochester to celebrate the diverse community, cultures, environment, and seasons that make Rochester a unique and special place with emphasis on the districts and neighborhoods which Link will connect. Artists will be responsible for planning and leading community engagement activities to inform the development the artwork concepts.

Additionally, artists will collaborate closely with the architectural designers. We understand that interested artists may not have certain technical expertise for application at a civic scale or directly comparable experience in a similar project. The designers will support the process of art-integration for the project by providing technical input on aesthetics and durability, and then ultimately preparing the construction documents. We anticipate up to four (4) artists or artist teams to join the larger design team.

Full Request for Qualifications document can be found on the following link: 

Station Architecture & Urban Design | Rochester, MN (rochestermn.gov)

Application Requirements

A.       In the Artist Statement/Project Approach, please respond to the following questions and requests for information. Response limits will be strictly enforced.

1. A description of why art in Rochester’s civic space is important. (250 words max)
2. A description of how you foster and support collaboration. How have you collaborated in the past? Was it successful or not, and why? (500 words max)
3. A description of your strategies to develop artwork concepts that can be implemented within the allocated budgets and complete the work within the timeframes listed. (250 words max)

B.       An informational pre-proposal conference will be hosted by the DESIGN TEAM on May 25, 2022 at 12:00 pm and June 13, 2022 at 12:00 pm in an on-line format. This will be used for the DESIGN TEAM members to give a 20-minute overview of the project history, goals, and opportunities for art integration, followed by a 40-minute Q & A.

C.      Provide work samples in electronic format as listed in the Application Checklist in the Request for Qualifications (total file size not to exceed 15MB). Submittals must be made in electronic format by 12:00pm June 24, 2022 to the CAFÉ (Call For Entry) project website.

Note: CAFE only accepts files up to 2 mb, if your file exceeds 2 mb please email your file to Michael Jischke below.

D.      Inquiries can be directed to:

Michael Jischke, Design Team Project Manager

SRF Consulting Group

mjischke@srfconsulting.com

763-267-6600

Eligibility Criteria

A.       The public artist is an individual who creates original art and is recognized by professional peers and critics as a professional practitioner of the visual, craft, literary, musical, conceptual or performing arts, as exemplified by the quality of that practitioner’s body of work and experience.

B.       The artist produces media content and/or artwork in the categories and types of work cited in this RFP and will work collaboratively with the DESIGN TEAM.

C.      This opportunity is open to all professional artists regardless of race, color, religion, gender, age, military status, sexual orientation, marital status, or physi­cal or mental disability.

D.       Individuals and their immediate family who are employed by or affiliated with the City of Rochester, DESIGN TEAM, and ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE are not eligible to submit.