The City of Bloomington’s Public Health Division in partnership with the Creative Placemaking Commission invite experienced public artists to submit qualifications for the design, creation, and installation/assembly of a unique, moveable small-scale sculpture or mural. This artwork is meant to serve as a memorial to those lost to COVID 19, and as a reflection on this time in history and the resiliency of the city’s residents and employees over the course of the pandemic. Community engagement integrated throughout the process should allow for Bloomington’s community to shape how their parts of this story will continue to be told, and foster community healing. Engagement efforts should support the development of artwork that appeals to, represents, and reflects the diversity of Bloomington.  Additionally, this artwork is meant to be welcoming to people of all ages, cultures, races, and backgrounds. This artwork should be something that can be easily transported to various sites and reassembled by staff for temporary display indoors if it is a painting or indoors and outdoors if it is a sculpture. 

Final Project Budget - $10,000 

The total budget for this project is $10,000. This not-to-exceed total must cover all applicable design modifications, fabrication, engineering, installation, foundations, infrastructure, site preparations, lighting, site visits, transportation of artwork, insurance, permit fees, and other related expenses including expenses related to the artist’s community engagement efforts. More information about the site will be made available to the finalists.  

WHERE AND WHY?  

As the public health division of Bloomington has and continues to serve the three cities of Bloomington, Richfield and Edina, there is a strong desire to create an artwork that is moveable and able to be displayed in both outdoor and indoor conditions in the case of a sculpture. Throughout the ongoing work of pandemic response, vaccinations and communication involved a variety of stakeholders and community leaders. It is important that these voices can influence the final artwork and what it represents.  Considering that any efforts to encapsulate these experiences will be multifaceted, the specific medium used to do so, (sculptural or via a mural in this case), has been left open ended. Ideally this artwork will reflect the values and experiences of the community and leaders involved in COVID 19 work with the Bloomington Public Health Division, as well as personal sacrifices and losses of loved ones that people are continuing to reconcile in the present.  

This project will be funded by a federal COVID 19 grant through the Minnesota Department of Health and thus is required to be related to COVID 19 and must be completed on time to adhere to the funding schedule. 

SITE and QUALITIES OF THE ART PIECE   

The artwork’s location is yet to be decided, either in Bloomington Civic Plaza or potentially in a future Health and Wellness Center after being temporarily located at Bloomington Public Health. Its dimensions should adhere to maximum of 8 feet by 8 feet for 2D installations, and a maximum of 8x8x8 for 3D installations. The piece must have the capacity to be moved and displayed in both outdoors and indoors conditions if the art piece is a sculpture. This piece should be built to last at least 10 years.   

ESTIMATED TIMELINE (dates subject to change)

Application Live: April 10th, 2023

Question submission deadline: May 15th, 2023 

RFQ – Qualification Proposals Due: May 22nd, 2023, 11:00 PM CST (online via CaFE™) Do not submit a project proposal or design at this time.  

Three Finalists Selected: June 2nd, 2023

Virtual Design Presentations by the Three Finalists: July 10th, 2023 

Notification of Artist/Team: July 14th, 2023 

Completion of COVID 19 Memorial Artwork: May 30th, 2024 

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS? 

It is the responsibility of the applicant to inquire about any portion of the RFQ that is not fully understood or susceptible to more than one (1) interpretation. Written inquiries are required. Oral communications will not be accepted, except to confirm delivery of proposal or written correspondence.  

All inquiries, questions, or clarifications must be submitted not later than seven (7) calendar days prior to the due date of this RFQ. Those inquiries, questions, or clarifications submitted after this date will not be answered. All inquiries will be responded to within three (3) business days. Please do not ask other City personnel questions, as information gathered from other sources may not reflect the correct position or interest and could result in disqualification. 

A Questions and Answers addendum related to this RFQ/Call for Artists will be updated as questions come in and can be found at the Covid Art Memorial RFQ Page  Any other questions regarding this Request for Qualifications may be directed to the contact below prior to May 15th, 2023.

Please direct questions to: Addie Engebretson, Public Health Corps Project Coordinator: aengebretson@BloomingtonMN.gov 

All questions concerning the RFQ must reference the page number, section heading, and paragraph. Questions may be submitted via email. Please place “COVID 19 Memorial Artwork RFQ Question” in the subject line. 

Application Requirements

HOW TO APPLY? 

Step One: RFQ – Submit by May 22nd  2023, 11:00 PM Central Standard Time 

Please apply online through CaFE™ 

In addition to your contact information, you will be asked to provide the following: 

• One-page letter describing interest in the project, approach to design and research as well as a statement addressing eligibility criteria.
• One-page listing three references of recently completed projects. Please include contact information.
• One-page biographical information or resume. If you have multiple team members, please provide brief biographical information on each essential member but do not exceed one page.
• Work Samples: 5 to 10 images of your recent projects. Please provide a brief description for each. Follow CaFE™ image requirements: JPEG format only, 1200 pixels on the longest side, less than 5 MB in size. Visit the CaFE Help Page , for more information on image requirements or for help resizing images.

Do not submit a project proposal or design at this time.  

Step Two: Selection of finalists – Notification by June 2nd, 2023 

The submitted qualifications will be reviewed by a selection panel made up of Bloomington stakeholders, Bloomington Creative Placemaking commissioners, community leaders, and public health and public art professionals. A selection of three finalists will be based on the following equally weighted criteria: 

• Quality of letter of interest
• Quality and relevance of work samples
• Experience integrating community engagement into project process
• Ability of artist/team to complete project based on prior work experience

All applicants will receive notification of the panel’s decision by June 2nd, 2023. 

See RFQ for rubrics for both first and second round submissions, and additional next steps for the three finalists.

Eligibility Criteria

This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is open to Minnesota residents, ages 18 and older. We are seeking experienced public artists and artist teams with backgrounds in sculpture, murals and/or if applicable, the incorporation of virtual reality (VR) into public art. All eligible applicants submitting a sculpture design for consideration should possess an understanding of or experience with installations that address the climate and ecosystem specific to Minnesota. Experience involving community members in the visioning and creation of artwork is preferred. Finalists must have the ability to attend a virtual interview and presentation of design.