In partnership with the Division of Facilities Construction and Management and Utah’s Administrative Office of the Courts, the Utah Public Art Program of the Division of Arts and Museums requests qualifications from Utah artists and/or artist teams interested in creating site specific exterior sculpture(s) for the 6th District Courthouse in Manti, Utah. Click here for the full RFQ with images.

6TH DISTRICT COURTHOUSE 
The new Manti Courthouse has been a top priority of Utah’s Administrative Office of the Courts for many years. Although the current Sanpete County Courthouse has significant practical and historical value, the building is nearly 100 years old and does not meet the current security and operational standards for a modern courthouse. By building a new state courthouse, a great need is being filled for a larger structure with modern amenities and increased space. Following the construction of the 6th District Courthouse, the current Courthouse will continue to be used for Sanpete County administrative purposes, while the new building will handle the ongoing justice processes for the growing region in a much more secure and efficient manner.  

SITE HISTORY
The new courthouse will be based along Main Street and 100 North in Manti, one block from the historic Sanpete County Court House. Great care has been taken to ensure the building and the surrounding landscaping will enhance the historic value of the area.  
Construction required the leveling of two buildings—the “old parachute factory” and the adjacent former armory and old Cox Construction building. The old parachute factory, which was at 11 East between Union Street and 100 North, was once used to make parachutes for the war effort. It was previously owned by the Manti Improvement Business Association (MIBA).

BISHOP’S STOREHOUSE
The courthouse plot will be shared with the historic bishop’s storehouse, built in 1905 by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many early Utah settlements had a bishop’s storehouse. Church members paid their tithing with “in-kind” donations such as eggs, flour, and beef. All of the tithing offices constructed between 1905 and 1910 were designed to accommodate offices for local bishops or stake presidents, and usually contained a safe for storing tithing money and a cellar below the building for storing small amounts of produce, meat, cheese, etc. Those in need received necessary support from the storehouse.  

The Manti Bishop’s Storehouse building is still in use today, as a gift and flower shop. The yellow brick building has two front doors under the portico and a cupola resembling a beehive on the roof. The large oolite stone to the front and north of the building, commemorates this area as the original corner of the first “Little Stone” Manti Fort, which was constructed in 1852 to protect the settlers who gathered in from as far away as Richfield when hostilities erupted with the Ute and Shoshone Nations. The foundation was 3 feet wide and made of stone and the walls were 12 feet high and 2 feet wide. The second “Log Fort” was built in 1853, and encompassed the Little Fort and covered about one block.  A third “Big Fort” was built in 1854, comprised of several blocks in the center of town. 

MANTI, UTAH
Manti is one of the first five cities incorporated in Utah, and is the oldest town in Sanpete County. Brigham Young sent the first settlers to Manti after he received an invitation by Timpanogos Chief Walkara to send people down to the Sanpitch area. The original company of 50 pioneer families arrived in late November 1849. 

The pioneers, whose first camp was established on the south side of what is now Temple Hill, spent their first winter enduring hardships of scant food and clothing, bitter cold, and high snow—the worst in memory according to the local tribes. About half of their cattle froze to death and they were unable to get more food and supplies from Salt Lake. They had makeshift housing consisting of dugouts and their wagons, and shared their frozen cattle with a nearby Tribe. Winter was not the only problem—as spring approached the ground thawed and the pioneers were faced with hundreds of rattlesnakes. Miraculously not one of the settlers died from snakebite. Isaac Morley, the leader of this pioneer group, was given the honor of naming the settlement. He suggested ‘Manti’ as a good name, and so the name was adopted. Manti is the name of a city, a hill, and a land mentioned in the Book of Mormon. 

COMMITTEE STATEMENT 
The Manti Courthouse Art Selection Committee has identified an exterior location for art placement to the west of the new courthouse; there will be a public courtyard along Main Street, adjacent to the historic Bishop’s Storehouse. The Committee’s hope for this space is for it to be a community gathering space, with continuous public accessibility. With its location along Main, it will be prominently visible to both drivers and pedestrians, welcoming the community into its gardens. This courtyard space will be designed in harmony with the Classical entablature of the courthouse façade, and incorporated sculpture should be similarly complementary to the architecture. Artworks within this space should integrate into the surrounding design and enhance the traditional forms found in the surrounding area. The Committee plans to commission two small-to-medium sculptures or one large sculpture in the locations marked on site plans.  

The Committee hopes to select a sculptor familiar with Manti’s history and tradition. In pursuit of this, artists from the surrounding counties of Juab, Millard, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, and Wayne will be given special consideration. However, all artists residing in the state of Utah are eligible for this project. The ideal artist should be working within the Classical Tradition and have an understanding of Manti’s significance within Utah’s history. Artists chosen as a finalist are encouraged to consider the history of oolite stone in local architecture and incorporate that into their proposal if feasible. 

BUDGET 
$115,000 is available for all related expenses of this art commission(s) including (but not limited to) artist fees, fabrication, structure/base, insurance, travel, installation, lighting, documentation, etc.  

DEADLINE
Complete applications must be RECEIVED on or before June 9, 2023 by 11:59p.m. MDT. Emailed applications cannot be accepted.

SELECTION PROCESS AND SCHEDULE 
The Selection Committee will review all properly submitted qualifications from which a short list of semi-finalists will be selected. Semi-finalists will be asked to present a full proposal to the committee in Manti on August 29, 2023 to include concept, budget, and timeline. All semi-finalists will be awarded an honorarium to help defray the costs of the development of the proposal. The honorarium will be applied toward the commission amount for the artist(s) awarded the commission(s.) Utah Arts & Museums will not be responsible for applications delayed or lost. The Manti Courthouse Art Selection Committee reserves the right to withhold the award of a commission or re-release the call for entries. 

Schedule:  
June 9, 2023, 11:59pm MDT – Deadline for receipt of preliminary materials 
June 20, 2023 – Committee Review 
August 29, 2023 – Finalists interviews and presentations  
Fall 2024 – Project substantial completion

ARTIST SELECTION COMMITTEE 
Niki Covington, Visual Arts Specialist 
Ashley Greenwood, Project Manager, Division of Facilities Construction Management 
Judge Brody Keisel, 6th District Court Justice Court Judge 
Christopher Morgan, Trial Court Executive 
Chris Talbot, Court Facilities Director  
Brent Tippets, Principal Architect, VCBO Architecture 
Mary Wintch, Manti City Council 

Application Requirements

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS AND REQUIRED MATERIALS 
Interested artists may submit applications online via CallForEntry.org  
Register at www.callforentry.org and follow the directions for registration and submitting material for this Public Art Request for Qualifications.  
The application process will prompt you for all necessary documents and information. This includes up to 10 images and/or up to 1 movie file of previous work, a CV or resume, and a Statement of Interest explaining your interest in the project and how your work might relate to the project.  
To request an accommodation for a disability, please complete an Accommodation Form at least two weeks in advance of the June 9, 2023 deadline. Accommodation forms can be found at https://artsandmuseums.utah.gov/accessibility 

Utah Arts & Museums will not be responsible for applications delayed or lost in transit. While all reasonable care will be taken, neither the Utah Division of Arts & Museums nor the Manti Courthouse Art Selection Committee will be liable for late, lost, or damaged materials or electronic files. Faxed or e-mailed applications cannot be accepted.  

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY 
Professional artists and artist teams residing in Utah are eligible for this commission. Artists in the counties of Juab, Millard, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, and Wayne counties are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants must have a U.S. Tax ID Number (SSN, EIN, ITIN, or other). Art Selection Committee members and staff of Utah Arts & Museums and VCBO Architecture are not eligible to apply for this commission. All Art Selection Committee members will declare any conflict of interest and recuse themselves from the vote when reviewing artist applications.