01  CALL SUMMARY

Project Name:  THEN AND NOW / Delano Neighborhood Sculpture

Commissioning Organization:  WSP/kwED

Entry Deadline:  14 July, 2023, 5 PM CST

Timeline:  Installation Summer 2025 / Complete Fall 2025

Budget:  $260,000 (plus stipend for shortlisted artists)

Eligibility:  Regional - Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas

Call Type:  Public Art

02  INTRODUCTION

WSP, Landworks Studio and kwED, for the City of Wichita invite professional artists and artist teams with a demonstrated history of completing durable, permanent public art projects to submit their qualifications.

Two sites have been identified for art-objects to be installed as a part of Douglas Avenue improvements to be completed by the end of 2025. Douglas Avenue is the primary, multi-modal east/west roadway (approximately 8,500 autos per day) through Wichita’s Historic Delano Neighborhood supporting both residential and commercial activities.       (See Site Details)

The project Selection Committee will select artist(s) based on eligibility and the selection criteria listed below.  Selected artists proposals may require input and design development based on feedback from the committee and project team and is subject to their final approval.  Selected artists will provide regular updates on their progress through the fabrication and installation process.

WSP (Transit and Civil Engineering) is the prime consultant leading the design process in collaboration with the City of Wichita. Other design team members include Landworks Studio (Landscape Architecture) and kwED (Kent Williams Environmental Design).  kwED is a non-voting participant and will facilitate the selection process.

03  PERCENT FOR ART & CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN
This project is funded through the Percent for Art Ordinance and the City of Wichita’s Capital Improvement Plan. In 2019, the Wichita City Council approved an ordinance that allotted 2% of capital improvement funds to a pool of funding allocated for the commissioning of on-site artworks that then become part of the citywide art collection. The administration of the Percent for Art Program is overseen by the Design Council, an 11-member advisory board.

04  GOALS, CRITERIA AND CONSIDERATIONS

1. Commission up to two artist/artist teams to realize site specific artworks at two locations (A and B).  Site A is in two parts (A.1 and A.2) that will bookend the roadway and demarcate the Historic Delano Neighborhood’s western entry.  Site B is a single point location adjacent to an inner-neighborhood intersection.
2. The artwork should be appropriate for the character of the neighborhood, and each sites unique features.  Artist(s) should create relevant works that further the sense of place, inspire, create dialogue and enhance the experience of this place.
3. Factors for consideration include:  period bungalow architecture, commercial destinations, proximity to the Chisholm Trail and Arkansas River Crossing, First Nations’ trail establishment, the mature tree canopy place-making, and the neighborhood’s western gateway opportunity (Site A).
4. Artwork should respond to site conditions and context:  including scale of work, materiality, site-lines, and adjacent residential and commercial functions.
5. Artwork must include graffiti removal treatments/coatings.
6. Artwork incorporating steel material must comply with “Buy America” criteria.  See https://www.transit.dot.gov/buyamerica for more information.
7. Celebrate the role that art and artists play in our community and in our economy.

05  PROJECT AREA, CHARACTER AND CONTEXT

The Delano neighborhood is one of the oldest and most well established neighborhoods in the City of Wichita, and is located to the immediate west of the downtown area of Wichita.  The neighborhood boundaries include: the Arkansas River on the north and east, Meridian and US 54 Highway on the west and south respectively

Thanks to the Homestead Act of 1862, the community of Elgin was established on the west bank the Arkansas River, across from the young city of Wichita.  In 1871, 6 years before the Wichita Nation was removed from the area to Anadarko, Oklahoma, Elgin was renamed Delano, after Secretary of the Interior, Columbus Delano.

Delano was a boomtown, known for its lawlessness, drinking, gambling, and prostitution, serving cash-flush drovers fresh off the cattle-drives up the Chisholm Trail.  Jesse Chisholm, after whom the trail was named, linked ancient trails and appropriate water crossings, providing safe passage for cattle and men, as he was trusted by the first nations, familiar with their customs and fluent in several of the languages spoken along the trail.

Delano stood in stark contrast to Wichita’s “Peerless Princess of the Plains” ideals, and to the refugee camps of the Wichita Nation just north along the east bank of the Little Ark River.  Decedents from the original Delano families still live in Delano today.  Friends University’s handsome campus is a staple to Delano, founded in 1898.  Aviation manufacturing was big industry in Delano before moving to the edges of Wichita in the 1930s.

Today, charming tree lined streets, local shops, the new Riverfront Baseball Stadium, the new Advanced Learning Public Library, cafe’s and restaurants (the Monarch permanently displays over 125 local works of art) and the extraordinary Exploration Place Science Museum (designed by Moshe Safdie) all set the tone for Delano now, all the while aware of Delano’s roots.

     LINKS TO REFERENCE INFORMATION       

     https://wichitatribe.com/history/in-the-beginning-1540-1750.aspx

     https://legendsofkansas.com/delano-kansas/

     https://www.wichita.gov/Planning/Pages/Delano.aspx.

     http://historicdelano.com/HistoricDelano/history.php    

 https://www.wichita.gov/Planning/NR%20Documents/Delano%20Neighborhood%20Plan.pdf

 

06  ARTWORK LOCATIONS

(See Site Details)

07  BUDGET

Total Project:  $260,000 (plus stipend for shortlisted artists)

Site A (Includes locations A.1 and A.2):  $170,000

Site B:  $90,000   

Pedestals (plinths) and related footings will be provided by project team and coordinated with project artist(s) in the Design Development Phase. If only footing is required, project team will provide footings as deemed appropriate and reasonable.  

The total artwork commissions will be $260,000, inclusive of all costs and fees for the artist to execute the project from design through structural engineering, fabrication, site preparation, transportation and delivery to the site. Installation and artist payments will be coordinated with project team. Artist will be required to provide all mounting hardware for integration into footings/pedestals.    

08  SELECTION PROCESS

The Call to Artists will be conducted in two (2) phases.  In the first phase, The Delano Neighborhood Sculpture Selection Committee (DNSSC) will review artist qualifications and select up to six (6) finalists, three (3) per site.  Finalists will develop site-specific concept proposals that include either a pair of sculptures (Site A) or a single sculpture (Site B).  The DNSSC will recommend two (2) finalist artist(s), one (1) per each Site, or one (1) artist/artist team may be selected for both sites, to join the project team and execute a professional agreement accordingly.  A maximum of six finalists will each receive a stipend of $1,000 to participate in the concept proposal process.

The DNSSC will include City of Wichita staff, Project Engineer, Project Landscape Architect, Neighborhood Stakeholder, Delano Business Stakeholder, Community Arts Professional.

09  CRITERIA FOR REVIEW OF QUALIFICATIONS

Artistic excellence:  What is the quality of the artist’s work and their compatibility with the project ?

Goals:  Does the artist’s body of work demonstrate an ability to create an artwork that responds to the goals of the project ?

Approach:  How well does the artist communicate their understanding of the project ?

Capabilities:  Does the artist have sufficient experience to be able to design, fabricate, and install the artworks on time and on budget ?

10  SUBMITTAL OF FINALIST PROPOSALS

The Finalist Proposals will be a 5 Minute (maximum) digital video presentation of Developed Concepts, including renderings, narrative description, budget and timeline.

Artists should reference how project goals are met with their Developed Concepts.

11  CRITERIA FOR REVIEW OF FINALISTS PROPOSALS

Artistic excellence:  Does the concept proposal demonstrate artistic excellence, high quality, innovation, creativity and clarity of vision?

Goals:  Does the concept proposal respond to the goals of the project and fit within the context?

Approach:  Does the concept proposal reflect a clear understanding of the site, and how the artwork will be experienced and engaged with?

Capabilities:  Has the artist presented a sound work plan for the artwork, with appropriate and quality materials, on time and on budget?

12  TIMELINE

RFQ open via CAFE̒ online application system: 15 June 2023
Artists Questions Due: 05 July, 2023, 5 PM CST 
Qualifications due: 14 July, 2023, 5 PM CST
Review of qualifications: 10 days
Notification of finalists: 28 July, 2023, 5 PM CST
Finalists’ design proposals due (video format): 11 Aug, 2023, 5 PM CST
Final artist(s) selection: 25 Aug, 2023, 5 PM CST
Contract:  Approximately 6 weeks following selection
Fabrication: Prior to Install
Installation:  At the end of the construction project, Estimated Summer to Winter, 2025
Completion: Approximately 31 Dec, 2025

13  QUESTIONS

All inquiries should be emailed to Kent Williams (kent.t.williams@gmail.com) by 05 July, 2023, 5 PM CST

14  HOW TO APPLY

Application is available via CaFE̒. Deadline for submissions is:  14 JULY, 2023, 5 PM CST

Application Requirements

15  SUBMITTAL CONTENT

Please submit the following information:

1. Artist name (or names of team members if applying as a team), phone number and email address.
2. Website and/or applicable links.
3. Indication of which art location or locations you would like to be considered for (i.e. Site A and/or Site B)
4. Brief written description of your project approach and intention to create relevant work befitting the character of the site, with consideration given to relevant contextual factors (1,000 words or less).
5. Three (3) references
6. Five (5) to seven (7) images of relevant examples of past work.  Images should represent the artist’s style, medium and breadth of work.  Please include a brief description of work, size, media and budget.
7. Resume (maximum of two (2) pages / per each team member.

Eligibility Criteria

16  ARTIST ELIGIBILITY

Professional artists and artist teams with a demonstrated history of completing durable, permanent, outdoor public art projects.
Range of call includes United States Citizens residing in the states of Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.

The City of Wichita has a vibrant art community and many local firms who can assist with the development, fabrication, and installation of the art piece. The committee prefers to have local artists and firms involved in the project and will give preference to artists who plan to utilize these local resources. These may include engineers, contractors, fabricators, installers, lighting specialists and landscape architects.

It is the declared policy and practice of the City of Wichita to extend equal employment opportunities to all qualified persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, marital status, age, political affiliation, sexual orientation, disability, or other non-merit factors.