Qualifications are requested from artists interested in creating public artworks for the Hellems Arts and Sciences Building at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION – ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO & THE HELLEM ARTS AND SCIENCES BUILDING

The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) is the flagship institution of the University of Colorado system. Nestled at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, CU Boulder’s mission is to serve as the state of Colorado’s comprehensive graduate research university with selective admission standards, offering a comprehensive array of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree programs. CU Boulder’s vision is to be a leader in identifying and addressing the humanitarian, social and technological challenges of the 21st century. For more about the University, please see here.

The main portion of the Hellems Arts and Sciences Building (Hellems) was built in 1921 and was the first campus building designed by Charles Z. Klauder in the now-iconic University of Colorado Tuscan Vernacular style. The building epitomizes Klauder’s concepts of varying roof profiles, dovecote chimneys, decorative cartouches and the “bookend” style: central wings with vertical window elements abutted on each end by taller pavilions framing and focusing the composition. The building’s design is informed by the natural location of the campus within Boulder. In 1937, Klauder designed east and west wings, which along with the Henderson Museum Building formed a courtyard around the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theater.

Hellems is named after Fred Burton Renney Hellems, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1899 to 1929. The building is part of the campus’s Norlin Quadrangle Historic District. About half of all first-year students take a class in Hellems and 85% of CU Boulder undergraduates take at least one class there by the time they graduate. Hellems houses the Departments of English, History, Linguistics and Philosophy, as well as the Anderson Language and Technology Center (ALTEC) and Colorado Shakespeare Festival, whose offices and summer performances shape the building's vibrancy.

Understanding the importance of this building in the student experience, CU Boulder endeavors to create an inclusive, welcoming space where everyone feels comfortable and a true sense of belonging. The renovation project will address the 95,000-square-foot Hellems Arts and Sciences building with  health and safety improvements, accessibility improvements and energy-efficiency upgrades that will help the building attain a LEED Gold rating. Goals include creating inspirational teaching spaces and a reimagined home for the building’s departments. An accessible entry will be added on the side of the building facing the quad, as well as accessible lower-level entries on the east side of the building. Light wells will be added on the west side of the building to add light exposure for the basement level.

The design envisions new, "sticky spaces" where people are inclined to linger and collaborate. The renovation will open up views, and create design elements to highlight the building’s features and uses, including opening up the main entrance area to create an active student gathering space, with views to the building’s multiple floors and views out to the Mary Rippon Theatre, an exterior amphitheater housed in the building’s courtyard, will also be renovated. The Shakespeare garden and significant trees around the theater will be protected and retained and two outside porches will be added. These porches will allow for event and outdoor class space opportunities The Colorado Shakespeare Festival, one of the oldest Shakespeare companies in the United States, has performed there since 1958. The venue bears the name of Mary Rippon, the first woman to teach at a state university and the first female professor at CU Boulder.

Overall campus planning goals for the building include creating inclusive, visionary, student-focused learning and collaboration spaces; flexibility for the future; preservation and modernization for the next 100 years; diversity, equity and inclusion throughout; and health, wellness and community. A diverse group of students has been engaged in the design process throughout the project. Acknowledging that the project is built on the traditional territories of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Nations is a key part of the project. 

For more on the project, the University’s inclusivity goals and the Land Acknowledgement, please visit here.

BUDGET: up to $255,000

All costs associated with the public artworks, including, but not limited to, artist design fee, structural engineering, insurance, materials, fabrication, transportation, installation, building or site modifications, including lighting, travel to and from the site, per diem expenses, project documentation, contingency to cover unexpected expenses and any other costs related to the project are covered by the budget. 
 

 OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC ART

The committee is looking for artworks that address one or more of the potential locations within the Hellems Arts and Sciences Building.  Among the locations available for artwork are wall-mounted opportunities and one ceiling-hung location. The building cannot accommodate three-dimensional sculptural artworks on the floor of any spaces. The committee is interested in multiple artworks from multiple artists; the total budget of $255,000 will be split between multiple commissions, in amounts to be determined. A diversity in artists and type of artworks is desired to best represent the diversity of CU Boulder’s students.

The committee is interested in artists and artworks that reflect the University’s goals of inclusiveness and accessibility. Artworks that address CU Boulder and the area's history, including  land acknowledgement are of high interest, as are artworks that relate to the departments in the building. Language-based artworks are of particular interest.

Opportunity 1 is a wall in the entry space on the first floor of the building. This area will have lots of natural light and is located near the central student gathering area.

Opportunity 2A - 2C are multiple walls at the entrance of the east wing on floors 1B, Level 1 and Level 2. This is a potential opportunity for an artist to create a series of artworks that create a sense of wayfinding in the building by addressing all locations.

Opportunity 3A - 3B are walls along the hallway of the office wing of Levels 1 and 2.

Opportunity 4 is the ceiling and two-floor volume space in the new entrance/student area. The committee is excited for the potential of a hanging artwork that highlights this open area while preserving flexible use of the first floor area below this opening.

Opportunity 5 is the stairs located at each of the 4 quadrants of the building.  Indigenous cultures ascribed distinct meaning to each of these quadrants.  These stairs, including the floor landings at the corridors they open onto are opportunities to acknowledge that significance and provide orientation.  

Please refer to the site plans and renderings provided by Hacker Architects for more information, including dimensions of each opportunity location. That information is at the end of the full RFQ, available here.

 The Selection Committee will consider the following:

• Artistic excellence 
• Scale, material, form and content
• Safety of materials
• Appropriate relationship to the function of the site
• Resistance to general wear, vandalism, or theft
• Ease of maintenance, minimal and low-cost maintenance

SELECTION PROCESS AND SCHEDULE

The Art Selection Committee will review all complete and eligible submittals. A short list of semifinalists will be invited to prepare and present a final proposal in person and be paid an honorarium between $1,000 - 1,500. Final selection(s) will be made from the semifinalists’ proposals. The schedule is as follows:

• September 26, 2023, 11:59 pm MST – Deadline for receipt of submission via CaFÉ™ system
• October 2023 – Selection committee meets to select semifinalists
• November/December 2023 – Artist presentations to the Art Selection Committee
• 2025 – Scheduled completion of construction

 QUESTIONS

If you require more information or clarification, please contact Ruth Wilson, Public Art Program Manager, at 303-880-6671 or ruth.wilson@state.co.us.

ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION

https://www.colorado.edu/about

https://www.colorado.edu/artsandsciences/discover/buildings-and-space/hellems-renovation

https://www.colorado.edu/artsandsciences/discover/buildings-and-space/hellems-renovation/hellems-projects

The full RFQ, including images, site plans, and renderings can be viewed here.

Application Requirements

All applications for this project are being accepted through the online platform, CaFÉ™ (www.callforentry.org ). No hard copy or emailed submissions will be accepted. The applicant will be asked to submit digital images of art, a resume, and a brief statement of interest. There is no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system. Assistance in using the CaFÉ™ system is available during regular business hours by calling 303-629-1166, 1-888-562-7232 or email cafe@westaf.org.

 Digital Images. In order to be considered for this project, the applicant must electronically submit, via the CaFÉ™ system, no less than six (6) and no more than eight (8) digital images of previously completed artworks.

 Resume: Submit a current résumé, via CaFÉ™, that outlines professional accomplishments as an artist.

 Statement of Interest: A statement of interest of 250 words or less must be submitted via CaFÉ™. It should briefly outline the interest in the specific opportunity and highlight if the artist has interest in one of the sites specifically.

Eligibility Criteria

All applicants must be residents of the United States. The Program is open to all artists regardless of race, color, creed, gender, gender variance, national origin, age, religion, marital status, political opinion or affiliation, or mental or physical handicap.