Qualifications are requested from artists interested in creating a public artwork for the Freudenthal Library at Trinidad State College in Trinidad, Colorado. The budget for this opportunity is $38,500 and the deadline for submission is October 10, 2023. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION – ABOUT TRINIDAD STATE COLLEGE & THE FREUDENTHAL LIBRARY RENOVATION

Established in 1925, Trinidad State College (Trinidad State) was the first community college in Colorado. With campuses in Trinidad and Alamosa, Colorado, Trinidad State provides an affordable and accessible education to students in southern Colorado and beyond. Trinidad State offers unique academic programs in fields such as Unmanned Aviation Systems, Cosmetology, Nursing and Welding. We also have an Electrical Line Technician program as well as Visual Art, Theater, and Technical Theater Degrees with Designation, in addition  to traditional Arts and Sciences classes and a guaranteed transfer program through partnerships with four-year colleges and universities in Colorado. Trinidad State is home to a nationally recognized, premiere Gunsmithing School in the United States.

Trinidad State has the highest completion rates of any community college in Colorado, offering the full college experience in a small town setting including dining and residence halls. The spacious 17-acre Trinidad Campus is also home to the Louden-Heinritze Archaeology Museum, which houses an extensive collection of archaeological materials uncovered in sites at eastern and western Las Animas County, cave excavations in Trinidad and the Purgatoire River, starting in the early 1940s. These findings were the legacy of then Trinidad Junior College’s Archaeology Department faculty and the work of their student teams. The Louden-Henritze Museum was dedicated to brothers Willard and Richard Louden, and Ruth Henritze, who were credited for archaeological discoveries and digs, including the Trinichera Cave. Trinidad State has been continually accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1962. The city of Trinidad has a rich history and distinct cultural identity; its location has drawn people to the area for a variety of reasons, from the Santa Fe Trail, to coal mines, to cultural pursuits and outdoor recreation. Find more onTrinidad’s history here.

The Samuel Freudenthal Memorial Library is located at the Trinidad Campus and is named for Senator Samuel Freudenthal. Freudenthal was one of the major sponsors of Senate Bill 403, which led to the founding of Trinidad State College. Samuel Freudenthal was also a successful local attorney who practiced law in Trinidad until his death in October of 1929. The primary mission of the Samuel Freudenthal Memorial Library is to meet and anticipate the academic and informational needs of Trinidad State College’s students, staff, and local community members.The main floor of the library also houses Advising, Academic Support, Trinidad State’s Intervention Specialist, Retention Specialist and Writing Lab, as well as other tutoring support. The library provides current and relevant print and electronic resources that support the academic curriculum, while evolving  with changing contemporary library needs. 

The goal of the renovation project is to ensure that the Freudenthal Library becomes a welcoming and well-used facility that serves the College well for generations to come. The project architect, studiotrope Design Collective, utilized creative design approaches to create spaces to facilitate learning, making, and creating for individuals and groups. The renovation features a re-imagining of the primary entry by creating a double-height space, a wide variety of gathering and library programming spaces, a maker space, an incubator space, staff work space, and classroom updates.

In the renovation, the library’s entrance will be reconfigured to provide a translucent, modernized facade. The new entrance will resemble a “glass box” and will provide a beacon for students walking on campus and users entering the library. The goals for the library are to create a space that is relaxing and calming while providing opportunities for connection, collaboration, and learning. The library will serve as a meeting place and central cultural space on campus. The interior of the building will also receive modernizing upgrades that improve its functionality as a home for the library’s collection as well as a place for students to study and gather. Interior spaces will be opened up to accentuate the upper volumes of the building, including in student lounge areas. A maker space will be added on the 3rd floor of the library. The goal of all the changes is to capture the idea that libraries are no longer static, mausoleums, rather they are active, evolving learning, and gathering spaces. 

The central area in the library, known as the gallery lounge, will have a fireplace added, to provide warmth and to reiterate that this space serves as a “living room” for the campus. There is a permanently mounted mosaic in this space that will remain after the renovation (images provided below), and there are floor to ceiling windows on either side of the fireplace that highlight a view of Fisher’s Peak.

BUDGET: $38,500

All costs associated with the public artwork, 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 an artwork that addresses one of the potential locations in the Freudenthal Library. Among the locations available for artwork are a wall-mounted opportunity and ceiling-hung locations. The committee is not interested in three-dimensional sculptural artworks on the floor of any spaces. 

Opportunity 1 is the large brick wall across from the fireplace in the central gallery lounge space of the library. This area will have lots of natural light. An artwork here will anchor this campus “living room” space. This location is directly across from the permanent mosaic artwork (image below) and the fireplace. While the new artwork does not need to directly relate to the existing artwork, an awareness of the relationship between the two pieces is valuable to consider. This location will be very visible from the open walkway upstairs surrounding the room below. These upstairs walkways lead to the makers’ space and classrooms, so there will be lots of foot traffic and high visibility. 

Opportunity 2 is the ceiling directly next to either side of the fireplace in the gallery lounge. A hanging artwork or artworks here can take advantage of the natural light, the movement of air through the doors going to an outside courtyard and views of Fishers Peak. This location is also very visible from the open upstairs walkway.

Opportunity 3 is the ceiling at the entrance of the building. An artwork here will welcome library visitors into the space. 

Please refer to the  site plans and renderings at the end of the full RFQ 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 of $1,000. Final selection(s) will be made from the semifinalists’ proposals. The schedule is as follows:

October 10, 2023, 11:59 pm MST – Deadline for receipt of submission via CaFÉ™ system

October/November 2023 – Selection committee meets to select semifinalists

December 2023 – Artist presentations to the Art Selection Committee

June 2024 – Scheduled building opening

 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

About Trinidad State

Campus Map

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. Artists should also use this statement to highlight if they are a Trinidad State alum.

Eligibility Criteria

All applicants must be residents of Colorado. Exceptions will be made for artists living outside of Colorado if they are alumni of Trinidad State College (previously Trinidad Junior College) or artists who are affiliated with a tribe with ties to the land that is currently Colorado. If you live outside of Colorado and fall under one of these exceptions, please contact Ruth Wilson (ruth.wilson@state.co.us) prior to applying to ensure awareness of your application. 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.