To download this call for artists as a PDF file and to view appendices and additional information, visit https://www.brushcreekculturaltrail.com/.

The Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation Department is excited to announce a call for an experienced artist or an artist team to design and implement thematically related exterior, site-responsive sculptures or installations of original design for Brush Creek Cultural Heritage Trail. The artwork should actively engage visitors and enhance the natural beauty of the park.

This commission is open to U.S.-based professional artists who have a proven track record of creating and installing site-responsive, durable, and sustainable public art. Preference will be given to artists with experience working with community engagement, permitting processes and who have a body of work that demonstrates their ability to create site-responsive, durable and sustainable work.

The in-grade art should be designed to withstand the elements and be made of durable materials that require minimal maintenance to be incorporated into the pavement surface. The theme of the artwork shall be in line with the natural beauty and history of Brush Creek Cultural Heritage Trail.

A cultural heritage trail is a path or route linking significant items of an area’s heritage or history. The trail may include markers or signs explaining the cultural significance of the area, such as people, events, historic landmarks, or monuments. Cultural heritage trails can also include guided tours led by experts to provide more in-depth information and context about the cultural heritage of an area. They are also used to promote and preserve cultural heritage sites, and they are popular in many tourist destinations around the world.

The Brush Creek Cultural Heritage Trail is envisioned to be a series of interconnected nodes that tell the story of the American Civil Rights Movement and the Black experience in Kansas City. The completed project and programming are intended to draw visitors to the Cultural Heritage Corridor in Kansas City, Missouri from the metropolitan area, other states, and other countries for inspiration, reflection, and education. Artwork is a key component to convey this important historical record. Interpretive materials at the nodes will be designed and installed to facilitate the development of educational programming.

Kansas City, Missouri is proud to showcase the rich history of its Black community. As you travel through this corridor, the stories of the people, the events and the culture that built a strong African American community, you will learn the stories of those people who invested physically, emotionally, economically, politically, and socially in Kansas City.

Naming and Branding

It is envisioned that the name of the trail will be Celebration Cultural Trail: Exploring the History of Black Kansas City

Mission Statement

Celebration Cultural Trail exists to illuminate African American stories of Black Kansas City through education, contemplation, and reconciliation.

Vision Statement

Celebration Cultural Trail highlights the multi-faceted cultural heritage of Black Kansas City through story and art to promote reconciliation, empathy, and understanding. A place of reflection, it has the power to enlighten, unify, and inspire all who visit. 

As the Brush Creek Cultural Heritage Trail Steering Committee selects individuals, groups, and events to spotlight in this project, its intent is to be as inclusive as possible and to showcase the diversity of the people who shaped Black Kansas City. The committee is looking to be inclusive of the community by assuring the presence of women, the LGBTQIA+ community, differently abled and neurodivergent people, as the stories of some of them may not have been told.

1.  Include stories that have been lesser or not recognized elsewhere

2.  Focus on Black Kansas City

3.  Highlight contributions by African Americans

4.  Feature, with few exceptions, those persons who are deceased

Fourteen sites have been designated along the Brush Creek Cultural Heritage Trail. Locations are shown within the plan document in Appendix A. The themes that have been selected include the following.

• Site 1 – Social and Political Activism
• Site 2 – Events
• Site 3 – Businesses
• Site 4 – Worker’s Rights
• Site 5 – Built Environment
• Site 6 – Innovation and Inspiration
• Site 7 – Art and Entertainment
• Site 8 – (de) Segregation
• Site 9 – Public Service
• Site 10 – Government
• Site 11 – Faith-based Organizations
• Site 12 – Education and Institutions
• Site 13 – Healthcare
• Site 14 – Sports and Athletics

The Brush Creek Cultural Heritage Trail spans approximately one and a half miles along the Brush Creek Greenway in Kansas City, bordered by Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard on the north, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard on the south, roughly The Paseo on the west, and just past Cleveland Avenue on the east.

Art Submission Requirements

Artists shall submit images of previous public art works, detailed project qualifications, curriculum vitae (CV), and artist statement.

Submissions will be accepted through this Kansas City, Missouri CaFÉ listing.

Entry Deadline: December 15th, 2023, at 5:00 pm (Central)

A complete application must include:

• Artist resume demonstrating a minimum of five (5) years of professional visual art experience (not student work). If submitting as a team, a current resume should be submitted for each team member (compiled into one document). A biography will not be accepted in place of a resume.
• Statement of interest describing:
  • Why you are interested in this project.
  • Previous experience with public art.
  • Your connection (if any) or interest in the Brush Creek Cultural Heritage Trail.
  • How you believe the art will enhance the chosen space(s).
• Six (6) Images of your original completed commissions, not proposals, which demonstrate your qualifications for the project. Three-dimensional models, sketches, or drawings will not be accepted. You must include the title, medium, dimensions, project budget (price), year completed, location, and a description for each work. The value must be indicated in US dollars. Each artwork must contain only one image with only one view of the work. Multiple views per image or unexecuted conceptual projects will not be considered and may disqualify your submission.
• Up to three (3) videos (optional) of work examples

This call for artists is open to U.S.-based professional artists 18 years old and over, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender identification, military status, sexual orientation, marital status, or physical ability.

Artist teams may apply and must designate one (1) artist as the lead contact.

Examples of work submitted must be original, recently completed artwork (within the last 10 years).

The City reserves the right to reject any or all submissions. From time to time, engineering, construction, or other factors may require the City to amend its selection criteria. After this Call for Artists (“CFA”) is issued, the City, in its sole discretion, may change anything contained in this CFA at any time, including after the application due date. If the change is prior to the application due date, the City reserves the right, when considered necessary or appropriate, to modify this CFA with an addendum. If the City shall amend the CFA after the application due date, the City may, in its sole discretion, solicit new applications in an amended CFA from anyone or everyone, regardless of whether an applicant submitted an application in response to the original CFA.

The jury members will select three (3) semifinalist artists to develop art designs. Selected artists will be required to provide references that include the names and current contract information for three (3) individuals with whom you have worked, collaborated, or who have commissioned your work in the past.

The finalist artist shall be selected from the three (3) semifinalist designs. The finalist artist shall contract with the City of Kansas City, Missouri using the Art Purchase Contract referenced in Appendix B. The artist will be expected to follow the Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity Department Civil Rights and Wage Assurances in Appendix B.

Question and Answer Period

The artists shall not contact the selection jury members. All questions shall be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Central Friday, November 17, 2023 to James Martin, Public Art Administrator, City of Kansas City, Missouri, james.martin@kcmo.org, 816.513.3422

Answers to questions will be posted as an addendum to this Call for Artists by 5:00 p.m. Central December 1, 2023.

Virtual Question and Answer Session

A virtual Question and Answer session will be held 5:30 p.m. Central Tuesday, November 28. Answers to questions received during the Q&A period and/or during the Q&A virtual session will be posted as an addendum to this Call for Artists by 5:00 p.m. Central December 1, 2023. Click here to join the meeting.

ADDENDUM: Q&A responses

Q: Is this call for artists for one $400,000 art work or 14 with a total budget of $400,000? A: This call is for 14 works of art with a total budget of $400,000.

Q: Is this call for artists for 14 artists, or just one artist? A: This call is envisioned for one artist. However, in theory the selection panel could choose to split the commission.

Q: Can you elaborate on what “in-grade” art means? A: “In-grade” refers to creating art for the surfaces of the 14 plazas.

Art Selection Process and Tentative Schedule

The selection of the art for the Brush Creek Cultural Heritage Trail will be as follows:

• Call for Artists release – November 1st, 2023
• Artist Submission due - December 15th, 2023
• Jury Review and 1st round judging – December 2023 to January 2024
• Selected Artist notification – January 15th, 2024
  • Three artists for the in-grade art design will be selected.
  • Each of the selected artists will receive a stipend of $2,000.00 for development of art design drawings and models.
• Selected Artist Submission of art designs – March 15th, 2024
• Jury Review and Final Selection 2nd round judging – March 2024
• Contract Development – April 2024
• Artist production of Art – May to October 2024

Responsibilities Upon Selection

Artist Responsibilities:

• Production of fourteen (14) in-grade art pieces including sketches, models, and mockups.
• Permanent art with 60-year life span
• Engineering of the art.
• Coordinating with the project team on site, in-grade art pieces base design and installation. Artist will be provided with a 10’ diameter circle with a 8” depth to provide the art within.
• Coordinating installation of the art.
• Development of maintenance requirements.
• Art fabrication reviews for approval:
  • 1st – Mockup
  • 2nd – Final Design
  • 3rd – 50% Completion
  • 4th – Start of Installation
  • 5th – Final Completion

City Responsibilities:

• Development of the contract
• Final approval of artist subconsultants
• Base layer installation as needed
• Art installation as needed
• Improvements to the plaza
• Studio visits for review (1st, 2nd and 3rd reviews) for approval. 4th and 5th reviews shall be on site.

Appendices See appendices by downloading the Call for Artists PDF file at https://www.brushcreekculturaltrail.com/.

Appendix A – KCMO Art Purchase Contract

Appendix B – KCMO Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity Department Civil Rights and Wage Assurances

Appendix C – Brush Creek Cultural Heritage Trail Site Node Plans

Appendix D – Brush Creek Cultural Heritage Trail Node Themes

Application Requirements

Application Requirements

• Work samples on CaFÉ
• Artist resume demonstrating a minimum of five (5) years of professional visual art experience (not student work). If submitting as a team, a current resume should be submitted for each team member (compiled into one document). A biography will not be accepted in place of a resume.
• Statement of interest describing:
  • Why you are interested in this project.
  • Previous experience with public art.
  • Your connection (if any) or interest in the Brush Creek Cultural Heritage Trail.
  • How you believe the art will enhance the chosen space(s).
• Six (6) Images of your original completed commissions, not proposals, which demonstrate your qualifications for the project. Three-dimensional models, sketches, or drawings will not be accepted. You must include the title, medium, dimensions, project budget (price), year completed, location, and a description for each work. The value must be indicated in US dollars. Each artwork must contain only one image with only one view of the work. Multiple views per image or unexecuted conceptual projects will not be considered and may disqualify your submission.
• Up to three (3) videos (optional) of work examples

Eligibility Criteria

All applications must be submitted through this CaFÉ Call for Artists.

Eligibility

U.S.-based professional artists who have a proven track record of creating and installing site-responsive, durable, and sustainable public art. Preference will be given to artists with experience working with community engagement, permitting processes and who have a body of work that demonstrates their ability to create site-responsive, durable and sustainable work.

Artists lacking public art experience may want to consider jointly submitting the qualifications of an experienced collaborator. Resumes/CVs of all collaborators must be uploaded to CaFÉ as a single PDF with multiple pages.

Artists who have completed a City of Kansas City, Missouri One Percent for Art commission within two years of their project’s contract execution date are not eligible.

Full-time, permanent City of Kansas City, Missouri employees, KC Streetcar Main Street Extension project consultants and their employees and sub-consultants are ineligible.