Professional artist and artist teams are invited to submit letters of interest and qualifications for the creation of site-specific artwork(s) at the University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. Utah artists and artists of historically underrepresented populations are strongly encouraged to apply. This project is a partnership of the Utah Public Art Program of the Division of Arts and Museums, in association with the Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DFCM) and University of Utah (UoU).

The Request for Qualifications with building renderings and illustrations can be found here. Please review carefully and consider the unique possibilities afforded by the building's design. 

THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH SPENCER FOX ECCLES SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

On June 9th, 2021, the University of Utah announced a landmark gift of $110 million for its School of Medicine from the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation and the Nora Eccles Treadwell Foundation. The gift will further accelerate the nationally recognized school’s ability to provide the highest quality medical education, advanced research, and patient care, dramatically increasing the school’s endowment and powering critical research. It will also enable the construction of a state-of-the-art new home for the School of Medicine on the health sciences campus.

The Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine combines excellence in teaching, research, and clinical expertise to train tomorrow's physicians for the rapidly changing world of medicine. With a faculty of more than 1,000 physicians and researchers and 23 clinical and basic science departments, our medical school trains the majority of Utah physicians, offering:

• MD degrees
• physician assistant training
• residencies
• fellowship specialty training
• degrees in public health
• degrees in medical laboratory science

The School is widely recognized for interdisciplinary research in the genetics of disease, cancer, biomedical informatics, infectious diseases, and other areas of leading-edge medicine.

According to Michael Good, Senior Vice President for Health Sciences, “This gift sets the course for the future of the School of Medicine. Medical education has advanced significantly in recent decades as new discoveries and technologies emerge. At the same time, the state of Utah is experiencing a need for more physicians, particularly in rural areas. The new building presents a unique opportunity: we will provide the most advanced education to raise new generations of health care professionals who will, in turn, improve health for our state and region. Our newly named school will join the ranks of the nation’s preeminent named institutions. We will not just adapt to the future of medicine—we will define it.”

The Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library was the first significant capital project at the university to be funded by the Eccles family. Since then, the younger Mr. Eccles has dramatically expanded his family’s vision. The Eccles family and associated charitable foundations have supported the School of Medicine and health sciences in areas spanning cardiovascular and genetics research, nursing, ophthalmology, orthopedics, pharmacology, critical care, and more.

“I have long believed that no state or region can become truly great without a world-class medical center at its nucleus,” Mr. Eccles said. “We hope this seminal grant—the largest ever awarded by our foundations—will help ensure the university not only provides the highest quality medical education for the doctors who serve Utah and the entire Intermountain West, but also furthers the excellence of health care for all our citizens and impacts the future of medicine through its groundbreaking research.”

University of Utah Health is the only academic medical center in the Intermountain West, providing patient care for nearly 10 percent of the geographic area of the continental United States. This gift will catalyze the most critical evolution in the School of Medicine’s history and be used across three primary areas: education, research, and facilities.

COMMITTEE STATEMENT

The Art Selection Committee is seeking artists who understand the value and role of the School of Medicine. Artwork should be specific to the medical center and reflect the innovation and discovery encouraged by the University’s health sciences programs. 

The design of the building provides many opportunities for the integration of artwork into the architecture and site. The Selection Committee is open to artist suggested sites, and has also identified several locations that could accommodate public artworks:

• Entry lobbies
• Level 3 Forum
• Level 4 Entry / Dining
• Building public circulation, all levels
• Exterior Level 3 Plaza and connecting site stair to Level 4 Library Entry
• Exterior Level 4 North Plaza

Renderings for these sites can be found at the linked RFQ.

BUDGET

$366,000 is available for all related expenses of this Public Art commission including (but not limited to) artist fees, fabrication, structure/base, insurance, shipping, travel, lighting, installation, documentation, etc.

ELIGIBILITY

This project is open to professional artists and artist teams; artists who belong to a historically underrepresented population are strongly encouraged to apply. Utah artists will be given additional weight in the selection process. 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 Architects 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.

DEADLINE

Complete application packages must be RECEIVED by December 29, 2023 by 11:59p.m. MT

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 Spring 2024 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 UoU School of Medicine Art Selection Committee reserves the right to withhold the award of a commission or re-release the call for entries.

Schedule:
December 29, 2023, 11:59pm MDT – Deadline for receipt of preliminary materials
January 2024 – Committee Review and Finalist artist notification
Late Spring 2024 – Finalists interviews and presentations
December 2025 – Artwork complete
1st Quarter 2026 – Project substantial completion 

ARTIST SELECTION COMMITTEE

Paloma Cariello - Associate Dean of Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion | Associate Professor, University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine (SFESOM)

Celestia Carson - Principal, VCBO Architecture

Benjamin Chan - Assistant Dean of Admissions, SFESOM

Sam Finlayson - Interim Dean, SFESOM

Luke Kelly - Associate Curator, Utah Museum of Fine Arts

Sara Lamb - Vice Dean of Education | Associate Professor, SFESOM

Taylor Maxfield - Project Manager, Division of Facilities Construction & Management

John Meredith - Senior Project Manager, UoU Planning, Design and Construction

Steven Panish - Assistant Vice President, Capital Planning & Space Management | UoU, Office of the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences

Linda Perez - Administration/HR Manager, Dean’s Office, SFESOM

Kristin Randall - Governance & Accreditation Manager, Dean’s Office, SFESOM

Adam Stevenson - Associate Dean of Student Affairs, SFESOM

If you have any questions about this or other projects information is available at: Publicart.utah.gov
Or contact: Hannah Barrett at hbarrett@utah.gov. 

RFQ images courtesy VCBO Architecture 

Application Requirements

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 2 movie files 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. Faxed or e-mailed applications cannot be accepted.

To request an accommodation for a disability, please complete an Accommodation Form at least two weeks in advance of the December 29 deadline. Accommodation forms can be found at https://artsandmuseums.utah.gov/accessibility.

Eligibility Criteria

Professional artists and artist teams are eligible for this commission. Utah artists and artists of a historically underrepresented population are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants must have a U.S. Tax ID Number (SSN, EIN, ITIN, or other). Art selection committee members and immediate families, board members, and employees of VCBO Architecture or Utah Division of Arts and Museums are not eligible for this project.