PROJECT DESCRIPTION 

The South Suburban Park and Recreation District’s Public Art Committee (PAC)  requests proposals for permanent artwork to be placed at South Suburban Park and Recreation District’s (SSPRD) Puma Park, located at 7900 S Ogden Way, Centennial, CO 80122.  The park amenities include playgrounds, restrooms, multipurpose fields, open space, trails, a shelter, and a baseball field. The park is bordered by E Mineral Ave to the west, S Ogden Way to the east, Powell Middle School to the south, and residential neighborhoods to the north. The Lee Gulch Trail passes through the property, providing connectivity to the High Line Canal and Mary Carter Greenway Trails, as well as several other parks and open spaces in the area. The addition of public art to the park will coincide with park improvements, including new play structures, a new shade pavilion and park benches, and new concrete flatwork and playground surfacing to improve ADA access. Details on the Puma Park Improvements can be found here: https://gameplan.ssprd.org/puma-park-improvements-project.

The South Suburban Public Art Committee has not identified a specific location within the park in order to consider a variety of submissions and artist recommendations for placement. Likely locations would be between S Ogden Way and the playground area or along the trail. For maintenance purposes, the artwork and foundation must be at least five feet from boulders, trees or other objects.

PROJECT CRITERIA

The proposed art 1) should be appropriate for the surrounding family-focused uses; 2) should be an integral part of the site in theme, materials, and scale; 3) should be unique, and be thoughtfully integrated into the existing environment; 4) must meet or exceed standards for structural integrity and durability; 5) must be weather, vandal, and graffiti resistant; 6) and must meet or exceed standards for public safety.   Although not a requirement, the PAC encourages proposals to engage youth artists of the District in the development of any submissions.  Submissions may include existing artist-owned work if appropriate for the site.  SSPRD will provide reasonable care with regard to security and maintenance.  The artwork’s dimensions and design are to be at the artist’s discretion.  It is recommended that artists visit the site prior to submitting a proposal.

BUDGET

Up to $25,000 is available for all expenses related to this commission, including artist fees, materials, fabrication, finishes, underground foundation, engineering, insurance, shipping, travel, installation, documentation, and all other associated expenses.  The final artist selected must provide a Certificate of Insurance that will be in effect during delivery and installation. It is possible SSPRD staff could assist the artist with the physical installation, but this will need to be discussed and negotiated with the artist and will depend on the extent to which SSPRD has the necessary capabilities. SSPRD reserves the right to request that the artist, at no additional cost, submit installation plans stamped by a Colorado-licensed engineer.

ELIGIBILITY

This project is open to all artists residing in Colorado who have the background, experience and reputation for completing such a project. Commissioned or artist-owned work, if appropriate, will be considered.  The selected artwork may not be duplicated within 200 miles of the site.

SELECTION PROCESS

Artwork will be selected by the South Suburban Public Art Committee, a group of citizen volunteers with diverse interests in public art appointed by the Board of Directors.  Non-voting SSPRD employees act as advisors to the Committee.  Final approval is by the SSPRD Board of Directors.

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Strong visual presence
• Creativity of approach
• Appropriateness of the proposed artwork to the site
• Aesthetic quality
• Maintenance requirements
• Resistant to weather, vandalism and graffiti
• Materials, construction and durability
• Public safety
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative setting
• References from artist’s clients
• Probability of successful completion of the project as determined by the SSPAC

FINALISTS

Finalists will be chosen to present design concepts that best convey their ideas. Finalists will be asked to present their ideas to the committee during an interview process and will be paid a $100 proposal fee.  In order to evaluate final concepts properly, the format should be a color rendering and/or maquette.  A detail budget breakdown for the project is required.  The selected artist will enter into a contract with SSPRD which includes a 1/3-1/3-1/3 payment plan for the anticipated schedule of the project.

SCHEDULE

SOUTH SUBURBAN PARK AND RECREATION DISTRICT

SSPRD is a special district serving over 160,000 residents in the cities of  Bow Mar, Columbine Valley, Littleton, Lone Tree, Sheridan, Centennial west of I-25 and portions of unincorporated Arapahoe, Douglas and Jefferson counties.  Our mission is to foster healthy living through stewardship of the environment, parks, trails, and open space and by providing recreational services and programs.  For more detailed information, please visit our website at ssprd.org  

Application Requirements

The proposed art 1) should be appropriate for the surrounding family focused uses; 2) should be an integral part of the site in theme, materials, and scale; 4) should be unique, and be thoughtfully integrated into the existing environment; 5) must meet or exceed standards for structural integrity and durability; 6) must be weather, vandal, and graffiti resistant; 7) and must meet or exceed standards for public safety.  Submissions may include existing artist-owned work, if appropriate, for the site.  SSPRD will provide reasonable care with regard to security and maintenance.  The artwork’s dimensions and design are to be at the artist’s discretion.  It is recommended that artists visit the site prior to submitting a proposal.

Eligibility Criteria

This project is open to all artists residing in Colorado who have the background, experience and reputation for completing such a project. Commissioned or artist-owned work, if appropriate, will be considered.  The selected artwork may not be duplicated within 200 miles of the site.