The Bernalillo County Arts Board solicits a call for artists to submit qualifications to create five mid-size outdoor sculptures for Phase III of the Outposts sculpture project. Phase III includes roadways in the eastern part of Bernalillo County located near the Sandia Mountains. Exact sites for the sculptures are to be determined. The proposed locations include areas along the southern part of Tramway Boulevard and North Highway 14.  The established budget for Phase III is $25,000.00 per sculpture. Regional artists residing in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Arizona, Colorado and Texas are eligible to participate.  

The Arts Board will select up to 15 semi-finalists from the responses to this Request for Qualifications (RFQ). Semi-finalists will be paid a stipend (TBD) to develop detailed sculpture designs and renderings. From the semi-finalists, the Arts Board will select and award five artists contracts to create and install their sculptures. 

Context/History:

“Outposts” was conceived by the Bernalillo County Arts Board and evolved from an idea of exploring the diversity of the communities and landscapes found within Bernalillo County and the Southwestern region. The entire scope of the project is to create a “Public Art Trail” of 25 sculptures throughout Bernalillo County. Outposts Phases I and II consisted of ten sculptures installed along the Alameda Drain Multi-Use Trail on Second Street in Albuquerque’s North Valley. When Phase III is complete, a new call for art will be issued for five additional sculptures in another part of Bernalillo County, and so on until there are 25 sculptures by 25 different artists on key roadways of Bernalillo County forming the public art trail.

The purpose of the project is to create a public art trail that connects the five geographically and culturally diverse districts of Bernalillo County, from the rural east mountains to the primarily agricultural South Valley, to the highly urban center of the city, the mixed-use north valley to the primarily residential areas of the west mesa. These areas are enhanced by natural features including the Sandia mountain range to the east, volcanic cinder cones and a volcanic escarpment to the west, and the north/south running Rio Grande river through the valley. 

The sculptures should be approximately 15 feet in height with a 7-foot pedestrian clearance. Each sculpture will be attached to a metal pipe with a diameter of 6” that will be set into a cuff and base provided by Bernalillo County. Each art piece should have a structural lifetime of at least 25 years and be able to withstand the harsh conditions of the high altitude ultraviolet rays of the sun and high winds (sustained 35 miles an hour) in the spring.

Project Funds:

The total budget for each sculpture will be $25,000 from 1% for the Arts, from voter approved general obligation bonds. Bernalillo County will create and install the bases that the artwork will be secured to, thus the base dimensions will need to be strictly followed.

*Timeline:

• 12/15/2023: Call for art opens
• 1/25/2024: Call closes
• February-March 2024: Proposal review
• Spring 2024: Semi-finalists selected to develop detailed sculpture designs
• Summer 2024: Arts Board reviews sculpture designs
• Fall 2024: Five finalists selected
• Winter 2024: Sculpture fabrication
• Spring 2025: Installation

*subject to change

Application Requirements

Proposals should include the following:

1) An artist's statement
2) A letter of intent which includes a description of your ideas and the themes that will be addressed in your design, and proposed technique for application of designs;
3) At least 3 but no more that 10 digital images of past work;
5) An annotated image key, clearly labeled with your full name and a numerical listing for each image, the title of the work, the media, dimensions, and year of completion;
6) Resume

Eligibility Criteria

This is a regional call open to artists living in New Mexico and the immediate surrounding states limited to Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. The Arts Board believes that this will bring a variety of sculptural concepts to the county while acting as an economic incentive for broader audiences and participants.