Rhode Island State Council on the Arts
Call for Artists

Rhode Island College 
Craig-Lee Hall, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
600 Mount Pleasant Avenue, Providence 02908

Budget: $100,000 all inclusive.
Application Deadline: April 15, 2024.

Eligibility: This Call is open to all artists regionally from the states of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, and Maine. Those currently enrolled in undergraduate-level programs are not eligible to apply.

Artwork for the Rhode Island College’s Craig-Lee Hall will be commissioned through Rhode Island’s Public Art Law, which mandates that 1% of all state capital construction and renovation funds be allocated to the purchase and maintenance of public art.  Through this program, the State recognizes that “public art creates a more humane environment: one of distinction, enjoyment, and pride for all citizens.”

About Rhode Island College

Rhode Island College (RIC) is the first public institution of higher education in the state of Rhode Island. Rhode Island Normal School opened its doors on May 29, 1854, in the same former church hall that was used previously for private normal school instruction.  It was the eighth normal school opened in America.  Its goal was to provide teacher preparation to young people from Rhode Island.

Rhode Island College came from these humble origins, providing opportunities for self-transformation to meet the changing needs of the people of Rhode Island – a commitment that continues to this day. This commitment to the education of teachers and public service is still the backbone of the institution.

Today, RIC is a regional comprehensive public college that serves approximately 5,800 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Business, the Zvart Onanian School of Nursing, and the School of Social Work. Historically, the college has always been a place of opportunity and was among the earliest to educate students of color. Current enrollment shows that 46% of undergraduates are first generation students, 69% are female, and 42% identify as students of color.

From its website, the college’s mission statement reads:

As a leading regional public college, Rhode Island College personalizes higher education of the finest quality for undergraduate and graduate students. We offer vibrant programs in arts and sciences, business, and professional disciplines within a supportive, respectful, and diverse community. Dedicated faculty engage students in learning, research, and career attainment, and our innovative curricula and co-curricula foster intellectual curiosity and prepare an educated citizenry for responsible leadership.

Rhode Island College is proud of its status as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. RIC is additionally guided by core values of Excellence and Innovation, Access and Opportunity.

About the Faculty of Arts and Sciences

The largest school at Rhode Island College, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences is made up of almost 160 professors and more than half of the College’s students in sixteen different departments and programs ranging from the visual and performing arts to the natural and physical sciences, the humanities, and social and behavioral sciences.

About Craig-Lee Hall

Built in 1958, Craig-Lee Hall was named for two important figures in RIC history, Clara Craig and Mary Lee. Read more at https://www.ric.edu/news-events/news/buildings-ric-named-after-women.

The newly renovated Craig-Lee Hall re-opened for classes in Spring of 2019. The reimagined and expanded building now houses History, Psychology, English, Mathematics, Africana, and Film Studies departments. The building has 39 classrooms and communal lounge spaces throughout. Situated prominently at one end of the “quad”, the building has sweeping views of campus and the landscape beyond. The building is central to the college, both geographically and in serving all students, in some way at some point, in their college journey.

About Rhode Island College’s Public Art Master Plan

In 2017, with multiple new construction and renovation projects on the horizon, the college tasked the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts to work with the faculty and staff in creating a public art master plan for the campus. RISCA staff worked closely with the Steering Committee, conducting numerous listening sessions with faculty, staff, and students on campus.

Of note, the plan places emphasis on artworks that convey “freshness”, “newness” and “vitality”; that improve engagement, connectedness, and community on campus; that align with Rhode Island College’s mission; that offer opportunities for all to participate by placing art in accessible locations; and meets sustainability goals.

In 2023, RISCA met again with college leadership, determining that it was desirable for the new Craig-Lee commission to include components of student and alumni engagement and make the artistic process visible to the RIC community as a required part of the commission.

About the Project

The selection panel met in February 2024 and determined that the building presents excellent opportunities for artwork to be incorporated. Artwork might be commissioned for the interior or exterior.

Potential locations for artwork identified by the panel are:

• Within the first floor “commuter lounge” (interior artwork).
• In the gardens and/or plaza immediately adjacent to the west side of the building (but not to extend into the “quad”).
• In the gardens and plaza areas adjacent to the south entrance and rain garden, or
• On the south-facing exterior wall.
   

Guidance from the panel stated that an artwork for Craig-Lee might:

• Reflect themes of empowerment, transformation, inclusion, and/or opportunity.
• Be thought-provoking or inspire curiosity.
• Celebrate RIC’s diversity.
• Reflect the goals and values of RIC’s public art master plan.
• Be a series of works uniting various spaces throughout or a single large work.
• Create a welcoming atmosphere, increase collaborative space, and sense of community.

Artists will be asked to define how they anticipate making their creative process visible to the student body and alumni. Note, however, that a collaborative design process is not desired. Ideas for student interactions include but are not limited to:

• Employing students to work with the artist/designer through direct hire, such as summer or winter break employment.
• Leading workshops that share their unique process, materials, or methods.
• Providing guest critiques of student work.
• Being interviewed by students, such as for a campus blog or publication.
• Sharing their artistic or design process through lectures, presentations, or weekly check-ins.
• Fabricating a portion or all the work on site during the academic year or installing the work during times that are visible (with the caveat that studio space is not available).
• If applicant is already a RIC faculty member (full time or adjunct), they will be asked to define how their anticipated engagement is different and in addition to what they are already contracted by the College to provide.

Application Requirements

Intent of the Call and Scope of the Work:

Please note: This Call for Artists is the first step in the RISCA/RIC public art selection process. It is not considered best practice for an agency to ask an artist to craft a proposal without financial compensation. Therefore, RISCA will conduct the application process online, with initial materials submitted in digital format through Café (see below) There is no charge to the artist to apply or to submit digital images.  Optional informative sessions will be held on-site on March 24 and 28th. Applicants can learn more about the project, ask questions, and receive technical assistance with their application. More information.

At this preliminary selection stage, we request submissions from artists or art teams consisting of six (6) images representing work completed within the past ten years, and a written statement, narrative or resume that describes the applicant’s interest in the project including a description of how they anticipate interacting with the student body, if commissioned.

Three finalists will be selected from the pool of initial applicants. Finalists will be invited to visit the site then craft a detailed proposal including an itemized budget, scale models and/or renderings, and an in-depth project description. For this they will each be paid a $2,500 stipend for their work. This stipend is intended to cover all travel expenses: hotel, transportation, mileage, etc., for both the site visit and the subsequent presentation meeting. Finalists will not be reimbursed separately for any travel costs.

One finalist will be chosen from those determined to be “emerging”, defined for the purposes of this project as someone who has not yet received a commission in their career of $75,000 or more.

Estimated Timeline:

March 8, 2024: Applications open.
April 15, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. (MST) Deadline for submissions; Applications close.
May 2024 (TBD) panel meeting for review and selection of semifinalists.
May/June (TBD): Finalist site visits.
July/August 2024 (TBD): Finalist presentations to selection panel; work selected.
Fall 2024, Final approval by RISCA Council and RIC President’s Executive Council.
TBD with artist: Contract signed. Fabrication begins.
January-May 2025, student interaction period.
TBD with artist: Work installed and completed. Building construction is already complete.

According to law, recommendations of the selection panel will be presented to the governing council of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts who will have final approval of the public art selection.

Finalist’s site-specific proposals should convey artist’s ideas and plans through designs, renderings and/or scale models with a statement that describes the project's intent, proposed materials, fabrication and installation methods, and an itemized budget including 10% contingency. Finalists will also be asked to explain how their artwork will be sourced and fabricated. The finalists will be supplied with plans, photographs, and specific information about the building and the campus. A site visit to include a meeting with Capital Projects staff and members of the selection panel will be scheduled. It is strongly recommended that finalists visit the site in person.  A stipend will be paid to finalists for their proposals. The proposals will remain the property of the artist; however, RISCA reserves the right to retain proposals for up to one year for display purposes and the right to reproduce final proposals for documentation and public information.

The Public Art Selection Panel reserves the right to determine which proposal will be funded and the extent of funding. The panel also reserves the right not to accept any proposal submitted. If the recommendations of the Public Art Selection Panel are approved by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and RIC, the selected artist/s will enter into a contract with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and RIC for the commission. The commissioned artwork will be owned by the State of Rhode Island.

Selection Criteria:

The panel will select the artist based on the following criteria:

1. Artistic vibrancy and relevance.
2. Strength of RIC community interaction component. 
3. Permanence, durability, value.
4. References and demonstrated ability to manage and complete project.
5. Collaborative spirit.

Eligibility Criteria

This Call for Artists is open regionally to artists within the states of Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. Undergraduate students are not eligible.  Black, Indigenous, People of Color, women, gender nonconforming persons, LGBTQIA+ community members and people with differing physical abilities are highly encouraged to apply. Artists living across Rhode Island are highly encouraged to apply. The panel will not discriminate against any applicant artist on the basis of age, race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or physical challenges. Excluded from participation are RISCA Council members and RISCA staff and their family members, as well as members of the public art selection committee and their families.

The Public Art Selection Panel reserves the right to determine which proposal will be funded and the extent of funding. The panel also reserves the right not to accept any proposal submitted. If the recommendations of the Public Art Selection Panel are approved by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and RIC, the selected artist/s will enter into a contract with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and RIC for the commission. The commissioned artwork will be owned by the State of Rhode Island.

The scope of the project is all-inclusive. Artist will be responsible for all costs related to the design, fabrication, and installation of the commissioned work, including but not limited to: insurance as required, engineering and drawings stamped by a RI engineer, permitting and permit fees, RI-licensed contractor as required, equipment, supervision, testing services, shipping, travel, housing, labor, etc. Any costs associated with the siting of the artwork including but not limited to relocation of utilities, drainage, site work, specialized data or electric, etc., must be borne by the artist’s budget.

Finalists and commissioned artist will need a current W9 form to receive payments. The commissioned artist will need to register as a vendor with the State of Rhode Island through its Ocean State Procures system. Out-of-state businesses may need to register as a foreign entity through the RI Secretary of State and pay any associated taxes or fees. Commissioned artist will provide all insurance as may be required or applicable for installation and warranty maintenance including general commercial liability, automobile liability, professional liability, workers compensation and employer’s liability.

The commissioned artwork will comply with all Rhode Island Building Code Commission requirements. No work may proceed without a RI BCC letter of approval. Any permits required will need to be obtained by a licensed RI contractor. Artist will comply with applicable RI Department of Labor and Training and OSHA requirements in the installation and maintenance of the artwork.

 The final commissioned work must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act: http://www.ada.gov/.

If you have questions about this opportunity, email Molly Dickinson, molly.dickinson.ctr@arts.ri.gov.  If you require technical support for CAFÉ, please email cafe@westaf.org.