Utah State University, in partnership with the Utah Division of Facilities Construction and Management and the Utah Division of Arts & Museums Public Art Program, requests qualifications from artists and/or artist teams interested in creating site-specific artwork(s) for the new College of Veterinary Medicine in Logan, Utah. This project is open to professional artists/artist teams; Utah artists and artists who belong to a historically underrepresented population are strongly encouraged to apply. 

The Request for Qualifications with building renderings can be found here.

THE UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

In 2022, the Utah legislature approved funding to create the College of Veterinary Medicine, Utah State University’s ninth college. USU has been part of the Washington-Idaho-Montana-Utah Regional Program in Veterinary Medicine for about 10 years. In the current program, USU admits up to 30 students each year, 20 of whom must be Utah residents. Students complete two years of foundational study at the Logan campus, then move to Pullman, Washington to complete their final two years of training at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. 

Under the new College of Veterinary Medicine, 80 students will be admitted each year, half of them Utah residents. Fourth-year students will participate in a distributed community-based model, working in private veterinary practices throughout Utah instead of an academic teaching hospital on campus.

COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE BUILDING

The building for the new College will be strategically located on the Innovation Campus near the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and the USDA Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory. Both facilities and their personnel are integral parts of the current and future veterinary programs. The new facility will include classrooms, faculty offices and research laboratories, study spaces, student clinical skill development and teaching laboratories, and administrative offices.

COMMITTEE STATEMENT

The introduction of the College will address the challenges caused by the shortage of veterinarians in Utah. Utah is ranked 42nd in terms of veterinarians per capita, despite livestock being the most dominant industry in Utah agriculture. The shortage of veterinarians also adversely impacts the availability of veterinary services for companion animals and horses. The establishment of this four-year vet school should alleviate these problems and benefit livestock producers, and companion animal and horse owners in both Utah and the surrounding region.

The Art Selection Committee is seeking artists who appreciate the history of veterinary medicine at USU, which dates back to the turn of the 20th century when plans to deliver a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree were first proposed at what was then known as the Agricultural College of Utah. Although those plans remained dormant for over a century, they are now coming to fruition with the establishment of the new College of Veterinary Medicine. The Committee is seeking artwork that celebrates the importance of veterinary medicine and inspires the students who will go on to serve the public.

The design of the building provides several opportunities for the integration of artwork into the architecture and site. The Selection Committee has identified several locations that could accommodate public artworks:

• Southwest Exterior Wall
• Southwest Plaza
• Student Forum
• Interior Corridor

Please review the full RFQ in order to learn more about the potential artwork locations.

BUDGET

$166,000 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). 

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS 

The Call for Entry application process will prompt you for all necessary documents and information. This includes up to 10 images and/or up to 1 movie file 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 emailed applications cannot be accepted.

To request an accommodation for a disability, please complete an Accommodation Form at least two weeks in advance of the March 8 deadline. Accommodation forms can be found at artsandmuseums.utah.gov/accessibility

DEADLINE

Complete application packages must be RECEIVED by March 8, 2024 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 on May 21, 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 USU College of Veterinary Medicine Art Selection Committee reserves the right to withhold the award of a commission or re-release the call for entries.

Schedule:
March 8, 2024, 11:59pm MDT – Deadline for receipt of preliminary materials
March 19, 2024 – Committee Review and Finalist artist notification
May 21, 2024 – Finalists interviews and presentations
Spring 2026 – Artwork complete
April 2026 – Project substantial completion 

ARTIST SELECTION COMMITTEE
Kelly Christofferson – Architect, Facilities Planning, Design, and Construction, USU

Lucas Davis – Project Manager, Division of Facilities Construction and Management

Katie Lee Koven – Executive Director, Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, USU

Derek Payne – Principal, VCBO Architecture 

Dirk Vanderwall – Interim Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine, USU

Lorin Wilcox – Senior Project Coordinator, Facilities Planning, Design, and Construction, USU

Please do not contact committee members directly. If you have any questions about this or other projects information is available at: artsandmuseums.utah.gov/public-art-opportunities/ 
Or contact: Hannah Barrett at hbarrett@utah.gov or 801-678-5826

Application Requirements

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS 

Interested artists may submit applications online via CallForEntry.org.

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 1 movie file 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.

To request an accommodation for a disability, please complete an Accommodation Form at least two weeks in advance of the March 8 deadline. Accommodation forms can be found at artsandmuseums.utah.gov/accessibility

Utah Arts & Museums will not be responsible for applications delayed or lost in transit. While all reasonable care will be taken, neither the Utah Division of Arts & Museums nor the USU College of Veterinary Medicine Art Selection Committee will be liable for late, lost, or damaged materials or electronic files. Faxed or emailed applications cannot be accepted.

Eligibility Criteria

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 Architecture 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.