Southern Utah University (SUU), in partnership with the Utah Division of Facilities Construction and Management and the Utah Division of Arts & Museums Public Art Program, requests qualifications from Utah artists and/or artist teams interested in creating site-specific artwork(s) for the new SUU Music Center in Cedar City, Utah. This project is open to artists/artist teams residing in or with connections to the state of Utah.

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

SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC

The Department of Music at Southern Utah University provides a dynamic educational environment where a community of learners explore pathways in music by developing individual strengths and pursuing collective excellence to prepare for lifelong learning, 21st-century careers in music, and active engagement in community performances.

MUSIC CENTER DESIGN AND PURPOSE

The new Music Building will provide a fully immersive environment for music instruction, and will anchor North Campus as a growing Arts District. Located just north of the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA) and the Shakespeare Festival Theatre and buildings, it will welcome visitors onto campus near 300 W and University Boulevard.

The building will contain a new 550-seat concert hall for student performances, and a 100-seat recital hall for smaller events. The recital hall will double as the home of the choral ensemble, and a new instrumental ensemble room will free up the Music Department’s use of South Hall and allow all SUU music students to practice and learn in the same place. The building will also provide a new home for the growing Commercial Music Program with recording and music production spaces that will also provide all music students with high-quality recording capabilities for building a professional portfolio and filming audition tapes. More practice rooms and faculty studios will also serve to better match the needs of the 2500+ students and faculty that will use the building each year.

CEDAR CITY AND SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY

Southern Utah University is located in Cedar City, Utah, in Iron County. The community was first established as an iron manufacturing town, though difficulties led many to turn to a more agrarian lifestyle. In time, the city’s proximity to the National Parks led to a healthy tourism industry, celebrating Southern Utah deserts and magnificent red rock.

Southern Utah University was first established in 1887 in the heart of the city as “Branch Normal School” and grew through several variations until officially being named Southern Utah University in 1990. It has seen many changes through the years as the city also grew and changed around it.

COMMITTEE STATEMENT

Southern Utah University has a long-standing relationship with the arts, reflected in several nationally acclaimed venues on the Cedar City, Utah campus. The new Music Building will join these facilities and provide an opportunity for students from all over the world to seek instruction and offer performances for patrons in a purpose-built facility that will be optimized for music education and performance. Spaces provided in the SUU Music Building will include ensemble rooms, recording studios, large and small group instructional space, faculty teaching studios, practice rooms, and a large lobby that will encourage student collaboration and welcome patrons to a grand performance hall, which anchors at the center of the building.

The Art Selection Committee will be looking for a Utah artist who is able to augment the experience within the building by creating a work that enhances the carefully designed architectural elements – rather than compete with them. The Committee expects to find an artist who will bring a creative, innovative, and original installation to the project that communicates with the surrounding space, allowing viewers to immediately recognize the relationship between the art installation and the facility's purpose. Preference will be given to artists who demonstrate high skill and mastery of medium, showing attention to detail and craftsmanship in their work. The installation must not present a safety risk and must be durable enough for display in a public space. Installations may be static or dynamic.

Work produced using artificial intelligence (AI) is discouraged. The Committee expects the installation to be an original concept, borne of the artist’s human creativity and talent, rather than replicating concepts generated by computerized AI. Exceptions will be granted if the incorporation of AI is disclosed in the submission process. If AI is used, it must be an essential and integral element of the overall medium.

The Art Selection Committee will be receptive to recommendations for the location of the art installation, with the hope that the artist will use the features of the building to their benefit in providing an impactful audience experience. Suggestions include the outdoor plaza space; on the walls of the interior of the south lobby; suspended in the interior of the south lobby; incorporated into the functional elements of the building (flooring, handrails, glasswork, screen walls, ceiling treatment, lighting, etc.); or distributed throughout the common spaces of the building. Additional renderings of these spaces can be found at the end of the full RFQ. Installations in faculty studios, practice rooms, the performance hall, or secluded areas of the building are discouraged and will not receive preference. The Committee has agreed that installations proposed for mounting on the exterior surfaces of the building will not receive preference. 

BUDGET

$130,000 is available for all related expenses of this Public Art commission, including (but not limited to) artist fees, fabrication, support structures, insurance, shipping, travel, lighting, installation, documentation, etc.

DEADLINE 

Complete application packages must be RECEIVED by April 19, 2024 by 11:59p.m. MT

ELIGIBILITY

Artist / artist teams living in the state of Utah or with connections to Utah are eligible for this commission. 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 Method Studio 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.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

The CaFE 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 April 19 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 SUU Music Center Art Selection Committee will be liable for late, lost, or damaged materials or electronic files. Faxed or emailed applications cannot be accepted.

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 July 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 SUU Music Center Art Selection Committee reserves the right to withhold the award of a commission or re-release the call for entries.

Schedule:
February 21, 2024 | Publish RFQ
April 19, 2024, 11:59pm MDT | Deadline for receipt of preliminary materials
May 9, 2024 | Committee Review and Finalist artist notification
Mid-July, 2024 | Finalists interviews and presentations
March 2026 | Artwork complete
March 2026 | Project substantial completion

ARTIST SELECTION COMMITTEE

Keith Bradshaw | Associate Dean, College of Performing and Visual Arts, SUU

Tiger Funk | Vice President of Operations, SUU

Wyett Ihler | Director of Creative Services, SUU

Ben Johnson | Assistant Vice President, Facilities Management, SUU

Lawrence Johnson | Chair, Department of Music, SUU

Jessica Kinsey | Executive Director, Southern Utah Museum of Art

Randy Mellor | Project Manager, Division of Facilities Construction & Mgmt

Shauna Mendini | Dean, College of Performing and Visual Arts, SUU

Joe Smith | Senior Principal, Method Studio

Please do not contact committee members directly.
 

Images courtesy Method Studio

Application Requirements

Register at www.callforentry.org and follow the directions for registration and submitting material for this Public Art Request for Qualifications. Artists with an address outside the state of Utah will need to provide justification of their connection to Utah to be considered eligible. 

To request an accommodation for a disability, please complete an Accommodation Form at least two weeks in advance of the April 19 deadline. Accommodation forms can be found at artsandmuseums.utah.gov/accessibility

Eligibility Criteria

Artist / artist teams living in the state of Utah or with connections to Utah are eligible for this commission. 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 Method Studio or the Utah Division of Arts and Museums are not eligible for this project.