The University of Utah, in partnership with the Utah Division of Facilities Construction and Management and the Utah Division of Arts & Museums Public Art Program, requests qualifications from professional artists and/or artist teams interested in creating site-specific artwork(s) for the upcoming John and Marcia Price Computing and Engineering Building. The Request for Qualifications with building renderings can be found here.

THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH JOHN AND MARCIA PRICE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

This 253,000-square-foot structure is urgently needed to accommodate student demand for engineering and computer science degrees, with graduation rates in the College of Engineering more than tripling in the past 20 years. The John and Marcia Price Family Foundation provided a $15 million lead gift for the campaign.

The five-story building will be constructed to the east of the John and Marva Warnock Engineering Building, and enable the college to increase its output of computing graduates by an additional 300/year. The world renowned computer science program at the University of Utah was recently designated as The Kahlert School of Computing, recognizing a $15 million donation from The Kahlert Foundation.

The Kahlert School of Computing produces 46% of the state system’s BS, MS, and PhD computer science graduates, with nearly 2,000 enrolled majors. Utah relies on these highly qualified graduates to fuel the economy.

With more than 38,000 current job postings for technology-related professionals, the future of Utah’s number-one ranked economy hinges on the department’s capacity to enroll and graduate more students.

The new John and Marcia Price Computing and Engineering Building will be a 253,000-square-foot, $194M structure located to the east of the John and Marva Warnock Building. In addition to the Kahlert School of Computing, the building will allow for expanded offerings in data analytics, cybersecurity, AI, and potentially others.

The new five-story building will include:

181 Faculty and Staff Offices

400-seat Auditorium, 250-seat Auditorium, (2) 150-seat Auditoriums

(10) flat-floor active learning classrooms, (2) 75-seat computer labs

Open Collaboration Space

Student Support Space

(11) TA/ Project Rooms

(13) Conference Rooms

Event Space

COMMITTEE STATEMENT

The Art Selection Committee is seeking artists who understand the value and role of the Kahlert School of Computing. Artwork should reflect the innovation and discovery encouraged by the University’s computing and engineering programs. It should also be designed and produced with a priority toward durability and low-maintenance.

The building has a 5-story atrium that visually and functionally connects the 5 floors and various uses. There is a large skylight on the roof that brings in natural light to the volume. The primary circulation of the building is located around the perimeter of the atrium through a series of stairs, landings, and collaborative spaces. The Selection Committee is open to the artist suggesting other building locations but has identified the atrium and surrounding public spaces as the primary and most impactful opportunity for public artwork. 

A rendering of the atrium can be found at the end of this RFQ.

BUDGET

$250,000 is available for all related expenses of this Public Art commission including (but not limited to) artist fees, fabrication, structure, insurance, shipping, travel, lighting, installation, documentation, etc.

ELIGIBILITY

This project is open to professional artists and artist teams with a proven history of significant public art installations; 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 GSBS Architects 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 

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 2 movie files 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 October 21st deadline. Accommodation forms can be found at artsandmuseums.utah.gov/accessibility

DEADLINE

Complete application packages must be RECEIVED by October 21st 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 in February 2025 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 Price School of Engineering Art Selection Committee reserves the right to withhold the award of a commission or re-release the call for entries.

Schedule:
October 21, 2024, 11:59 pm MDT – Deadline for receipt of preliminary materials
October 28, 2024 – Committee Review and Finalist artist notification
February 2025 – Finalists interviews and presentations
Fall 2026 – Artwork complete
October 2026 – Project substantial completion 

ARTIST SELECTION COMMITTEE

Jesse Allen Principal, GSBS Architects

Richard Brown H.E. Thomas Presidential Endowed Dean of Engineering, UoU

Gretchen Dietrich, The Marcia & John Price Executive Director, Utah Museum of Fine Arts

Nathalia Camacho Project Manager, Division of Facilities Construction &  Management

Natalie Norlen Engineering District Manager, UoU

Brett Petersen Program Project Manager, UoU Project, Design & Construction

J. Steven Price Board of Trustees, UoU

Please do not contact committee members directly. If you have any questions about this or other projects information is available at: Publicart.utah.gov. Or contact: Hannah Nielsen at henielsen@utah.gov
 

Application Requirements

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 2 movie files 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 October 21st deadline. Accommodation forms can be found at artsandmuseums.utah.gov/accessibility

Eligibility Criteria

This project is open to professional artists and artist teams with a proven history of significant public art installations; 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 GSBS Architects 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.