At this time, artists are encouraged to review this entire Call for Artists for specifics, and if interested and qualified, submit examples of previous work that is pertinent to this project through the Call for Entry system. We are not seeking submissions of project proposals in this phase. The Art Selection Committee will carefully review all submissions, and select a shortlist of artists, who will then be contracted to prepare and submit full proposals through a State procurement process. 

This Call for Artists seeks responses from artists who have experience in public art projects of similar scope and budget size, and who are willing and able to contract with the State of New Jersey. Artists selected for the proposal phase will be required to follow the process to register as a vendor with the State for payment of the proposal stipend. The process to contract with the State as a vendor requires being properly certified and eligible, and some fees may be required for registrations and certifications in order to be registered in the NJ Start Vendor system. All vendor policies and procedures are not within our agency’s authority to alter, artists should carefully review the process to ensure it will not pose an undue burden to them before responding to this call for artists. 

Project 

This commission will entail design and fabrication of 6 unique medallions for external application on the dormitory buildings; the circular medallions, 4’ in diameter, roughly 14’ above the adjacent grade, could be fabricated of cut and/or painted metal, ceramic tile or mosaic, relief sculpture in carved stone or other permanent materials. All medallions should be of the same uniform size and dimensions. The designs for each of the two campuses will have their own theme (for example: one campus could be animals, the other plants, etc.). Each medallion should have its own design to differentiate each dormitory building (for example: one campus could have a bird, a fish, and a bear, while the other has a tree, a flower, and a fruit). Design themes have not yet been determined but will be provided to the shortlisted artists for proposal design.  

The project budget is $100,000, all-inclusive for 6 medallions total, installed at 2 locations. The budget shall cover all costs incurred by the artist relating to the design, fabrication, and installation of the artwork. Covered expenses include but shall not be limited to compensation for design and engineering services, materials, fabrication, transportation of artwork, contracting requirements for state payment process, insurance, required documentation and plaque/signage, permitting, fabrication, installation, etc. 

Three (3) selected finalists each will receive a stipend of $2,000 for proposal preparation expenses. 

Additional details with elevated architectural drawings as well as a question-and-answer meeting will be provided to the selected finalists to help inform project proposals. 

Application Requirements

Interested parties are required to submit a portfolio of their past-completed work, as well as profile and contact information as outlined below. The Art Selection Committee will shortlist a group of artists to receive a formal request for proposals from the pool of applicants. 

Artists interested in participating in the project must use the CallForEntry.org web-based system to submit the following: 

• A letter summarizing their interest in this project and experience in the creation of public artworks.
• A list of at least 3 references preferably for similar projects (name, project name, contact information – phone number and e-mail address).
• Artist resume
• Photographs/images of examples of installations of public art, ideally similar projects or materials (minimum: 4, maximum: 6)
• Artist website links

Materials submitted online will be reviewed by the Selection Committee. Materials will not be accepted in any other way except through the CallForEntry.org process. 

Final selections will be made based on a variety of factors, including average jury scores, the artist’s home/studio location, the appeal of the artist’s style and aesthetic for a juvenile facility, and other factors.   

Contract

Upon selection and final design approval, the artist must complete a contract with the NJ Building Authority, register in the State’s procurement system (NJSTART), complete all required business registrations, pay any required fees, and follow the State’s procurement processes.  

Contracts and more information about the procurement process will be made available to finalists at the Q&A phase of the project. Interested artists are strongly encouraged to attend the Q&A session(s). 

Timeline  

April 26th: Call for Artists (EOI/RFQ) opens on www.callforentry.org  

May 27th: Call for Artists closes; late submissions will not be accepted  

No later than June 3rd: Jury review begins

No later July 1st: Jury review ends

No later than July 31st: Artist Notifications - (finalists selected)  

August 16th: Questions from finalists due by email -  (questions to be submitted in writing to inform Q&A Meeting topics)   

August 23rd, 1:00-2:00 PM: Virtual Q&A Meeting for selected finalists   

October 3rd (Medallions): Proposal Materials Due - (in advance of virtual proposal presentations)

October 17th (Medallions), 1:00-5:00 PM: Artists’ Proposal Presentations - (Artists will be assigned a 45 minute time slot for presenting to the Committee and Committee Q&A)

No later than the end of December 2024: Notification of Selected Artists 

Anticipated installation of completed work Spring of 2026 

(All dates are subject to change) 

Questions

Technical assistance using CAFÉ is available at:  https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/  

Please direct any other questions regarding this opportunity to the New Jersey State Council on the Arts:   

Danielle Bursk, Director of Community Partnerships & Artist Services, danielle.bursk@sos.nj.gov or 609-633-1184  

Stephanie Nerbak, Manager, Artist Services, stephanie.nerbak@sos.nj.gov, 609-292-4474 

Eligibility Criteria

Individuals who self-identify as women and/or BIPOC artists are strongly encouraged to apply.  

All applicants must be regionally based, residing no more than 150 miles from the New Jersey border.  

All applicants must be over the age of 18 to be considered for this opportunity.  

Under N.J.S.A. 52:13D-19, employees of the State of New Jersey are not eligible to submit work for this procurement.