This RFQ is open to all working artists from New England and New York. Students are not eligible to apply.

Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Request for Qualifications 

Rhode Island Fire Academy Phase 3

4 Green Lane, Exeter, RI 02822

Budget: $28,000 

Updated Deadline: September 16, 2024 at 11:59 pm

Artwork for the Rhode Island Fire Academy 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 purchase and maintain 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 THE RHODE ISLAND FIRE ACADEMY

The mission of the Rhode Island State Fire Academy (RIFA) is to provide coordinated education and training to the fire service of Rhode Island, to promote and enhance firefighter safety, and to develop high-quality training programs. It serves the training needs of Rhode Island’s 6,000 firefighters by offering basic and advanced training in various disciplines, as well as a Municipal Recruit Firefighting Academy. Some training is conducted using a state-of-the-art live burn building. The Rhode Island State Fire Academy is ProBoard accredited by the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications. 

Between 2010 and 2016, two phases of construction were carried out to create a 12,000-square-foot facility for the Fire Training Academy on the LADD Campus in Exeter, Rhode Island. A live fire simulator training building, apparatus building, specialty vehicle building, 4-acre training pad, burn training props, administrative offices, classrooms, and locker rooms were constructed. A facility of its type had previously never existed within the State of Rhode Island.

ABOUT THE FACILITY AND PHASE 3 EXPANSION PLANS

Since the complex was completed in 2016, the RIFA has seen a dramatic increase in the use of the facility and extreme growth in terms of programs. Currently, there are only two classrooms which hampers the ability of the Academy to run multiple programs concurrently. Existing classroom space is at full capacity, and a large capacity classroom space is a necessity. The State is planning Phase 3 of construction to expand the facility to accommodate the increasing demand. This expansion will include a 6,000-square-foot addition to house two new 50-person classrooms and a 125-person tiered auditorium.

There will also be two new free-standing buildings: an 8,500-square-foot training “Fire Station” and a small service building for the Urban Search and Rescue Site. The Urban Search and Rescue site was constructed in 2013, just south of the Fire Training Academy site.

The State of Rhode Island commissioned two site-specific artworks by Natalie Blake Studio using funding from the same State of Rhode Island ‘percent for art’ provision as this commission when the RIFA facility first opened. Blake’s ‘Eagle’, the larger of the two installations composed of individual ceramic tiles representing fire and water, includes scenes of what happens in the RIFA each day. This work is highly visible from the building’s exterior through the facing window and visitors to the adjacent Memorial have a good view, even at night when the artwork is illuminated. In Blake’s second installation, located near the existing entrance, ceramic tiles incorporate the elements — fire, air, water, and earth - to form a tree of life in the ‘Four Elements Medallion’.

In addition to these installations, objects of significance to the fire service are displayed throughout RIFA’s common spaces. These artifacts include historic equipment, ephemera, photographs, and memorabilia. The Rhode Island Firefighters Memorial, dedicated in 2019, is an outdoor space regularly used for ceremonial activities, private contemplation, moments of collective celebration, and remembering the firefighters who have lost their lives in service. A historic bell beside the bricked area is rung at the close of RIFA graduations, family and friends gather for memorials, the community comes together to add names to the wall of honor. One panelist remarked that it is a ‘powerful place to honor their public service’. Some of these activities may be able to shift to the new auditorium in the future.  

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Artists are invited to submit their qualifications for consideration in a unique project that embodies the spirit and purpose of the RIFA training facility. As a possible jumping-off point, the panel would like artists to consider the essence of the building’s use and role in preparing the trainees for life in public service. Through RIFA’s rigorous, experiential training programs, trainees hone their skills, learn to work together, and develop confidence and trust in their abilities and each other. Fire service requires physical strength, teamwork, critical observational and communication skills, mental agility, and resilience. This is a job, a lifestyle, and a vocational calling that cultivates a deep sense of belonging, of being part of a community with a storied tradition of service. Fire service requires dedication, courage, and support from family and friends. For many communities in Rhode Island, volunteer firefighters are the frontline of defense in an emergency. RIFA’s core audience is mostly municipal fire departments but the facility is frequently used by other groups as well -- public safety professionals, State meetings, other industries that use similar equipment, and the firefighters’ personal support networks. 

In May 2024, the selection panel met and agreed that the expansion presents an excellent opportunity to incorporate artwork. The panel determined the new dining area has the greatest potential for this artwork to be installed:

• the walls at the entry of the dining area
• potentially suspended in the dining area

The ceiling height in the dining area will measure 10’-8”.

From the dining area, people will look out the windows onto the training area. The space will be furnished with tables, chairs, and lounge furniture. Meals are an important part of fire service culture, and the dining area will be well-used by all RIFA user groups — regularly for staff and trainee meals, before and after conferences and community meetings, and when RIFA hosts special events. One panelist observed that the windows of the dining area ‘will look out over the burn site’. The panel discussed how this view may influence interested artists. An artist may want to consider: ‘incorporating fire, burning, or color’; how managing ventilation, airflow, and smoke are important aspects of fire training; the strength required to ‘carry so much weight with the water supply’ or the trainees’ coordinated movement which ’may look like chaos but is a very refined, educated dance.’

The panel’s guidance for RIFA artworks includes the following:

• Reflect themes of collaboration, community, trust, strength, and confidence.
• Reflect on the cultural, social, and historical legacy of fire service.
• Reflect values of public service.
• Utilize the common space to expand on trainees’ shared experiences to create an atmosphere that welcomes and celebrates cooperation and belonging.
• The panel encourages artists to convey the building’s use and consider employing mediums such as ceramic, glass, metalwork, enameling, or other media that involve fire in the making. They appreciated how Natalie Blake’s ceramics further integrated what happens in the building in the work.

ESTIMATED TIMELINE: 

Note - the deadline has been extended to September 16.

September 16 at 11:59 pm (MDT) Deadline for submissions 

Late September 2024: panel meeting for review and selection of semifinalists

September 2024: Artist notification

October 2024 (TBA): Finalist site visits

December/January 2024 (TBA): Finalist presentations to the selection panel

March 2024: Final approval by RISCA Council

Tbd with artist: Contract signed. Fabrication begins.

Tbd with artist: Work installed and completed. Construction completion is anticipated Spring 2026.

Please note: This Call for Artists is the first step in the RISCA/RIFA 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 conducts the application process online, with initial materials submitted digitally through CaFÉ (see below). The artist is not charged to apply or submit digital images.  

Optional information sessions for artists interested in this opportunity will be held on-site on July 23 (10 am-12 pm EDT) and July 30 (1-3 pm EDT). Applicants can learn more about the project, ask questions, and receive technical assistance with their application. More details available at https://arts.ri.gov/.

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.

Finalists’ site-specific proposals should convey the 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 a 10% contingency fee. 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 will be scheduled with Capital Projects staff and members of the selection panel. 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 RIFA, the selected artist/s will enter into a contract with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and RIFA for the commission. The commissioned artwork will be owned by the State of Rhode Island.

Application Requirements

The RFQ will be limited to artists from New England and New York. 

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, if commissioned. 

If an artist wants to apply as an individual, as well as part of a team, two separate CaFÉ profiles and two separate CaFÉ applications, must be completed (i.e., one application submission for you and one application submission for your team). No slides or hard copy materials will be accepted for this call. First time CaFÉ applicants must allow enough time to prepare their CaFÉ formatted digital images and electronic submission prior to the deadline.

Three finalists will be selected from the pool of initial applicants. Finalists will be invited to visit the site and 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 $1,000 stipend for their work. This stipend is intended to cover all travel expenses: including hotel, transportation, mileage, etc., for both the site visit and the subsequent presentation meeting. Finalists will not be reimbursed separately for any travel costs. 

Eligibility Criteria

The panel will select the artist(s) based on the following criteria:

• Appropriateness of artwork for this facility.
• Artistic vibrancy.
• Value, permanence, durability. It is the artist’s responsibility to ensure that artwork meets safety standards, adheres to building codes, ADA requirements, and other state regulations. Artworks must require minimal maintenance.
• Collaborative Spirit. Willingness of the artist/s to consult with facility staff, design team, and RISCA staff to assure smooth integration of the artwork into the site.
• Artist and/or Artist Team’s demonstrated ability to manage and complete commission.

The budget is all-inclusive, including engineer fees, permits, installation, lighting, and wiring.

There is no restriction on media except that electronics will not be considered. The work must be to scale for the selected sites.

Commemorative works such as memorials, historic markers, or monuments will not be considered.

One artist or artist team will be commissioned. Applications may be submitted individually or in collaboration with others.

This Call for Artists is open regionally to artists within the states of Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. 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, staff, and their family members as well as Public Art Selection Panel members and their families. 

If you have questions about this opportunity, email RISCA.Contact@arts.ri.gov.  Applicants are encouraged to make an appointment to discuss the opportunity prior to applying. If you require technical support for CAFÉ, please email cafe@westaf.org.