Southern Utah 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 Utah artists and/or artist teams interested in creating site-specific artwork(s) for the Leavitt Business Building West. The Request for Qualifications with building renderings can be found here.

SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Through student-centered education, the Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business provides the knowledge and direction that forms a foundation for lifelong student success. In order to fulfill its mission, the School of Business will:

• Promote an environment that provides students the knowledge and skills to achieve their goals through critical thinking, effective learning, and relevant professional preparation.
  • Offer a rigorous, relevant, and innovative curriculum, focused on essential and enduring business principles, that provides students the knowledge and skills needed to succeed.
  • Create and continually improve curriculum through research and scholarship and input from both the academic and business communities.
  • Enhance student education through personal interaction with faculty, experiential learning, and excellent pedagogy.
  • Involve students in regional service to provide important learning opportunities and to create relationships between students, the School, and stakeholders.
• Provide an environment designed to help students shape their ambitions and find direction as responsible and ethical individuals both personally and professionally.
  • Promote a culture that encourages faculty and staff to interact with students, providing them with direction and encouragement to reach their full potential and contribute to a diverse and connected world.
  • Connect students with community, professional, and university stakeholders through involvement with clubs, competitions, career exploration, internships, and other experiences outside the classroom.
  • Provide opportunities for all students to find meaningful employment, enter into graduate programs, or otherwise fulfill their ambitions.

The School of Business has Graduate programs in Master of Accountancy, Master of Business Administration, and Master of Science in Business Analytics, and Undergraduate programs in: Accounting, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Hospitality Management, Management, Marketing, and Military Science. The School also offers Minors in: Accounting, Economics, Finance, Hospitality, Management, Marketing, Marketing Education, Military Science, and Professional Sales.

DIXIE L. LEAVITT BUSINESS BUILDING WEST

In the fall of 2018, Southern Utah University completed a new building to house its rapidly growing School of Business. At this time, SUU enrollment was 10,196 students, and business school enrollment for declared majors was 1,048 with 28 full-time faculty; by Fall 2022, business enrollment had risen to over 1,800 students with 45 faculty. Each year, the School of Business has added more programs, making creative use of its existing space to accommodate growing numbers of students, staff, and faculty. However, it became clear that the College had outgrown its building, and with significant growth anticipated over the next decade, the Utah State Legislature approved the construction of an additional 21,900 square feet to the west of the existing Business Building. 

The new building–to be called the Business Building West–is designed to be separate from the original building. However, shared resources, a skywalk connecting the second floors, and shared architectural features will signal the association between the two facilities. Students and professors will circulate between the two buildings to attend classes, collaborate, and meet with colleagues. Operationally, the new building will have its own entrances, unique circulation, and distinct functions for building users.

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 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 1897 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

The Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business at Southern Utah University has many successful degree programs aligned with the University’s mission. Due to the popularity of these programs, SUU is adding a second building to the School of Business to accommodate student enrollment growth and augment the offerings available to students. Spaces provided in this new building, the Business Building West, will include a sales center, graduate programs, interview rooms, large and small group instructional space, study rooms, faculty offices, and a large lobby that will encourage student collaboration. The new building will be connected to the existing building via a skywalk on the second floor.

The Selection Committee is interested in commissioning an artist(s) who is able to enhance the building experience by creating a work of art that accentuates 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. 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. The public work of art 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 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, utilization of the high volume of the interior of the main lobby, suspended in the interior of the main lobby, integrated into the skywalk area, incorporation 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 here. Installations on the wood feature wall of the main lobby, inside faculty offices, inside study/interview rooms, or in secluded areas of the building are discouraged and will not receive preference. Installations proposed for mounting on the exterior surfaces of the building will not receive preference. Some on the committee have expressed an interest in this new installation being somewhat reflective of the public art installation located in the Dixie L. Leavitt Business Building (see image below). This will be left to the discretion of the artist.

BUDGET

$107,000 is available for all related expenses of this Public Art commission, including (but not limited to) artist fees, fabrication, support structures, insurance, shipping, travel, installation, etc.

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). 

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

The CaFE application process will prompt you for all necessary documents and information.

To request an accommodation for a disability, please complete an Accommodation Form at least two weeks in advance of the June 21 deadline. Accommodation forms can be found at artsandmuseums.utah.gov/accessibility. 

DEADLINE

Complete application packages must be RECEIVED by June 21, 2024 by 11:59 p.m. MDT

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 September 2024, including 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 Business Building West Art Selection Committee reserves the right to withhold the award of a commission or re-release the call for entries.
Schedule:
May 1, 2024 | Publish RFQ
June 21, 2024, 11:59 p.m. MDT | Deadline for receipt of preliminary materials
June 28, 2024 | Committee Review and Finalist artist notification
September 6, 2024 | Finalists interviews and presentations
November 2025 | Project substantial completion

ARTIST SELECTION COMMITTEE

Tiger Funk - Vice President of Operations, SUU

Ben Johnson - Assistant Vice President, Facilities Management, SUU

Kenneth Hall - Interim Dean, School of Business, SUU

Becky Bloom - Director of Curatorial Affairs, Southern Utah Museum of Art

Clint Bunnell - Project Manager, Division of Facilities Construction & Management

Jonathan Dazley - Project Manager, MHTN Architects

Marlo Pratt - Associate, Experiential Graphic Design, MHTN Architects

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 Barrett at hbarrett@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 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 June 21 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 staff of Utah Arts & Museums and MHTN 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.