The City of Kansas City, Missouri One Percent for Art program seeks to commission a professional visual artist or artist team based in the Kansas City area to design, fabricate, and install a permanent sculpture within an exterior green space adjacent to the renovation of the lion viewing area at the Kansas City Zoo. Artwork should address themes such as, but not limited to, lions, Africa, and conservation. This opportunity is open only to artists based in the Kansas City, Missouri Combined Statistical Area.

Project Background

The goal of the project is to improve the viewing area of the lion exhibit and other exhibits nearby with custom art, and to improve ADA accessibility. Improvements include ADA-accessible seating inside the lion viewing area, ADA-compliant concrete walking paths and a new ADA-accessible restroom.

About the Site

Exterior, public-facing, green space measuring approximately 24’ x 9’ x 6’ between a renovated lion viewing area and a new restroom facility at the Kansas City Zoo.

For more information about The Kansas City Zoo visit https://kansascityzoo.org

Artwork requirements

Artworks may be 3-D, free-standing and sculptural and must be created from durable materials to withstand weather and pedestrian interaction. Artwork should address themes such as, but not limited to, lions, Africa, and conservation. Artwork may incorporate lighting, engage pedestrians, or include interactive components. All semifinalist artwork (RFP phase) proposals must be designed to fit within and be installed in a green space at the site that measures approximately 24’ x 9’ x 6’, (height to be determined in RFP phase).

All artistic elements may be required to comply with applicable building codes, such as but not limited to the Americans with Disabilities Act and the 2018 International Building Code (IBC). The construction project team may review proposed elements relative to such requirements, including potential safety and/or security considerations.

Budget

The budget available for this project is $105,000, all inclusive. 

Budget may include, but is not limited to, artist's fees, travel, engineering, fabrication, supplies, material costs, meeting and administration hours, labor, artist’s legal review fees, approval by a Missouri-licensed engineer, permits, licenses, insurance, lighting, equipment rental, shipping, delivery, documentation, installation.

Note: RFP Stipends are paid separately from overall artwork budget

About the Kansas City One Percent for Art Program

https://www.kcmo.gov/art

For more information on GO (General Obligation) Bonds

https://www.kcmo.gov/programs-initiatives/go-kc

Evaluation Criteria

The City will select what in its sole judgment it determines to be the qualified candidate or candidates that is in the best interest of the City. Any evaluation criteria or weighting of criteria is used by the City only as a tool to assist the City in selecting the best candidate for the City. The City may change criteria and criteria weights at any time. Evaluation scores or ranks do not create any right in or expectation to a contract regardless of any score or ranking given to any candidate.

The Public Art Administrator will review all semifinalist proposals to ensure that they meet application requirements and physical limitations of the site, if applicable.

The lion viewing area Artist Selection Panel will use the following evaluation criteria:

Excellence: Works of art in the artist's application are original, innovative, of exceptional quality and enduring value. 

Relevant prior experience: The artist has created projects of a similar scale and budget and has experience coordinating with multiple stakeholders such as--but not limited to--architects, city project management staff, general contractors, engineers, fabricators and union tradespeople--or the artist is jointly submitting the qualifications of a collaborator that has created such projects and that has such experience.

Appropriateness to the site and project: Works of art in the application indicate that the artist is likely to be sensitive to the social, economic, cultural, historical and physical context of the site and the surrounding neighborhood, either existing or planned.

Durability: Works of art in the artist's application utilize materials and processes likely to contribute to the longevity of public works of art, or the artist is willing to adopt such practices by collaborating with a partner with relevant specialized expertise.

Use of Artificial Intelligence tools

Artists using artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the creation of their portfolio or semifinalist proposal must identify the use of AI in the information accompanying each image.

Selection Process

The Kansas City, Missouri Public Art Administrator will recommend selection panelists to the Municipal Art Commission for approval. The selection panel will review resumes, letters of interest, and portfolio images submitted through CaFÉ RFQ and select 2-5 semifinalists. The semifinalists will advance to the RFP phase and be asked to develop a proposal and present it to the selection panel. Semifinalists will be paid a design proposal stipend of $1,000. The selection panel will interview the semifinalists, review their proposals and select the finalist and one alternate. The finalist artist’s proposal will be presented to the Municipal Art Commission for approval prior to development of a contract. All contracts may be subject to approval by City Council.

Question and Answer Period

Questions related to this project for the KCMO Public Art Administrator or the lion viewing area Project Manager should be emailed to the Public Art Administrator at james.martin@kcmo.org by Monday, September 2, 2024, 5:00 p.m. Central. Questions received by this deadline will be answered through an addendum on this CaFÉ Call for Artists after the Artist Q&A videoconference described below. Answers to written questions also may be answered during the Q&A sessions if time allows.

Tentative Schedule

• August 2, 2024: Call for Artists distributed
• Monday, September 2, 2024, 5:00 p.m. Central: Written question and answer period deadline
• Virtual Q&A sessions with the public art administrator will be held on the following days:
  • 5:30 p.m. Central Tuesday, September 3 Join the meeting now
  • 5:30 p.m. Central Wednesday, September 4 Join the meeting now
• RFQ Application Deadline 11:59 p.m. Monday, September 30, 2024 Mountain Time Zone
• Mid-October 2024: Semifinalists selected and notified
• December 2024: Semifinalist artists’ proposal presentations (virtual), finalist selected
• January 2025: Artist contract executed
• February 2025: Artist procures materials, begins fabricating art
• Art installation: Autumn 2025, to be coordinated around Kansas City Zoo activities and events
• Artwork dedication: Within 1 week of installation, if applicable

Changes in the Call for Artists

From time to time, engineering, construction, or other factors may require the City to amend its selection criteria. After this Call for Artists (“CFA”) is issued, the City, in its sole discretion, may change anything contained in this CFA at any time, including after the application due date. If the change is prior to the application due date, the City reserves the right, when considered necessary or appropriate, to modify this CFA with an addendum. If the City shall amend the CFA after the application due date, the City may, in its sole discretion, solicit new applications in an amended CFA from anyone or everyone, regardless of whether an applicant submitted an application in response to the original CFA.

Application Requirements

• Portfolio/Work samples on CaFÉ. All applications must be submitted through this CaFÉ Call for Artists. Up to ten (10) Images and three (3) videos of your original completed commissions, not proposals, which demonstrate your qualifications for the project. Three-dimensional models, sketches, and drawings will not be accepted. Include the title, medium, dimensions, project budget or price, year completed and location (if applicable) for each work. The value must be indicated in US dollars. Artists who need access to a computer and/or internet access are encouraged to seek assistance from their local library or KC BizCare, 816-513-2492.
• Artist resume: Resumes/CVs of all collaborators must be uploaded to CaFÉ as a single PDF with multiple pages.
• Letter of interest: introduce yourself as an artist/artist-team, explain your experience, outline your approach to public art as well as provide the panel
  with insights regarding your interest in making art for the Kansas City Zoo lion viewing area and the public in general; what you bring to the project and site; and what you hope to gain from this experience; and any other comments that might help to differentiate you as a candidate for this project.
• Residency location
• Note: No artwork proposals are needed at this stage of RFQ

Eligibility Criteria

All applications must be submitted through this CaFÉ Call for Artists.

Eligibility is limited to professional visual artist teams or artists at least 18 years of age based in the Kansas City Combined Statistical Area (CSA). The Kansas City CSA includes the Missouri counties of Andrew, Bates, Buchanan, Caldwell, Cass, Clay, Clinton, DeKalb, Jackson, Lafayette, Platte, Ray and the Kansas counties of Doniphan, Douglas, Franklin, Johnson, Leavenworth, Linn, Miami, Wyandotte.

Collaborators and teams are eligible to apply. Resumes/CVs of all collaborators must be uploaded to CaFÉ as a single PDF with multiple pages.

Artists previously contracted for a City of Kansas City, Missouri One Percent for Art commission within two years of their past project’s contract execution date are not eligible.

Full-time, permanent City of Kansas City, Missouri employees, General Services Department and Parks and Recreation Department project consultants and their employees and sub-consultants are ineligible.

Questions related to this RFQ contact: City of Kansas City, Missouri Public Art Administrator James Martin, james.martin@kcmo.org