INTRODUCTION

Hutton Design + Build, the Wichita Public Libraries, and the City of Wichita invite professional artists and artist teams with a demonstrated history of completing complex, permanent, public art projects to submit their qualifications for a $162,975 public art commission for three Wichita Public Library Branch remodels located in Wichita, Kansas. Construction is scheduled to begin in Fall of 2024. 

Please see RFQ here for renderings, floor plans, elevations, dimensions, and additional information.

The 21st century library is involved in a wider range of programs, services, and partnerships than ever before. In 2016 the City of Wichita conducted a Market Segmentation Analysis of the entire library system, followed by a Library Branch Architectural Review in 2018. These two documents, as well as data from a peer libraries report and information about the changing role of libraries in the 21st century, were instrumental in guiding the recommendations for the library system’s master plan. The recommendations outlined in the master plan, and subsequent branch additions and remodels, are based upon the common priorities of the Project Wichita plan, the mission and values of the City of Wichita, and the Wichita Public Library’s mission and service pillars.

Library Service Pillars:

• Providing equitable access to information.
• Supporting a literate community
• Ensuring digital inclusion
• Effective, efficient, administrative activities

To support the Library Service Pillars going forward, several branches are in need of additions and renovations. The branches in this RFQ are currently undergoing significant architectural improvements that will position them to serve the needs of each of their unique communities well into the future. The library branches included in this scope of work are the Ford Rockwell Branch (Rockwell), Maya Angelou Northeast Branch (Angelou), and Lionel D. Alford Regional Branch (Alford). Additional details about each branch are shown on the following pages.

PERCENT FOR ART & CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN

This project is funded through the Percent for Art Ordinance and the City of Wichita’s Capital Improvement Plan. In 2019, the Wichita City Council approved an ordinance that allotted 2% of capital improvement funds to a pool of funding allocated for the commissioning of on-site artworks that then become part of the citywide art collection. The administration of the Percent for Art Program is overseen by the Design Council, an 11-member advisory board.

THE PROJECTS

Hutton Design + Build, The Wichita Public Libraries, and the City of Wichita is requesting qualifications from a wide range of visual artists to create engaging and branch-relevant artwork inside three of the Library’s renovated branches. To provide a cohesive vision at each branch, artist design concepts will be developed in collaboration with the architectural design team. Additional details for each branch are on the following sheets. 

In your submission, please clarify which of the following projects you are interested in submitting your qualifications for, please note the branch name(s) and associated number(s) for the project. Multiple submissions from an artist or team will be considered.

Please note: Artists will need to field-verify each area for specific dimensions. Walls may also include outlets, switches, etc. not currently shown that will need to be taken into account.

FORD ROCKWELL BRANCH

The Ford Rockwell Branch Library first opened on Monday, March 29, 1976, replacing a small storefront branch that had been located at Central & Oliver. This branch was originally planned to be called the Edgemoor Park Branch. About a week before it opened, the Library Board of Directors voted to name the branch in honor of retiring Ford Aldrich Rockwell (1907-1997), Wichita's head librarian from 1948-1976. The Barbara Rockwell Children's Room inside the branch is named in honor of Mr. Rockwell's first wife, former children's librarian Barbar Hosmer Rockwell (1914-1971). When it opened, Rockwell was the largest public library branch in Wichita, and the first of those branches not located within a rented space. The Rockwell branch now serves one of the largest service areas in the city, both in terms of size and population. Over one in five customers using branch library services in Wichita do so through the Rockwell branch. The primary focuses of the Rockwell branch are:

• Service for families and children
• Digital inclusion
• Lifelong learning
• Leisure services
• Improved accessibility with a new drive-thru

The Rockwell Branch is located in a mid-century neighborhood and was designed to reflect its surroundings. To support the branch's areas of focus an addition and remodel will create a large community meeting room, expanded children's area, a new teen space, and an expanded staff work area with a drive-thru. 

The addition and renovation pay homage to the neighborhood aesthetic. Exterior brick is continued on the new addition, with an emphasis on the iron spot brick in the original building. Diamond-shaped windows are repeated, creating cozy nooks in the children's area. Inside, visitors are greeted by an original wood-clad vaulted ceiling that will be accented with new lighting and wood trim. The original fireplace will be honored with a new bookcase surround and comfortable furniture for lounging. Throughout the building, cozy, textural materials and rich walnut wood tones are used to create the feeling of an inviting living room. This cozy texture is carried into the children and teen areas, where bright colors are added to define and differentiate each space.

Rockwell Project Descriptions

A summary of each project and budget is given below. Please see RFQ here for full description of artwork criteria, floor plans, and site dimensions.

1. Teen Window Graphics - $6,500 Budget: Brightly colored translucent window graphics define this area as separate from the rest of the library
2. Artwork Above Fireplace - $8,000 Budget: Wall art mounted above the fireplace to enhance the warm, inviting "living room"
3. Children's Mural - $4,350 Budget: Colorful children's wall mural
4. Community Meeting Room Artwork - $6,150 Budget: An art installation with a nod to the region or community
5. Entry Lobby Artwork - $2,400 Budget: A welcoming, engaging art installation
6. Outdoor Sculpture - $54,000 Budget: A dynamic, eye-catching sculpture

The artwork commission budgets are inclusive of all costs and fees for the artist to execute the project from design through structural engineering, fabrication, site preparation, and transportation/delivery to the site. Installation will be coordinated with project construction team.

MAYA ANGELOU BRANCH

The Maya Angelou Northeast Branch Library was dedicated on Friday, December 20, 1996, to a packed crowd with Maya Angelou (1928-2014) in attendance. Angelou was an author, poet, professor, civil rights activist, playwright, actress, director, and producer. "I never knew a library named for anyone who was alive," she commented. "All the libraries that kept me alive and saved my life and then helped me extend my life, were always named for the whole towns or countries or states or people who were dead." At the time, the Wichita City Council had a policy against naming public buildings after living people, but made an exception for Angelou.

The primary focuses of the Maya Angelou Branch are:

• Early literacy and school readiness
• Digital inclusion
• Expanding access to works by African American authors and creators
• Expanding neighborhood programming related to cultural celebration

In 2021, a mural featuring Maya Angelou by artist Priscella Brownn in partnership with Real Men Real Heroes was added to the 21st Street-facing side of the building. The mural features vibrant eye-catching colors and a quote by Maya Angelou.

"We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color."

The current project will add a sunroom to the west side of the branch for the community to gather and enjoy the library offerings. The interior remodel will focus on the word "tapestry" from Maya Angelou's quote, bringing in the warm, textural finishes and upholstery. The interior material palette will continue the colors from the mural inside, creating a layered, energetic, and cohesive library branch.

Angelou Project Description

A summary of the project and budget is given below. Please see RFQ here for full description of artwork criteria, floor plans, and site dimensions.

1. Front Desk Glass Graphics - $6,600 Budget: Brightly colored translucent window graphics for glass dividers inspired by Maya Angelou's work
2. Exterior Signage - $49,000 Budget: Street signage in the colors of the Divine Nine

The artwork commission budget is inclusive of all costs and fees for the artist to execute the projects from design through structural engineering, fabrication, site preparation, and transportation/delivery to the site. Installation will be coordinated with project construction team.

Lionel D. Alford Branch

The Lionel D. Alford Regional Branch Library first opened its doors on April 5, 2003. The branch is dedicated in memory of Lionel D. Alford (1925-2000) for his community vision, involvement and for his outstanding service to the citizens of the community. Mr. Alford, a retired senior vice president at Boeing, was credited for leading Boeing Wichita's transformation during the 1980s from the brink of closure into the state's largest private employer and key facility to the Boeing Company's worldwide operation. 

The primary focuses for the Alford Branch are:

• Early literacy and school readiness
• K-12 student achievement
• Workforce development

The building's design, from the distinctive wing-shaped roof to its support beams, was inspired by Mr. Alford's background in the aircraft industry. The children's area is named in honor of Richard Rademacher (1937-2020), Wichita's Director of Libraries from 1976-2000.

The interior remodel will increase the number of meeting a study rooms available, a critical element to facilitate the branch's focus areas. New lighting throughout will provide much needed and efficient ambient and task lighting for patrons and staff.

The interior material palette will be a continuation of the exterior aviation theme with tonal blues and greens complimented by warm golden tones, with wood and ochre textures.

Alford Project Descriptions

A summary of the project and budget is given below. Please see RFQ here for full description of artwork criteria, floor plans, and site dimensions.

SELECTION PROCESS

The selection committee will be comprised of the design team, city staff, library stakeholders, and art professionals. Finalist presentations or interviews will be conducted in person or over video conference.

PROJECT TIMELINE

All dates are approximate and subject to change.

RFQ open via CAFE̒ online application system: August 13, 2024

Qualifications due: September 13, 2024, 5:00 PM CST

Review of qualifications: September 16-20, 2024

Notification of finalists: September 23, 2024

Finalists’ presentations or interviews: October 7-11, 2024

Final artist(s) selection: October 18, 2024

Contract: October 31, 2024

Design and Fabrication: Upon Contract

Installation: May 2025

Completion: June 2025

SELECTION CRITERIA

Applicants will be shortlisted based on a competitive review of the following:

Artistic excellence: demonstrated vision, professional process and presentation, and quality craftsmanship in examples of past work; examples provided should be relevant to how the artist will approach this public art opportunity.

Creative process: examples of past work should illustrate how the artist has used community engagement in their design process; examples should be relevant to how the artist will approach this public art opportunity.

Ability: demonstrated experience in public art management and executing large scale outdoor artwork, coordinating engineering and fabricating teams, delivering contractual milestones, and managing large budgets in a timely fashion.

Meaningful relationship of the creative and conceptual aspects of their artistic process with the purpose of this project as expressed in the Letter of Interest (LOI).

QUESTIONS 

All questions should be emailed to Allyson Wray Kuhn (awraykuhn@huttonbuilds.com) by Friday, September 6, 2024 at 5:00 PM CST.

HOW TO APPLY

Application is available via CaFE̒ at callforentry.org. Deadline for submission is September 13, 2024, 5:00 PM CST.

Application Requirements

Each artist or artist team must submit an entirely digital application.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

1. Six (6) to ten (10) total images of past large-scale work or comparable by the artist or artist team’s lead artist(s). Please note if previous work is a public art project.

2. Annotated Image List: An annotated image list that includes the title, media, year completed, dimensions, location, project budget, timeline, and client or commissioning entity for each corresponding image.

a. The annotated image list may include thumbnails of submitted images but does not replace the need to upload individual image files but does not replace the need to upload individual image files in fulfillment of number 1 above.

b. Image annotations may include very brief descriptions of how the image illustrates one or more of the selection criteria.

3. A one (1) page Letter of Interest (LOI) stating why the specific branch opportunity is meaningful and appropriate for the applicant’s work, as well as potential approach to this project.

4. A two (2) page resume or curriculum vitae (CV).

a. If applying as an artist team, provide a resume or CV for each team member and a list of key team members and their roles/affiliations in one PDF.

5. Three (3) professional references.

Eligibility Criteria

This project is open to all U.S.-based professional artists, age 18 and over. Artists who have a strong professional resume and previous experience working on permanent and semi-permanent public displays of comparable size who have worked collaboratively are encouraged to apply. Artist teams are eligible to apply, including those from multiple disciplines.

The City of Wichita has a vibrant art community and many local firms who can assist with the development, fabrication, and installation of the art pieces. The committee prefers to have local artists and firms involved in the project and will give preference to artists who plan to utilize these local resources.

This could include:

· Engineers for developing stamp drawings

· Concrete firms for pouring the footers

· Fabricators

· Installation crews

· Lighting specialists

· Landscape architects

Professional artists who are new to the field of public art are encouraged to apply. Because the library branches are public-facing and are reflections of their local community, public input about planned artwork will be utilized. Artists who have experience interacting with the community are encouraged to apply.

It is the declared policy and practice of the City of Wichita to extend equal employment opportunities to all qualified persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, marital status, age, political affiliation, sexual orientation, disability, or other non-merit factors.