REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Town of Parker – Salisbury Park North Public Art

Qualifications are requested from artists or artist teams interested in creating site-specific public artwork(s) for the Town of Parker – Salisbury Park North Sculpture Project. The project is open to Colorado artists and/or artist teams or artists/artist teams residing in Colorado’s neighboring states of Kansas, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nebraska, Utah, or Arizona.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTAL: October 21 at 5:00 pm MST

TOTAL ART BUDGET: Up to $150,000

PUBLIC ART IN PARKER

The Town of Parker is elevating the importance of public art in the community through the development and adoption of a Public Arts Master Plan. The Plan provides a comprehensive framework to guide the Town of Parker with a plan for the siting and staging of art in any media in the public domain. See plan here.

PROJECT SUMMARY

The Town of Parker seeks to commission an artist or team of artists to create a site-specific work of public art located at the main entrance to Salisbury Park North in Parker, CO. Expected date of project execution will be in early 2026. 

PARK OVERVIEW

The Town of Parker owns 91 acres of land adjacent to and north of the existing Salisbury Equestrian Park and Sports Complex, known as Salisbury Park North. The large new park area is designed to be an active use park that will be highly programmed with tournaments, sports fields and active play areas. The project will be built in four phases (all timeframes and amenities are subject to change:)

• Phase 1 (2025) will include four lighted baseball/softball fields, two synthetic turf lighted multi-purpose soccer fields, restrooms/shelter, parking and landscape
• Phase 2 (2026) will include two tennis courts, 21 pickleball courts, restroom/shelter, parking and landscape
• Phase 3 (2028) will include a community hub pavilion, outdoor fitness area, inclusive playground, restrooms, parking and landscape
• Phase 4 (2029) will include a bike park and overlook pavilion.

Salisbury Park North is envisioned as a vibrant and interconnected park, with distinct “neighborhoods” that reflect the diverse facets of community life. The overarching theme is the “Breath of Community,” emphasizing the vital connection between the health of the community, the natural environment, and the town’s rich history.

The art location is at the terminus of the main park entrance and adjacent to the community gathering space called the Hub.  This community space is the heartbeat of the park. It intends to reflect upon Cherry Creek's importance to the Parker community and how Indigenous peoples used the land, past agricultural uses, current recreational uses, and community use over time

PUBLIC ART IN SALISBURY PARK NORTH

The selection committee for this project has indicated an interest in larger-scale sculpture(s) that will be installed at the main entrance of the park and serve as artistic marker or “gateway” to the park. This entry area will be completed in Phase I, but the pavilion area behind it will be developed in later phases. See a plan view of the park design by pressing "View Site Details" above.

Sculptural works for this area should be scaled to be visible as you are entering the area of the park and to help mark the entrance giving visitors a sense of arrival. While the panel has not suggested a particular theme for the artwork, they did indicate that the artwork be family friendly and made of durable materials since this area will be an area with a great deal of pedestrian traffic and children/families playing in the area. The group indicated that the artwork could be “playable” but this will not be a designated play area. The artwork should be contextual to an active use/sports-oriented park but need not be literal in referencing sports or recreational activities.

MAINTENANCE AND DURABILITY

All applicants are expected to consider the issues of long-term preservation and maintenance of public art, along with the timeline and budget. Public art projects are in the public realm and will therefore be exposed to extreme weather, temperature fluctuation, UV damage and subject to vandalism. Public art projects should be fabricated of highly durable, low maintenance materials. All artwork and foundations installed for this project will require a structural engineering stamp  by an engineer licensed in the state of Colorado. The Town of Parker will provide a soils report for the foundation design.

 CRITERIA

There are no restrictions regarding specific themes for this project. The Town seeks artwork that connects to the site and contributes to a sense of place this new regional park.

Other considerations:

●      Sculptures created may have a kinetic or interactive component, but this will not be landscaped as a playground with fall areas.

●      The sculpture is in a public right of way; subject matter should be appropriate for all ages.

●      Artists may solicit opportunities for community volunteers to assist in the execution of their concept (optional, not a requirement).

●      The project team has indicated that the sculpture can incorporate light if desired. Conduit from an electrical source will be provided to the sculpture site if needed as part of the park construction budget.

This project is open to Colorado-based artists and/or artist teams or artists/artist teams residing in Colorado’s neighboring states of Kansas, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nebraska, Utah, or Arizona.

Artists will be integrating their sculpture into the park and landscape design, so artists with experience working on projects of similar scale and who demonstrate evidence that they have worked together with a project design and construction team will receive preference for this project. Emerging artists will be considered if they incorporate experienced team members for this sort of project management.

ELIGIBILITY

The artists or artist teams must have the skills and experience commensurate with the responsibility of successfully completing a public art installation with a higher level of integration with an ongoing construction project.

SITE REQUIREMENTS

Artist will work with Town of Parker staff to acquire any needed permits, road closures, safety fencing, etc.

Artists will be expected to procure and utilize their own equipment (i.e. cranes, lifts, PPE, supplies, etc.)

The artist will provide and install all construction materials, including, but not limited to, concrete, steel, wood, etc.

The area for the art is approximately 800 square feet. Based on the proposed art, larger or smaller areas will be considered.

PROJECT BUDGET

The total project budget for the Salisbury Park North Public Art shall not exceed $150,000. The budget shall be inclusive of all costs associated with the public art project including, but not limited to artist design fee, structural engineering, electrical engineering (if needed), insurance, materials, fabrication, transportation, equipment rentals, installation, site modifications, travel to and from the site, per diem expenses, project documentation, contingency to cover unexpected expenses and any other costs related to the project.

INSURANCE

The selected artist will be required to meet the Town’s minimum insurance requirements plus other liability insurance that may be required for this unique scope of work. Insurance requirements will be sent to all selected semi-finalists in advance of the proposal phase.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS 

The qualification proposal must include the following to be considered: 

• Digital Images. Up to eight (8) digital images of relevant, previously completed artworks. Please give preference to work that is in the public realm and of the scale that is desired in this RFQ. 
• Résumé or Bio: A current résumé that outlines your professional accomplishments as an artist. If your resume is longer than two pages, proposals are required to include an Executive Summary. If applying as a team, please submit a resume for each artist, with the lead artist first and an Executive Summary not to exceed two pages. Please include links to artist’s websites if applicable.
• Statement of Interest: A statement of interest of 250 words or less briefly outlining the artist’s interest in this specific opportunity. Please include a brief account of the artist’s experience working on projects of this scope and complexity. 
• Responses to Questions: Please also include answers to the following questions in your application. 
  • In what state do you reside?
  • Have you completed at least one art project located within the public realm? Who commissioned the project? (Private, municipal or state agency?)

SELECTION PROCESS AND SCHEDULE

The Art Selection Committee will only review completed submittals. A short list of semi­finalists may be invited to prepare and present a design proposal. A finalist may be selected from the semi­finalists’ proposals and recommended to the Public Art Commission for approval. Upon the Public Art Commission’s approval, the finalist’s proposal may be presented to Town Council for final approval. Public input may be solicited during the process as well.

Design proposals shall include images and descriptions of proposed art project, timeline for installation/completion, and proposed budget. A site orientation can be arranged if semi-finalists desire.

The tentative schedule is as follows (subject to change):

September 16, 2024                     Call for Entry Open

October 21 at 5:00 pm MST          Deadline for Qualification Applications

Week of October 28, 2024            Application Review/Semi-Finalists Selected

To Be Announced                          Online Q&A for Semi-Finalists

Week of December 2, 2024          Design Proposals Presented/Finalist Selected

December/January                        Approvals: Parks Board, PAC & Town Council

February 2025                               Execute Artist Contracts

Spring of 2026                               Expected Installation

Application Requirements

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS 

The qualification proposal must include the following to be considered: 

• Digital Images. Up to eight (8) digital images of relevant, previously completed artworks. Please give preference to work that is in the public realm and of the scale that is desired in this RFQ. 
• Résumé or Bio: A current résumé that outlines your professional accomplishments as an artist. If your resume is longer than two pages, proposals are required to include an Executive Summary. If applying as a team, please submit a resume for each artist, with the lead artist first and an Executive Summary not to exceed two pages. Please include links to artist’s websites if applicable.
• Statement of Interest: A statement of interest of 250 words or less briefly outlining the artist’s interest in this specific opportunity. Please include a brief account of the artist’s experience working on projects of this scope and complexity. 
• Responses to Questions: Please also include answers to the following questions in your application. 
  • In what state do you reside?
  • Have you completed at least one art project located within the public realm? Who commissioned the project? (Private, municipal or state agency?)

Eligibility Criteria

The project is open to Colorado artists and/or artist teams or artists/artist teams residing in Colorado’s neighboring states of Kansas, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nebraska, Utah, or Arizona.