Call Description

New Jersey State Council on the Arts for the NJ Maternal Infant Health Innovation Authority (MIHIA) 

Expression of Interest: Applied Wall Treatment/Mural (tile or other durable materials) 

Note: All calls posted by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts are always free and open to any eligible artist to apply. Before submitting an application, please review the eligibility requirements.  

All applicants must be regionally based residing no more than 150 miles from Trenton, New Jersey.  Any applicant deemed ineligible will have their submission removed from consideration and will not be reviewed by the jury. 

Artwork submitted for consideration for this call may not be generated by artificial intelligence. No use of generative AI is permitted in New Jersey State arts inclusion projects.  

On behalf of the NJ Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) and the NJ Maternal Infant Health Innovation Authority (MIHIA), the New Jersey State Council on the Arts is soliciting Expressions of Interest (EOI) from prospective artists to design, fabricate, and install artwork for a building project being constructed in Trenton, New Jersey. The proposed artwork for the MIHIA is part of the New Jersey Arts Inclusion Program and is coordinated by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and New Jersey Economic Development Authority, and Ballinger.   

About the Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center (MIHIC) 

As part of First Lady Tammy Murphy’s Nurture NJ initiative to make New Jersey the safest and most equitable place in the nation to deliver and raise a baby, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) is currently developing a new Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center (MIHIC) located at the corner of N. Warren St. and Pennington Ave. in Trenton. (Address: 1 Pennington Ave. Trenton, NJ.) 

MIHIC is intended to serve as an anchor for equitable provision of maternal and infant health care services, social services and wraparound supports, data analysis and first-in-class research on maternal health care and equity in care, a training and education site for the perinatal workforce, a catalyst of new innovations to drive improved maternal and infant health outcomes, and serve as a central hub for New Jersey’s stakeholders which include mothers and trusted community actors dedicated to improving the health of New Jersey’s babies and mothers.  

MIHIA is specifically focused on eliminating racial disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes.  

About This Call for Artists 

At this time, artists are encouraged to review this entire Call for Artists for specifics, and if interested and qualified, submit examples of previous work that is pertinent to this project through the Call for Entry system. We are not seeking submissions of project proposals in this phase. The Art Selection Committee will carefully review all eligible submissions, and select a shortlist of artists, who will then be contracted to prepare and submit full proposals through a State procurement process.    

This Call for Artists seeks responses from artists who have experience in public art projects of similar scope and budget size, and who are willing and able to contract with the State of New Jersey. Artists who are selected for the Proposal phase will be required to follow the process to register as a vendor with the State for payment of the proposal stipend. The process to contract with the State as a vendor requires being properly certified and eligible, and some fees may be required for registrations and certifications in order to be registered in the NJ Start Vendor system. All vendor policies and procedures are not within our agency’s authority to alter; artists should carefully review the process to ensure it will not pose an undue burden to them before responding to this call for artists.    

Project Details:  

This commission will entail design, fabrication, and installation of an applied mural/wall treatment in an interior space of approximately 20’ wide  x  24’ high. The mural must be constructed of tile, metal, glass or other durable materials (not painted, polytab or vinyl). The selection committee is open to both abstract and representative themes; colorful works, and those that reflect the purpose of the MIHIC, MIHIA’s mission, and/or the local community, are of particular interest.  

The project budget is $250,000 all-inclusive for a completed permanent mural, installed. The budget shall cover all costs incurred by the artist relating to the design of the artwork, revisions, fabrication, any needed engineering, transportation, and installation. Covered expenses include but shall not be limited to compensation for design and engineering services, materials, samples, transportation costs, fabrication, supplies, and installation at the location, contracting requirements for state payment process, required documentation and plaque/signage, permitting, copyright registration, special installation costs, etc.  The payment of prevailing wages is anticipated for installation and all on-site work. 

Three selected finalists each will receive a stipend of $2,000 for proposal preparation expenses, to include all preparatory costs including time, travel, design fee, material samples and any fees to register with the State for payment processing (if necessary.)  

Additional details with elevated architectural drawings as well as a question-and-answer meeting will be provided to the selected finalists to help inform project proposals.   

Contract:  

Upon selection and final design approval, the artist must complete a contract with the NJ Economic Development Authority, register in the State’s procurement system (NJSTART), complete all required business registrations, pay any required registration fees, and follow the State’s procurement processes.    

Sample contract and more information about the procurement process will be made available to finalists at the Q&A phase of the project. Interested finalists are strongly encouraged to attend the Q&A session(s).  

Timeline:   

September 30, 2025- Call for Artists (RFQ/EOI) live on www.callforentry.org   

November 17, 2025- Call for Artists closes; late submissions will not be accepted 

No later than February 2, 2026- artists notified of the outcomes of the EOI   

February 23, 2026- Questions from finalists due- questions to be submitted in writing to inform Q&A Meeting topics  

Week of March 2, 2026- date/time TBA, Q&A Meeting for selected finalists 

Artists final proposal presentations- Mid-April 2026 

Notification of selected artists- By May 18, 2026- Contracting with EDA begins  

Anticipated installation of completed work Winter of 2026/27  

While the project timeline will be prioritized, all dates are subject to change. 

Questions?     

Technical assistance using CAFÉ is available at:  https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/    

Please use CAFÉ help resources for assistance setting up a CAFÉ account and submitting through the CAFÉ platform.  

Please do not apply to this call if you do not meet the eligibility criteria. Eligibility will be verified. Ineligible submissions will not be viewed by jurors. 

Please direct any other questions regarding this opportunity to the New Jersey State Council on the Arts: 

PublicArtsInclusion@sos.nj.gov  

Tel: (609) 292-6130 

NJ Relay: 711 

Application Requirements

Application Requirements:   

Interested parties are required to submit a portfolio of their past-completed work, as well as profile, reference and contact information as outlined below. The Art Selection Committee will shortlist a group of artists to receive a formal request for proposals from the pool of applicants.  

Materials submitted online though CAFE from eligible artists will be reviewed by the Selection Committee. Materials will not be accepted in any other way except through the CallForEntry.org process.  

Final selections will be made based upon a variety of factors, including average selection committee scores, the artist’s home/studio location, the appeal of the artist’s style and aesthetic for this specific facility, and other factors. As part of the RFP package, finalists will be provided with the evaluative criteria that the selection committee will use in evaluating proposals to make a final selection.       

Artists interested in being considered for this commission should supply:  

A letter summarizing their interest in this project and experience in the creation of public artworks.  Include in this letter any pertinent details on the artists’ connection to Trenton, and/or to the mission of MIHIA. 

A list of at least 3 references preferably for similar projects (name, project name, contact information – phone number and e-mail address).   

Artist resume   

Photographs/images of examples of installations of public art, ideally similar projects or materials (minimum: 4, maximum: 8)  

Optional video examples (up to 2) 

Artist website link(s)   

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria 

Individuals who self-identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) or women artists, and those based in Trenton, NJ are strongly encouraged to apply.   

All applicants must be regionally based residing no more than 150 miles from Trenton, New Jersey, as determined by: https://www.gps-coordinates.net/distance   

All applicants must be over the age of 18 to be considered for this opportunity.    

Under N.J.S.A. 52:13D-19, employees of the State of New Jersey are not eligible to submit work for this procurement.