Rhode Island State Council on the Arts
Call for Artists

Rhode Island College 
Gaige Hall, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
600 Mount Pleasant Avenue, Providence 02908

Budget: $229,000 all inclusive.
Application Deadline: April 21, 2025.

Eligibility: This Call is open to all artists professional artists nationally. Students are not eligible to apply.

Artwork for the Rhode Island College’s Gaige Hall will be commissioned through Rhode Island’s Public Art Law, which mandates that 1% of all state capital construction and renovation funds be allocated to the purchase and maintenance of public art.  Through this program, the State recognizes that “public art creates a more humane environment: one of distinction, enjoyment, and pride for all citizens.”

About Rhode Island College

Rhode Island College ("RIC") is the first public institution of higher education in the state of Rhode Island. Rhode Island Normal School opened its doors on May 29,1854, in the same former church hall that was used previously for private normal school instruction. It was the eighth normal school opened in America. Its goal was to provide teacher preparation to young people from Rhode Island.

RIC came from these humble origins, providing opportunities for self-transformation to meet the changing needs of the people of Rhode Island – a commitment that continues to this day. This commitment to the education of teachers and public service is still the backbone of the institution.

Today, RIC is a regional comprehensive public college that serves approximately 5,800 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Business, the Zvart Onanian School of Nursing, and the School of Social Work. Historically, the college has always been a place of opportunity and was among the earliest to educate students of color. Current enrollment shows that 46% of undergraduates are first generation students, 69% are female, and 42% identify as students of color.

From its website, the college’s mission statement reads:

As a leading regional public college, Rhode Island College personalizes higher education of the finest quality for undergraduate and graduate students. We offer vibrant programs in arts and sciences, business, and professional disciplines within a supportive, respectful, and diverse community. Dedicated faculty engage students in learning, research, and career attainment, and our innovative curricula and co-curricula foster intellectual curiosity and prepare an educated citizenry for responsible leadership.

RIC is proud of its status as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. RIC is additionally guided by core values of Excellence and Innovation, Access and Opportunity.

About the Faculty of Arts and Sciences

The largest school at RIC, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences is made up of nearly 160 professors and more than half of the College’s students in 16 different departments and programs ranging from the visual and performing arts to the natural and physical sciences, the humanities, and social and behavioral sciences.

About Gaige Hall

Built in 1966, Gaige Hall recently received significant renovations. Reopening to students in 2017, Gaige houses the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the academic departments of Women's Studies, Anthropology, Modern Languages, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology, and the Center for Disability. Situated prominently overlooking the “quad”, the building has sweeping views of campus and the landscape beyond. 

About Rhode Island College’s Public Art Master Plan

In 2017, with multiple new construction and renovation projects on the horizon, the college tasked the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts to work with the faculty and staff in creating a public art master plan for the campus. RISCA staff worked closely with the Steering Committee, conducting numerous listening sessions with faculty, staff, and students on campus.

Of note, the plan places emphasis on artworks that convey “freshness”, “newness” and “vitality”; improve engagement, connectedness, and community on campus; align with Rhode Island College’s mission; offer opportunities for all to participate by placing art in accessible locations; and meets sustainability goals.

In 2023, RISCA staff met again with college leadership, determining that it was desirable for the new Craig-Lee commission to include components of student and alumni engagement and make the artistic process visible to the RIC community as a required part of new commissions.

About the Project

The selection panel met in February of 2025 and determined that the building presents excellent opportunities for artwork to be incorporated. Artwork will be considered for the interior only.

Potential locations for artwork identified by the panel are:

• Walls within the first, second, and third floor student lounge areas
• First floor lobby wall, opposite doors.
• Any of the hallways throughout the building.
• While other areas may be utilized, the areas as listed have been prioritized by the panel.

Guidance from the panel stated that an artwork for Gaige might:

• Create a welcoming atmosphere, increase collaborative space, and support a sense of community.
• Be a series of artworks that might unite the various spaces throughout, create way-finding, present an unfolding narrative, or be in sequence.
• Be vibrant, colorful, interdisciplinary.
• Reflect the goals and values of RIC’s public art master plan.
• No genre, medium or style was designated.
• Durability of materials in this high-traffic setting is of high importance.

View additional photos of the interior spaces here.

Artists will be asked to define how they anticipate making their creative process visible to the student body and alumni. Note, however, that a collaborative design process is not desired. Ideas for student interactions include but are not limited to:

• Leading workshops that share their unique process, materials, or methods.
• Providing guest critiques of student work.
• Being interviewed by students, such as for a campus blog or publication.
• Sharing their artistic or design process through lectures, presentations, or weekly check-ins.
• Installing the work during times that students are on-campus (with the caveat that studio space is not available).
• If applicant is already a RIC faculty member (full time or adjunct), they will be asked to define how their anticipated engagement is different and in addition to what they are already contracted by the College to provide.

Application Requirements

Intent of the Call and Scope of the Work:

Note: This Call for Artists is the first step in the RISCA/RIC public art selection process. It is not considered best practice for an agency to ask an artist to craft a proposal without financial compensation. Therefore, RISCA will conduct the application process online, with initial materials submitted in digital format through Café (see below). There is no charge to the artist to apply or to submit digital images.  

At this preliminary selection stage, we request submissions from artists or art teams consisting of six (6) images representing work completed within the past 10 years, a written statement, bio or resume that describes the applicant’s qualifications for the project, and a description of how they anticipate interacting with the student body, if commissioned.

Three finalists will be selected from the pool of initial applicants. Finalists will be invited to visit the site then craft a detailed proposal including an itemized budget, scale models and/or renderings, and an in-depth project description. For this they will each be paid a $3,500 stipend for their work. This stipend is intended to cover all travel expenses: hotel, transportation, mileage, etc., for both the site visit and the subsequent presentation meeting. Finalists will not be reimbursed separately for any travel costs.

Estimated Timeline:

March 5, 2025: Applications open.
April 21, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. (MST) Deadline for submissions; Applications close.
May 2025 (TBD) panel meeting for review and selection of semifinalists.
June/July 2025 (TBD): Finalist site visits.
August/September 2025 (TBD): Finalist presentations to selection panel; work selected.
September 2025, final approval by RISCA Council and RIC President’s Executive Council.
TBD with artist: Contract signed. Fabrication begins.
TBD with artist: Student interaction component.
TBD with artist: Work installed and completed. Building construction is already complete.

According to law, recommendations of the selection panel will be presented to the governing council of RISCA who will have final approval of the public art selection.

Finalist’s site-specific proposals should convey artist’s ideas and plans through designs, renderings and/or scale models with a statement that describes the project's intent, proposed materials, fabrication and installation methods, and an itemized budget including 10% contingency. Finalists will also be asked to explain how their artwork will be sourced and fabricated. The finalists will be supplied with plans, photographs, and specific information about the building and the campus. A site visit to include a meeting with Capital Projects staff and members of the selection panel will be scheduled. It is strongly recommended that finalists visit the site in person.  A stipend will be paid to finalists for their proposals. The proposals will remain the property of the artist; however, RISCA reserves the right to retain proposals for up to one year for display purposes and the right to reproduce final proposals for documentation and public information.

The Public Art Selection Panel reserves the right to determine which proposal will be funded and the extent of funding. The panel also reserves the right not to accept any proposal submitted. If the recommendations of the Public Art Selection Panel are approved by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and RIC, the selected artist/s will enter into a contract with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and RIC for the commission. The commissioned artwork will be owned by the State of Rhode Island.

Selection Criteria:

The panel will select the artist based on the following criteria:

1. Artistic vibrancy and relevance.
2.  Permanence, durability, value.
3. Responsiveness to this Call.
4. References and demonstrated ability to manage and complete project.
5. Strength of RIC community interaction component. 

Eligibility Criteria

This Call for Artists is open to all professional artists residing in the United States. The panel will not discriminate against any applicant artist based age, race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or disability. Black, Indigenous, People of Color, women, gender nonconforming persons, LGBTQIA+ community members and people with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply. Artists living across Rhode Island are highly encouraged to apply.  Students are not eligible. Excluded from participation are RISCA Council members, staff and their family members, as well as members of the public art selection committee and their families.

The Public Art Selection Panel reserves the right to determine which proposal will be funded and the extent of funding. The panel also reserves the right not to accept any proposal submitted. If the recommendations of the Public Art Selection Panel are approved by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and RIC, the selected artist/s will enter into a contract with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and RIC for the commission. The commissioned artwork will be owned by the State of Rhode Island.

The scope of the project is all-inclusive. Artist will be responsible for all costs related to the design, fabrication, and installation of the commissioned work, including but not limited to: insurance as required, engineering and drawings stamped by a RI engineer, permitting and permit fees, RI-licensed contractor as required, equipment, supervision, testing services, shipping, travel, housing, labor, etc. Any costs associated with the siting of the artwork including but not limited to structural requirements, relocation of utilities, specialized data or electric, etc., must be borne by the artist’s budget.

Finalists and commissioned artist will need a current W9 form to receive payments. The commissioned artist will need to register as a vendor with the State of Rhode Island through its Ocean State Procures system. Out-of-state businesses may need to register as a foreign entity through the RI Secretary of State and pay any associated taxes or fees. Commissioned artist will provide all insurance as may be required or applicable for installation and warranty maintenance including general commercial liability, automobile liability, professional liability, workers compensation and employer’s liability.

The commissioned artwork will comply with all Rhode Island Building Code Commission requirements. No work may proceed without a RI BCC letter of approval. Any permits required will need to be obtained by a licensed RI contractor. Artist will comply with applicable RI Department of Labor and Training and OSHA requirements in the installation and maintenance of the artwork.

The final commissioned work must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act: http://www.ada.gov/.

If you have questions about this opportunity, email Molly Dickinson, molly.dickinson.ctr@arts.ri.gov. If you require technical support for CAFÉ, please email cafe@westaf.org.