Days remaining to deadline: 32
Images | Minimum:Min. 1, Maximum:Max. 5
Total Samples | Minimum:Min. 1, Maximum:Max. 5
Eligibility: Regional
State: Colorado
Budget: $19,000
REQUEST FOR ARTWORK
The City of Commerce City and the Commerce City Cultural Council are seeking to purchase two-dimensional artwork from Colorado artists, or artists who reside in Colorado Region (determined to be Colorado and neighboring states of Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona). Indigenous local and regional artists will be prioritized in the selection. The artwork is to be placed at the education garden at the new CALU Park in Commerce City, CO.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTAL: Thursday, April 17, 2025 11:59 p.m. MST
SUBMITTALS ACCEPTED ONLINE ONLY: www.callforentry.org
TOTAL ART BUDGET: $19,000
PROJECT SUMMARY
The City of Commerce City and the Commerce City Cultural Council seeks to purchase artwork for the new CALU Park in Commerce City. CALU Park, a new two-acre community park, is nestled between the Buffalo Highlands neighborhood and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge, just south of E. 96th Avenue. The park’s name, CALU, honors the region’s Indigenous heritage, representing Cheyenne, Arapahoe, Lakota, and Ute tribes who originally inhabited the land before the arrival of white settlers. The artwork will be installed in the education garden area of the park, which is in a floodplain. Artwork should be two-dimensional and flat to the ground and not cause an obstruction or be an impediment to flood flows. Additional information about the park can be found HERE.
PUBLIC ART BUDGET: $19,000
The budget for the site shall be inclusive of all costs associated with the public art project including, but not limited to artist fees, artwork, and installation. The artist is expected to work with the city to determine the specifications.
THEMES/CRITERIA
The art selection committee for CALU Park seeks artwork that honors and celebrates the tribes mentioned in the park’s name. Artist(s) should have historical knowledge about each tribe and their cultural arts to incorporate significant themes. The artwork should celebrate the natural history of the area, Commerce City community and unity, evoke joy and delight, and have a pleasing and uplifting effect on those who see it. It should be appropriate for all ages to enjoy.
The artwork will be installed in the education garden area of the park, which is in a floodplain. Artwork should be two-dimensional and flat to the ground and not cause an obstruction or be an impediment to flood flows. Additional information about the park can be found HERE.
SPACE DIMENSIONS
The dedicated public art space is circular, and 10' in diameter (75.5 square feet). The artwork will be installed in a floodplain, so it must betwo-dimensional and flat to the ground and not cause an obstruction or be an impediment to flood flows.
ABOUT COMMERCE CITY, COLORADO
As the state’s third-fastest growing city, Commerce City is redefining itself for the next generation, building on historic values of community, industry, agriculture and family. Centrally located along Colorado’s bustling Front Range, Commerce City is a Quality Community for a Lifetime, with 25 miles of trails, a championship golf course, 840 acres of open space and parks, one of the country’s largest soccer complexes and the nation’s largest urban wildlife refuge. Learn more at www.c3gov.com.
ABOUT THE COMMERCE CITY PUBLIC ART PROGRAM
The goal of the Commerce City Public Art Program is to acquire public art unique to Commerce City that reflects community values, and to place it within public spaces for the community and visitors to enjoy. This public art will generate community pride and contribute to the vitality of the community by enhancing quality of life. Also, public art may remind us of our heritage, serve as a source of celebration, and prompt new ways of seeing and inspiring conversation and reflection. Completed in 2013, the Public Art Master Plan provides a framework to guide the Commerce City Cultural Council in selecting the most appropriate public artwork that reflects the community’s values and culture for designated locations throughout Commerce City.
LEGAL COMMENTS
Commerce City and the Commerce City Cultural Council reserve the right to reject any or all applications, proposals, applicants, and projects, to waive any informalities or irregularities, and to modify or terminate the application process or the selection process for any reason and without prior notice. The issuance of this Request for Qualifications and the receipt and evaluation of applications do not obligate Commerce City to select any proposal or applicant or enter into any agreement. The City will not pay any costs incurred in responding to this Request for Qualifications except as expressly stated.
Applicants are cautioned not to undertake any activities or actions to promote or advertise their submittal, other than discussions with City staff as described. Proposers are not permitted to make any direct or indirect contact with members of the Art Selection Committee, the Commerce City Cultural Council, the City Council, or media on the subject of this Request for Qualifications, except in the course of City-sponsored presentations or to submit questions. Violation of these rules is grounds for disqualification.
QUESTIONS
Please send any questions to Melissa Sumner at msumner@c3gov.com.
Application Requirements
All applications for this project must be submitted through CaFÉ™ (www.callforentry.org) no later than the deadline for submission identified above. No hard copy or e-mail submissions will be accepted. There is no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system.
The applicant must submit the following:
Digital Images. A maximum of five digital images of artwork through the CaFÉ™ system. Please include dimensions for each work of art. Although we welcome photos of past work, please be sure to submit renderings of the artwork you intend to build for the project, and not just previous artwork alone.
Instructions on how to use CaFÉ™ and format images/video can be found at www.callforentry.org/image_prep.phtml. Assistance in using the CaFÉ™ system is available during regular business hours by calling 3036291166, 18885627232 or email cafe@westaf.org.
Artist Statement: Please share information about yourself, your interest in Commerce City, how the artwork connects to the Cheyenne, Arapahoe, Lakota, and Ute tribes, and anything you want to share about creating your artwork and how it meets the criteria listed.
- Are you an artist who resides or works in Colorado, or the Colorado Region (neighboring states of Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona)?
- Are you an Indigenous artist? If not, please explain your historical knowledge of the tribes’ cultures.
Eligibility Criteria
The eligible applicants for this project are artists who reside in Colorado, or artists who reside in Colorado Region (determined to be Colorado and neighboring states of Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona). The City and Cultural Council will comply with all federal, state and local anti-discrimination laws in the administration and implementation of the public art master plan.