Call Description

Introduction

The City of Wichita invites professional artists and artist teams with a demonstrated history of completing complex, permanent, outdoor public art projects to submit their qualifications for a $40,000 public art commission for A. Price Woodard Jr. Memorial Park. The start of this project is scheduled to begin in late fall/early winter of 2025. It is anticipated that the installation of the art will be completed in 2026. Emerging artists are encouraged to apply.

In 2022, the Wichita City Council approved to receive proceeds for the purpose of the improvement of City property along the east bank of the Big Arkansas River from Douglas Avenue to Waterman Street, this includes A. Price Woodard Jr. Memorial Park. One item covered by this capital improvement is commissioning of an on-site commemorative artwork that then becomes part of the City of Wichita Public Art Collection. The administration of the Percent for Art Program is overseen by the Design Council, an 11-member advisory board. 

Who is A. Price Woodard, Jr.?

A. Price Woodard Jr. is remembered as a Wichita attorney, City Council Member, and the first African American Mayor of Wichita. He was elected on April 14, 1970. At the time, Wichita was experiencing racial problems that had escalated to rioting in the streets and burnings. While the custom was for a more experienced commission member to be chosen mayor, the commissioners felt appointing Woodard mayor might help calm the city’s racial storm. It was the only term he served.

Art Vision

The City of Wichita envisions a commemorative cast bronze life-size bust dedicated to the former Mayor of Wichita. The artwork for this project must present A. Price Woodard’s physical appearance in faithful accuracy and must be durable and structurally suitable to the extreme Kansas weather. Audial/lighting components will not be allowed. No found objects should be used for this project. A memorial plaque and base/pedestal are to be included as part of the work. Material for the base/pedestal must be durable and suitable for Kansas weather. Bust can include shoulders or just neck.

A. Price Woodard, Jr. Memorial Park Background

Land for this park was acquired in 1972 from the Urban Renewal Agency. The park is named after the late A. Price Woodard, Jr., former Mayor of Wichita. It is a multi-level park, accentuated by waterfalls, fountains, pool and an amphitheater. The landscape design for the area ranges from semi-formal in the main plaza adjacent to Douglas Avenue and the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center to naturalistic in those areas adjoining the river.

Art Location

inal artwork location will be determined by the selected artist and design team.  Commemorative public art is envisioned for this project. Regardless of size or location, the artwork(s) should be structurally sound and durable. Audial, electrical, and water elements do not apply to this project. 

Site Location

The park is located west of S. Waco Street and South of W. Douglas Avenue in downtown Wichita, Kansas and adjacent to the Arkansas River. The exact location of the art installation within the park is to be identified once the artist selection process is concluded.

Project Budget

ART BUDGET: $40,000

The art budget is inclusive of all costs and fees for the artist to execute the project from design through structural engineering, fabrication, site preparation, transportation/delivery, and installation to the site. The installation will be coordinated with the project construction team and may be a part of the artist fee depending on installation requirements and responsibilities. The budget will include the life-size bust’s pedestal/base.

Project Timeline

RFQ open via CAFE̒ online application system: 08/08/2025
Artists questions due: 08/22/2025, 4:00 p.m. CST
Qualifications due: 09/05/2025, 4:00 p.m. CST
Review of qualifications: 09/15/2025
Notification of Award: 09/26/2025
Contract: 11/14/2025;
Presentation to Councils and Boards: January 2026 – March 2026
Art Fabrication and Installation: April 2026 – July 2026

*All dates are approximate and subject to change

Selection Process

Applicants will be reviewed and ranked by a selection committee comprised of City staff, the design firm, and relevant stakeholders.  Interviews are not anticipated to be a part of the selection process but may be used to in the event of a narrow margin between rankings. 

Selection Criteria

Applicants will be selected 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 limited photographic resources/references in the design process; examples should be relevant to how the artist will approach this public art opportunity.

Ability: demonstrated experience in representational bronze sculptures, experience in coordinating engineering and fabricating teams, delivering contractual milestones, and managing 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 inquiries should be emailed to Ranim Abiali at rabiali@wichita.gov by 08/22/2025, 4:00 p.m. CST.

Application Requirements

Each artist or artist team must submit an entirely digital application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
1. Artist name (or names of team members if applying as a collaboration), phone number and email address.
2. Website and/or social media links if applicable.
3. Resume or CV.
4. Submit a one-page Letter of Interest (LOI) with a brief description of your project approach.
5. Submit five to ten images of relevant examples of past work. Images should represent the artist’s style, format, medium, or breadth of work. 
6. Please include an annotated image list for all work examples including scale, budget, medium, 
year installed, and location. 
7. Three professional references.

Eligibility Criteria

Professional artist residing in the United States are eligible to apply. The City of Wichita has many local firms that can assist with the development, fabrication, and installation of the artwork. The committee prefers to have local firms involved in the project when possible 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 footers
• Fabricators
• Installation crews
• Landscape architects

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.