Call Description

Rhode Island State Council on the Arts- Request for Qualifications for Public Art

University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, Ocean Robotics Laboratory

Narragansett, Rhode Island

Budget: $140,000.

Application Deadline: May 26, 2026

Artwork for the University of Rhode Island Ocean Robotics Laboratory, Narragansett Bay Campus, will be commissioned by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) 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 the University

Founded in 1888, the University of Rhode Island is the state’s land-grant university and largest academic institution, with total enrollment of approximately 18,000 students. The university offers bachelor, masters, and doctoral degrees in 80 undergraduate and 49 graduate areas of study through nine academic schools and colleges. These schools and colleges include Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Professional Studies, Engineering, Health Sciences, Environment and Life Sciences, Nursing, Pharmacy, Oceanography, and Academic Success.

About the College of Engineering

As the engineering program for the public, R1, flagship land- and sea-grant research university for the state of Rhode Island the College of Engineering (COE) at URI serves a key role for the state and region in providing access to high quality education; performing research to solve important regional, national and global challenges; educating the technical workforce for the state; and translating discovery into commercializable opportunities that create jobs. As the engineering program for the Ocean State, the majority of the research conducted in engineering at URI has an ocean related focus, which includes protecting our securing our national defense, harnessing the power of wind and waves for clean energy, assessing the impact of microplastics on marine ecosystems and protecting our fragile coastal resources. Housed at the Narragansett Bay Campus along with the Graduate School of Oceanography, the COE Department of Ocean Engineering is the oldest of its kind in the U.S. and includes focus areas such as ocean robotics, coastal resilience, naval architecture, underwater acoustics and offshore energy.   Learn more. 

 About the Graduate School of Oceanography

The University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) is one of the nation’s premier academic oceanographic institutions. GSO faculty, students, and staff work with international scientists, policymakers, business leaders, and citizens to address present and future marine challenges. This mission is accomplished through an integrated program of research, education and public outreach. Field and ship-based observations, laboratory work, and modeling provide a comprehensive approach to studying coastal environments and the open ocean throughout the world. Learn More. 

About the Ocean Robotics Laboratory 

The Ocean Robotics Laboratory (ORL) was intentionally designed as fully collaborative space where faculty, students and staff from the GSO and Ocean Engineering can develop the next generation of undersea systems and deploy those systems for the benefit of humankind. Faculty in GSO and Ocean Engineering have been highly collaborative from the start. With numerous faculty having joint appointments between the two colleges, faculty collaborate on research projects, co-advise graduate students, and share research lab space at the Narragansett Bay Campus.   

Sophisticated robotic systems and sensors are shaping the future of ocean exploration, research and education. Construction is now complete for the new ORL, in which faculty, staff and students from the GSO and Ocean Engineering will build, test and utilize novel robotic platforms and systems to observe the world's oceans.  The facility will help bridge the gap between technological innovation and our need to better understand the complexity of the marine environment from Rhode Island's shores to the open sea.  The tools pioneered here will work hand-in-glove with URI's new Regional Class Research Vessel, Narragansett Dawn, on its mission to serve the scientific community.   Moreover, the 32,000 square-foot facility will create opportunities for collaborations within URI, among university partners and through public-private ventures.  The new building features a 9,000 cubic foot test tank, staging area, incubator suite, research labs, offices, rapid-prototyping, and manufacturing workshop spaces.

At its core, the ORL will be a facility which merges oceanography and creative engineering. The projects developed in the ORL will be motivated by pertinent science and enabled by technological innovation.  Those working in the facility will be inspired to find creative new ways to sample, observe, and quantify ocean environments.  This is an exciting time, as our ability to extract information from the natural world using robotic platforms, sensors and computing has never been greater. 

Learn more about the GSO Campus Renewal.

Learn more about the ORL. 

View photos. 

About the Project

The artwork selection panel met in March to tour the facility and establish goals for the artwork commission. From this meeting, the panel established the following:

• An interior artwork, perhaps in components, is desired.
• The foyer, lobby and hallways present good opportunities for inclusion of artwork. Interior artwork might also be visible outside through the glass curtain walls.
• Three-dimensional works such as suspended or low-relief sculpture best align with the work of the ORL.
• Artwork might create a welcoming atmosphere, enhance collaborative space, or increase the profile of the building and the work done within.
• Murals or 2-dimensional works are not desired.
• Works might be contemporary, abstract, or visual interpretations of themes related to the work at the ORL.
• Artwork can not interfere with the functions of the building.
• Artwork must comply with ADA requirements.

Potential themes offered by the panel include:

• Oceans, water.
• Robotics, technology, innovation.
• Curiosity.
• Imagination.
• Past, present, future.
• Vastness, fathoms.
• Mesmerizing.
• Interpretation of natural themes.

Estimated Timeline

• May 26, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (E.S.T.) Deadline for submissions.
• June 2026:  panel meeting for selection of finalists and notification of applicants.
• July/August 2026: Finalist site visits
• September 2026: Finalist presentations to selection panel. Approval by RISCA Council.
• TBD: Contract signed; Fabrication of artwork
• TBD: Work installed and completed.

According to law, the final recommendation of the selection panel will be presented the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts who will have final approval of the commission.

Selected Finalists

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 at least 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 URI staff and members of the selection panel will be scheduled. It is strongly recommended that finalists visit the site in person.  A stipend of $2,500 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 URI, the selected artist/s will enter a contract with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and URI for the commission. The commissioned artwork will be owned by the State of Rhode Island.

Selection Criteria

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

1. Artistic vibrancy.

2. Responsiveness to the Request for Qualifications.

3. Appropriateness and relevance for the facility.

4. Permanence and durability.

5. Artist's demonstrated capacity to manage a commission of this scope.

Application Requirements

Submission Requirements

Please note: This Request for Qualifications is the first step in the public art selection process. DO NOT SUBMIT A SPECIFIC PROPOSAL AT THIS TIME. You will submit your qualifications (examples of previous work and resume). After review of qualifications, the selection committee will invite several finalists to visit campus, then create a site-specific proposal for the ORL. A $2,500 honorarium will be paid to finalists for this work. RISCA will conduct the URI ORL artwork application process online, with all materials submitted in digital format through CaFÉ, (see below). There is no charge to the artist to apply. At this preliminary selection stage, we are requesting submissions from artists or artist teams consisting of six (6) images representing current work (completed within the past ten years) and a resume, bio, or statement. If an artist wants to apply as an individual as well as part of a team, two separate CaFÉ profiles and two separate CaFÉ applications must be completed (i.e., one application submission for you and one for your team). Materials will be reviewed by RISCA staff and the selection panel to assess the quality and appropriateness of the artist's work and the artist’s ability to carry out a substantial public art commission. The RFQ process is mainly about the panel’s initial response to the artist’s images. No slides or hard copy materials will be accepted for this call. First time CaFÉ applicants must allow enough time to prepare their CaFÉ formatted digital images and electronic submission prior to the deadline. No late submissions will be accepted.

Each application must be submitted via the CaFÉ web site (www.callforentry.org) and must include: 

1. A current bio, resume or statement for each artist. If you are applying as a team, include all team member resumes within one document. 

2. Six digital images of relevant artwork. In the “description of image” fields, accompanying image annotation must list mediums, size, title, date of completion, and commission cost or price.  A brief description of the artwork may be included for clarification if necessary.  Please do not present more than one view of artwork per image.  If you wish to show a "detail", include it within the six (6) artwork images.

3. two professional references.

4. Information on artist's previous commissioned works.

Eligibility Criteria

Artist Eligibility

This Call for Artists is open to all professional artists residing in the United States. The panel will not discriminate against any applicant based on 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.  Undergraduate 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. 

Rules and Terms to Apply

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 URI, the selected artist/s will enter into a contract with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and URI 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.