Call Description

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

 Public Art Project: Denver Performing Arts Complex

Budget: Approximately $900,000 USD

Eligibility: Artists or Artist Teams residing in the United States and internationally

DEADLINE: Monday, April 13, 11:59 PM MST

Introduction

Denver Public Art seeks to commission an artist or artist team to create original public artwork for the Denver Performing Arts Complex at 1400 Curtis Street, Denver, CO. The commission will activate the glass-enclosed galleria, an iconic space designed in 1977 by architects George Hoover and Karl Berg of Muchow Associates and inspired by Milan’s 19th-century Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

 The galleria’s glass roof rises approximately 80 feet (24 meters) and extends nearly 1,000 feet (308 meters). The artwork must engage the space both day and night, with sculptural elements and lighting active throughout the galleria; any light-based elements must include multiple activation phases—such as programmed sequences, timed transitions, or shifting states—to create an evolving experience over time. The selection panel hopes the artwork will celebrate the spirit of Denver's performing arts and invites artists to create something unexpected and dynamic for the complex's guests and visitors. The selected artist or team must complete and install the artwork by the end of 2027.

 Denver Public Art is hosting a virtual pre-application meeting for interested applicants on Thursday, March 26, at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will cover the project background and goals, as well as the application process for this Request for Qualifications (RFQ). Attendees will also receive information on CallForEntry.org, where artists may apply. This event will be hosted on Microsoft Teams. Interested applicants are asked to register to learn how to join the event before it begins. If you cannot attend, a recording will be available on the Denver Arts & Venues YouTube channel. 

 Goals and Site

The selection panel seeks suspended sculptural artworks that are active both day and night and that span and activate the steel-and-glass-enclosed Galleria at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. The artwork should celebrate Denver’s performing arts and introduce an unexpected presence that is dynamic and compelling both day and night.

• Welcome and inclusion: The artwork should feel inviting and accessible to a broad range of audiences and communities.

• Enhance the Arts Complex experience: The work should enrich the arrival, circulation, and gathering experience for both ticketed patrons and daily users, extending the energy of performances into shared public space through light, motion, and/or atmosphere.

• Strong day and night presence: The artwork should read as a sculptural work in daylight and shift after dark through illumination, remaining legible and engaging throughout the day and evening.

• Rooted in Denver: Artists are encouraged to respond to Denver’s character and the downtown arts ecosystem, considering how the Arts Complex connects to the city’s cultural life and the surrounding public realm.

• Completion deadline: The artwork must be fully installed and operational by the end of 2027.

Media & Materials
The selection panel is open to artwork in all media and materials suitable for outdoor display. Durability and ease of maintenance are important for the site.

Application Requirements

Applying for these opportunities

In response to this RFQ, applicants will be asked to submit the following items via www.callforentry.org (CaFÉ™).

1.       Six digital images of past work

2.       Résumé

3.       Statement of interest no longer than 2,000 characters

 From these applications, the selection panel will choose three to five finalists who will create site-specific proposals and be interviewed in person or virtually. Artists will be paid an honorarium for this work. Artists/teams selected as finalists will be required to submit a Diversity & Inclusiveness Form for their proposals to be considered, which will be provided upon notification. As directed by Executive Order 101, this form must be submitted for all city solicitations of proposals. Denver Arts & Venues Public Art Program staff can guide you in filling out this form.

 Based on the interview and proposal, an artist or artist team will be selected for this commission. The selected artist or artist team will work with Denver Public Art staff and the project team when finalizing their designs for installation.

Eligibility Criteria

Who May Apply

This project is open to artists residing in the United States. Denver Arts & Venues is committed to building a public art collection that represents a broad diversity of artists and encourages applicants from historically marginalized and underrepresented communities, including artists who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latino/x, People of Color (BILPOC), people with disabilities, and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersexual, asexual, Two-Spirit+ (LGBTQIA2S+) communities. Denver Arts & Venues also encourages applicants at various stages in their careers and applicants that practice a variety of artistic disciplines.

Can a team apply?

Applicants may apply as a single artist or multi-person collaborative group. If applying as a team, please submit one résumé for the team with no more than one page per team member.

To request this RFQ in an alternate format (such as Braille, large print or accessible electronic format) please contact DisabilityAccess@denvergov.org.

Denver Arts & Venues complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, gender or language. It is your right to request oral or written language assistance services in your primary language, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART or disability-related accommodations if needed. Please contact Denver Arts & Venues at DAVLanguageAccess@denvergov.org and these services will be provided to you free of charge.