Call Detail
Entry Deadline: 8/3/15
Application Closed
Application Closed
Work Sample Requirements
Images | Minimum:Min. 0, Maximum:Max. 10
Video | Minimum:Min. 0, Maximum:Max. 3
Total Samples | Minimum:Min. 10, Maximum:Max. 13
Images | Minimum:Min. 0, Maximum:Max. 10
Video | Minimum:Min. 0, Maximum:Max. 3
Total Samples | Minimum:Min. 10, Maximum:Max. 13
Call Type: Public Art
Eligibility: National
State: Oregon
Eligibility: National
State: Oregon
The Oregon Zoo
The Oregon Zoo is a community treasure and continues to be the number one admission-based attraction in Oregon. It is recognized for its success in protecting threatened and endangered species and providing generations of families with unique hands-on learning and recreational experiences. With five major exhibit areas -- Great Northwest, Fragile Forests, Asia, Pacific Shores and Africa – the zoo consistently attracts over 1.6 million visitors per year and has over 42,000 member households.
The 64-acre Oregon Zoo is approximately 2 miles west of downtown Portland, Oregon and located on a southwest facing ridge line, within an area of steep slopes and ravines. Located within walking distance of the zoo is the Portland Children’s Museum, Opal School, the World Forestry Center as well as a Tri-Met Light Rail Station and bus stop. The zoo is adjacent to Washington Park, a 400-plus acre facility that includes large open areas and public attractions such as the Hoyt Arboretum, Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, International Rose Test Garden and the Portland Japanese Garden.
The zoo is dedicated to its mission of inspiring the community to respect animals and act on behalf of the natural world. This is accomplished by creating engaging experiences and advancing the highest level of animal welfare, environmental literacy and conservation science. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Oregon silverspot and Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies, western pond turtles and Oregon spotted frogs. Other projects include studies on Asian elephants, polar bears, orangutans and giant pandas.
The zoo relies in part on community support through donations to the Oregon Zoo Foundation to undertake these and many other animal welfare, education and sustainability programs. The zoo has over 1700 volunteers, ages 12 and up, who are Zoo Ambassadors, community event volunteers, ZooGuides, Volunteer Divers or participants in the summer ZooTeens program.
OREGON ZOO BOND
In 2008, voters in the tri-county region approved a $125M bond measure to protect animal health and safety, increase access to conservation education, and upgrade zoo facilities. The zoo bond covers planning and construction of new and expanded zoo habitats for elephants, polar bears, rhinos and primates, a new California condor exhibit, a new conservation education facility, and improved energy and water conservation measures across the zoo campus. These projects will be constructed over the next six to eight years.
The Oregon Zoo Comprehensive Capital Master Plan was adopted in October 2011 and includes a 900-ft long central ”zoo street” intended to become the zoo’s primary open space and unifying feature. Visitor amenities will be concentrated in each of three plazas, making it easier for visitors to rest or decide where to embark upon the next adventure. A new Veterinary Medical Center, also paid for by the bond, opened in January 2012 and the Elephant Lands/East Plaza opens in 2015. The newest bond project in schematic design phase is for a new Education Center and West Plaza.
PUBLIC ART SITE: EDUCATION CENTER/WEST PLAZA
Education Center
The Big Idea for the Education Center is to inspire conservation action by connecting people, the zoo and the natural world. Those connections can be made through visual, experiential and hands-on opportunities offered through the Center’s programming. Visitor and classroom/instructional cores will be the two primary components of the center, each emphasizing the zoo’s commitment to conservation, sustainability and education. Classroom programming and visitor experiences will focus on learning, caring about and taking action on regional conservation issues.
The Center will be a hub of environmental learning and discovery as well as conservation action and stewardship, and education about sustainable best practices. Visitors of all ages will have memorable and inspiring experiences that convey ideas of environmental literacy and sustainable action.
West Plaza
The West Plaza is part of a bigger picture in which the zoo street winds its way throughout the entire zoo and includes places for rest, relaxation and planning where to go next. The West Plaza will integrate and support the education center, the train station, adjacent exhibits and food carts. Green living and sustainability principles and practices are intended to be part of the design that will feature a dynamic blend of multiple elements.
Existing Artwork
Already existing artwork owned by the zoo will be resited within the project, including six small scale animal sculptures: a stone hippo (artist unknown); limestone mouse (Roberta Kelly); marble bear and nursing cubs and marble camel (Beniamino Bufano); limestone bighorn sheep (Anne Bannard); bronze elephant (Georgia Gerber). There is also a 50 ft x 16 ft mosaic mural designed by Will Martin in 1959, which served as the entrance piece to the Portland Zoological Gardens at the time. More information on the mural and Will Martin can be found here.
ELIGIBILITY
Professional artists/teams living in the United States are eligible to apply. Applicants must have successfully completed at least two major site-specific commissions that were informed by dialogue with a commissioning body.
BUDGET / COMMISSION
Artwork for this project will be commissioned through Metro Regional Government. Download a sample contract here. The artist/team selected through this process will work with the zoo and project design team to develop permanent artwork for the new education center/west plaza at the Oregon Zoo that responds to the purpose of the site and the public art goals. Specific locations for installing artwork will be identified through a collaborative exploration between the design team and the selected artist/team. Depending on the nature of the proposed artwork, the artist/team and design team may work together to supplement the construction drawings with notes about the artwork installation.
The selected artist will receive a commission of $200,000, inclusive of all fees, design, insurance, engineering, fabrication, delivery, permitting, installation, travel and additional site work necessary to accommodate the artwork. The contract will be divided into proposal development and design ($20,000) and fabrication/installation ($180,000). The selected artist/team will be required to present a final design proposal to the Oregon Zoo’s Public Art Advisory Committee (OZPAAC) for review and approval.
Travel expenses (transportation and accommodations at standard GSA rates so long as full documentation, including receipts, is provided) will be covered for the initial site visit and interview. Once awarded the commission, all expenses will be the responsibility of the selected artist.
PUBLIC ART GOALS
The artwork should build on the general goals of connections and wonder as well as consider the principles of environmental literacy and sustainable action. In the spirit of “connections”, a local community engagement component of the project is of interest.
At this time the committee is open to considering either a singular artwork inside the Education Center or as part of the West Plaza, as well as multiple components for the site.
Artists should keep in mind the general goals for the zoo’s entire public art program:
SELECTION CRITERIA/PROCESS
Metro Regional Government has contracted with the Portland area’s Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) to manage the public art selection process. The Oregon Zoo Public Art Advisory Committee (OZPAAC) will review materials of artists using the on-line CaFE™ system and intends to choose no more than four finalists for interviews from which the artist will be selected.
An OZPAAC subcommittee of artists and architects will evaluate the application materials to determine which semi-finalists will be considered by OZPAAC. For those applicants being considered, committee members will assign scores for each of the categories described below under Evaluation Criteria. The total score from each panelist will be computed, and all scores will be added together and averaged, providing a final score for each application. Up to four top scoring artists will be invited to a final interview round with the OZPAAC. The day prior to interviews, finalists will visit the site, and meet with the design team and zoo staff to learn about the construction project to date. Project specific proposals are not required at the interview stage, although candidates should be prepared to discuss initial reactions to the potential for public art at the site.
Following the individual interviews, the OZPAAC will recommend a single artist/team for the commission to the Bond Steering Group for approval.
The Oregon Zoo is not required to commission an individual from among submitting artists and neither issuance of this RFQ, nor evaluation of any or all proposals, obligates the Zoo to award a contract from this RFQ.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
The selection panel will score applicants based on the criteria listed below.
40 points Artistic merit of submitted past work (including material handling, aesthetic appeal, and contextual response to the site and/or architecture)
30 points Statement of interest and description of how past work addressed a project’s particular needs
20 points Demonstrated ability to think and work in a scale and with materials appropriate to a site that is conceptually relevant
10 points Demonstrated ability to successfully collaborate as part of a design team and/or experience with incorporating community engagement
Total of 100 points
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
All applications must be submitted through CaFE™. If you do not already have a profile set up with CaFE™, then you will have to set one up free of charge. Applicants unfamiliar with or requiring assistance with the system may contact WESTAF's technical advisors who may provide support during the application process. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. The system will prompt the applicant if the application has not been completed but it is the responsibility of the applicant to complete and submit it by the deadline – 10:59PM, Sunday, August 3, 2014. The application must include the following materials:
WORKING PROJECT TIMELINE
Application deadline: 10:59PM (Pacific Time) Sunday, August 3, 2014
Artist selection for interviews: September 2014
Artist (s) site visits, interviews: early October 2014
Construction begins: September 2015
Completion: Fall 2016
WEBSITES/LINKS
Oregon Zoo
Design Brief: Education Center and Associated Infrastructure Projects at the Oregon Zoo
Metro Regional Government
Opsis Architecture
Jones and Jones Architecture and Landscape
OREGON ZOO PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Jennie Cambier, Opsis Architecture
Carlotta Collette, Metro Councilor
John Forsgren, Designer/RACC Public Art Advisory Committee
Kregg Hanson, Oregon Zoo Foundation member emeritus
Alec Holser, Partner, Opsis Architecture
Jiseon Lee Isbara, artist
Tracy Modde, Oregon Zoo Education Registrar
Ruth Shelly, Director, Portland Children’s Museum and Oregon Zoo Bond Oversight Committee member
Anne Storrs, artist
QUESTIONS?
Peggy Kendellen, Public Art Manager | Regional Arts & Culture Council | pkendellen@racc.org | 503.823.4196
The Oregon Zoo is a community treasure and continues to be the number one admission-based attraction in Oregon. It is recognized for its success in protecting threatened and endangered species and providing generations of families with unique hands-on learning and recreational experiences. With five major exhibit areas -- Great Northwest, Fragile Forests, Asia, Pacific Shores and Africa – the zoo consistently attracts over 1.6 million visitors per year and has over 42,000 member households.
The 64-acre Oregon Zoo is approximately 2 miles west of downtown Portland, Oregon and located on a southwest facing ridge line, within an area of steep slopes and ravines. Located within walking distance of the zoo is the Portland Children’s Museum, Opal School, the World Forestry Center as well as a Tri-Met Light Rail Station and bus stop. The zoo is adjacent to Washington Park, a 400-plus acre facility that includes large open areas and public attractions such as the Hoyt Arboretum, Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, International Rose Test Garden and the Portland Japanese Garden.
The zoo is dedicated to its mission of inspiring the community to respect animals and act on behalf of the natural world. This is accomplished by creating engaging experiences and advancing the highest level of animal welfare, environmental literacy and conservation science. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Oregon silverspot and Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies, western pond turtles and Oregon spotted frogs. Other projects include studies on Asian elephants, polar bears, orangutans and giant pandas.
The zoo relies in part on community support through donations to the Oregon Zoo Foundation to undertake these and many other animal welfare, education and sustainability programs. The zoo has over 1700 volunteers, ages 12 and up, who are Zoo Ambassadors, community event volunteers, ZooGuides, Volunteer Divers or participants in the summer ZooTeens program.
OREGON ZOO BOND
In 2008, voters in the tri-county region approved a $125M bond measure to protect animal health and safety, increase access to conservation education, and upgrade zoo facilities. The zoo bond covers planning and construction of new and expanded zoo habitats for elephants, polar bears, rhinos and primates, a new California condor exhibit, a new conservation education facility, and improved energy and water conservation measures across the zoo campus. These projects will be constructed over the next six to eight years.
The Oregon Zoo Comprehensive Capital Master Plan was adopted in October 2011 and includes a 900-ft long central ”zoo street” intended to become the zoo’s primary open space and unifying feature. Visitor amenities will be concentrated in each of three plazas, making it easier for visitors to rest or decide where to embark upon the next adventure. A new Veterinary Medical Center, also paid for by the bond, opened in January 2012 and the Elephant Lands/East Plaza opens in 2015. The newest bond project in schematic design phase is for a new Education Center and West Plaza.
PUBLIC ART SITE: EDUCATION CENTER/WEST PLAZA
Education Center
The Big Idea for the Education Center is to inspire conservation action by connecting people, the zoo and the natural world. Those connections can be made through visual, experiential and hands-on opportunities offered through the Center’s programming. Visitor and classroom/instructional cores will be the two primary components of the center, each emphasizing the zoo’s commitment to conservation, sustainability and education. Classroom programming and visitor experiences will focus on learning, caring about and taking action on regional conservation issues.
The Center will be a hub of environmental learning and discovery as well as conservation action and stewardship, and education about sustainable best practices. Visitors of all ages will have memorable and inspiring experiences that convey ideas of environmental literacy and sustainable action.
West Plaza
The West Plaza is part of a bigger picture in which the zoo street winds its way throughout the entire zoo and includes places for rest, relaxation and planning where to go next. The West Plaza will integrate and support the education center, the train station, adjacent exhibits and food carts. Green living and sustainability principles and practices are intended to be part of the design that will feature a dynamic blend of multiple elements.
Existing Artwork
Already existing artwork owned by the zoo will be resited within the project, including six small scale animal sculptures: a stone hippo (artist unknown); limestone mouse (Roberta Kelly); marble bear and nursing cubs and marble camel (Beniamino Bufano); limestone bighorn sheep (Anne Bannard); bronze elephant (Georgia Gerber). There is also a 50 ft x 16 ft mosaic mural designed by Will Martin in 1959, which served as the entrance piece to the Portland Zoological Gardens at the time. More information on the mural and Will Martin can be found here.
ELIGIBILITY
Professional artists/teams living in the United States are eligible to apply. Applicants must have successfully completed at least two major site-specific commissions that were informed by dialogue with a commissioning body.
BUDGET / COMMISSION
Artwork for this project will be commissioned through Metro Regional Government. Download a sample contract here. The artist/team selected through this process will work with the zoo and project design team to develop permanent artwork for the new education center/west plaza at the Oregon Zoo that responds to the purpose of the site and the public art goals. Specific locations for installing artwork will be identified through a collaborative exploration between the design team and the selected artist/team. Depending on the nature of the proposed artwork, the artist/team and design team may work together to supplement the construction drawings with notes about the artwork installation.
The selected artist will receive a commission of $200,000, inclusive of all fees, design, insurance, engineering, fabrication, delivery, permitting, installation, travel and additional site work necessary to accommodate the artwork. The contract will be divided into proposal development and design ($20,000) and fabrication/installation ($180,000). The selected artist/team will be required to present a final design proposal to the Oregon Zoo’s Public Art Advisory Committee (OZPAAC) for review and approval.
Travel expenses (transportation and accommodations at standard GSA rates so long as full documentation, including receipts, is provided) will be covered for the initial site visit and interview. Once awarded the commission, all expenses will be the responsibility of the selected artist.
PUBLIC ART GOALS
The artwork should build on the general goals of connections and wonder as well as consider the principles of environmental literacy and sustainable action. In the spirit of “connections”, a local community engagement component of the project is of interest.
At this time the committee is open to considering either a singular artwork inside the Education Center or as part of the West Plaza, as well as multiple components for the site.
Artists should keep in mind the general goals for the zoo’s entire public art program:
- enhancing the site and the visitor’s experience
- inspiring curiosity about art, the zoo and nature
- considering issues of sustainability and conservation
- increasing awareness and appreciation of the zoo as a community asset
- encouraging dialogue, interaction and engagement by people of all ages appropriateness to site in terms of both scale and materials
SELECTION CRITERIA/PROCESS
Metro Regional Government has contracted with the Portland area’s Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) to manage the public art selection process. The Oregon Zoo Public Art Advisory Committee (OZPAAC) will review materials of artists using the on-line CaFE™ system and intends to choose no more than four finalists for interviews from which the artist will be selected.
An OZPAAC subcommittee of artists and architects will evaluate the application materials to determine which semi-finalists will be considered by OZPAAC. For those applicants being considered, committee members will assign scores for each of the categories described below under Evaluation Criteria. The total score from each panelist will be computed, and all scores will be added together and averaged, providing a final score for each application. Up to four top scoring artists will be invited to a final interview round with the OZPAAC. The day prior to interviews, finalists will visit the site, and meet with the design team and zoo staff to learn about the construction project to date. Project specific proposals are not required at the interview stage, although candidates should be prepared to discuss initial reactions to the potential for public art at the site.
Following the individual interviews, the OZPAAC will recommend a single artist/team for the commission to the Bond Steering Group for approval.
The Oregon Zoo is not required to commission an individual from among submitting artists and neither issuance of this RFQ, nor evaluation of any or all proposals, obligates the Zoo to award a contract from this RFQ.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
The selection panel will score applicants based on the criteria listed below.
40 points Artistic merit of submitted past work (including material handling, aesthetic appeal, and contextual response to the site and/or architecture)
30 points Statement of interest and description of how past work addressed a project’s particular needs
20 points Demonstrated ability to think and work in a scale and with materials appropriate to a site that is conceptually relevant
10 points Demonstrated ability to successfully collaborate as part of a design team and/or experience with incorporating community engagement
Total of 100 points
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
All applications must be submitted through CaFE™. If you do not already have a profile set up with CaFE™, then you will have to set one up free of charge. Applicants unfamiliar with or requiring assistance with the system may contact WESTAF's technical advisors who may provide support during the application process. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. The system will prompt the applicant if the application has not been completed but it is the responsibility of the applicant to complete and submit it by the deadline – 10:59PM, Sunday, August 3, 2014. The application must include the following materials:
- Statement of interest (a.k.a. artist statement). In 2000 or less characters and spaces, explain why this project is of interest to you and how your previous work has addressed site and some of the goals outlined for this project. Include descriptions of how you worked with a design team and/or engaged community for any of your projects and other comments that might help to differentiate you as a candidate for this project. (When this item is printed, the CaFE™ system automatically omits all characters/spaces that exceed the 2000 limit.)
- Two-page résumé uploaded as a PDF that outlines professional accomplishment. For team applications, include a 2-page résumé for each team member that are combined into one PDF.
- Three professional references entered as text (name, affiliated organization, email address and phone number) for both individual applicants and teams (3 per team).
- Up to 10 Images* of past work including details. Examples must illustrate projects within the context of a specific site. These images are the primary way the quality of your work is judged. Provide the following information for each visual: title, year produced, dimensions, budget, media and a brief description. Do not embed label information into the jpeg image. Optional: Up to 3 video downloads not to exceed 3 minutes each may be included as part of the 10 images. Media preparation guidelines are available on the CaFE™ website.
- Image Identification List (uploaded as a PDF) that that accurately matches the provided images and includes the project title, location, date completed, media, dimensions, budget, commissioning agency, project partners, brief description of the project/conceptual information.
WORKING PROJECT TIMELINE
Application deadline: 10:59PM (Pacific Time) Sunday, August 3, 2014
Artist selection for interviews: September 2014
Artist (s) site visits, interviews: early October 2014
Construction begins: September 2015
Completion: Fall 2016
WEBSITES/LINKS
Oregon Zoo
Design Brief: Education Center and Associated Infrastructure Projects at the Oregon Zoo
Metro Regional Government
Opsis Architecture
Jones and Jones Architecture and Landscape
OREGON ZOO PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Jennie Cambier, Opsis Architecture
Carlotta Collette, Metro Councilor
John Forsgren, Designer/RACC Public Art Advisory Committee
Kregg Hanson, Oregon Zoo Foundation member emeritus
Alec Holser, Partner, Opsis Architecture
Jiseon Lee Isbara, artist
Tracy Modde, Oregon Zoo Education Registrar
Ruth Shelly, Director, Portland Children’s Museum and Oregon Zoo Bond Oversight Committee member
Anne Storrs, artist
QUESTIONS?
Peggy Kendellen, Public Art Manager | Regional Arts & Culture Council | pkendellen@racc.org | 503.823.4196