Call Detail
Entry Deadline: 5/27/16
Application Closed
Application Closed
Work Sample Requirements
Images | Minimum:Min. 5, Maximum:Max. 10
Total Samples | Minimum:Min. 5, Maximum:Max. 10
Images | Minimum:Min. 5, Maximum:Max. 10
Total Samples | Minimum:Min. 5, Maximum:Max. 10
Call Type: Public Art
Eligibility: National
State: North Carolina
Eligibility: National
State: North Carolina
KINSTON SmART INITIATIVE
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
Development of a Downtown Artscape Vision Plan for Kinston SmART Initiative
Kinston, NC
Issue Date: April 2016
Deadline for Applications: May 27, 2016 (11:59 PM, Mountain Time Zone)
Applications and all materials must be received by this date and time to be considered. Responses to this artist call will only be accepted electronically through CaFE (callforentry.org). Mailed or physical copies will not be accepted.
Project: SmART Kinston is the recipient of a SmART Initiative grant from the North Carolina Arts Council (NCAC). The NCAC SmART Initiative demonstrates how arts driven economic development transforms communities. SmART Kinston, in collaboration with the NCAC, is seeking an artist or artist-led team to develop an artscape vision plan for downtown Kinston. The area is to encompass the downtown section from the Queen Street Bridge and the Kinston Music Park, north to Peyton Avenue, west to the Old Power Plant along Atlantic Avenue, and bounded to the south by the Arts Riverwalk along the Neuse River. For this project, the area will be called the Kinston SmART Corridor.
Click here for map of Kinston SmART Corridor.
The primary goal of the artscape vision plan is to develop concepts that will activate and enhance cultural connectivity, economic vitality, and walkability along the streets and pathways of this area and reflect the unique characteristics and identity of Kinston.
Arts and cultural assets on or adjacent to this area include the Community Council for the Arts, Arts Riverwalk, Overland Gallery, Pearson Park, Buy Local Gallery, Neuse Regional Library, CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center, Neuseway Nature Center and Planetarium and Campground, Historic Harmony Hall, the Arts and Cultural District Neighborhood, and the Kinston Music Park and African American Music Heritage Trailhead, along with restaurants and businesses such as Chef & the Farmer and Mother Earth Brewing Company.
The selected artist/artist-led team will:
1.) Spend a minimum of 5 days over a 3 to 4 month period in Kinston researching the community, meeting with key stakeholders, and holding community meetings.
2.) Create an artscape vision plan for Kinston SmART Corridor. Artscape elements and concepts include wayfinding, signage, seating, lighting, streetscape, hard and soft landscape, and temporary and permanent public art. A special emphasis will be placed on wayfinding and connectivity of cultural areas.
3.) Identify and create detailed treatments of the 3 focus areas: Queen Street Corridor, Tobacco Square, and Arts Riverwalk.
4.) Identify and design elements of the plan that can be utilized throughout the downtown Kinston Streetscape Plan. Also identify temporary public art projects that can involve the Kinston community.
Background: Kinston is a community of 21,677 that is 1 ½ hours east of Raleigh. It is the county seat of Lenoir County and located in the crook of an elbow in the Neuse River. Over the past ten years, downtown Kinston has been experiencing a renaissance. It’s a centerpiece of the African American Music Trail (AAMT), a project of NCAC that celebrates Eastern North Carolina’s transformative figures in the history of jazz, gospel, and popular music. Kinston musicians helped shape the sound that became known as funk and made up the original rhythm section of the James Brown Band. Visitors can learn more at the Kinston Music Park, located at the Queen Street entranceway.
In 2008, local developer Stephen Hill restored an abandoned historic building to house Mother Earth Brewing Company, the only LEED Gold certified brewery in the country. Two years earlier, Chef Vivian Howard had returned home from New York to open the Chef & the Farmer restaurant, featured in the PBS show A Chef’s Life. The historic Mitchell Town neighborhood has been designated as Kinston’s Arts and Cultural District, and Stephen Hill is renovating 46 houses into affordable artist studios and residences. Many new galleries, restaurants, and bars, as well as a boutique hotel, have opened contributing to more than $30 million in private investment in downtown. More than $500,000 has been raised from national and state foundations including the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Program and the Educational Foundation of America.
Process: Artists and artist-led teams are being solicited to submit qualifications for review. Previous experience integrating art in streetscape design, including wayfinding systems, landscaping, and site furnishings is required. Experience in community collaboration is also required.
Eligibility: Open to any artist or artist teams authorized to work in the United States.
Selection Criteria:
1.) Artistic accomplishment as demonstrated by images of previously completed artwork.
2.) Experience with planning and collaboration with multiple stakeholders, working on design teams, and with streetscape projects in urban settings.
3.) Approach to the project as demonstrated in the preliminary statement of interest in the project.
4.) Disciplines may include public artists versed in various media, knowledgeable in two or three-dimensional work, light or other digital applications, and social practice.
The Selection Committee is comprised of leaders from the SmART Initiative, which includes representatives from the public and private sector, public art experts, and stakeholders in the SmART Corridor. The committee will review the RFQ applicants and invite two or three finalists to visit Kinston and present to the committee how they would approach the planning and visioning tasks involved.
The Selection Committee will review all material properly submitted. Finalists will be selected based upon the competitiveness of the applicants’ qualifications. The commissioned artist or artist team will be determined based upon the application and interview by the committee.
RFQ Submission Due: May 27, 2016 (11:59 PM, Mountain Time Zone)
Submittals: Applications must be submitted electronically through CaFE (callforentry.org).
Materials must include:
1.) Statement of Interest: A statement briefly outlining interest in this project and experience working on comparable projects of size, scope, and budget (5,000 character maximum).
2.) Resume: A resume of one to two pages highlighting professional accomplishments for each team member and a description of any experience with the type of project described in the RFQ.
3.) Up to 10 images (JPEG) of previously completed artworks to be named and numbered corresponding to an annotated script. No videos or audio files please.
4.) Annotated Image List: Information for each image submitted should list the name of the artist(s), title of work, date, media, size, site location, client, and art budget.
5.) References: Contact information for three (3) references, including name, title and affiliation, phone number, and email address. References should be able to speak to the artist/team’s ability to provide services for a public art project of similar size and scope.
6.) Working Relationships / Design Experience: If the applicant has collaborated with government agencies, arts councils, neighborhood organizations, or other relevant organizations and individuals, please describe those working relationships and how they impacted the research and design processes. Describe any experience with fabrication, installation, and conservation/maintenance planning for outdoor artwork or design enhancements of similar scale and scope. If you are applying as a team, please identify the lead artist and indicate if the individuals and/or organizations that comprise the team have previously collaborated in a similar capacity, and if so, the nature of the association.
Timeline:
Deadline – May 27, 2016
Committee Review – June 10, 2016
Finalist Interviews – early-mid July 2016
Budget: $50,000 – $60,000
Stipend for Finalists: Up to three (3) finalists will receive a $1,500 stipend to cover all costs for an interview for the project with the selection panel and all related travel expenses. No proposal for an artwork will be required of the finalists for their interviews. Interview with the Artist Selection Panel will be scheduled for July 2016.
For additional information on this project: contact Cheryl Cullom Stewart, 336-286-0058 or 336-601-2062, cacstewart1@aol.com
_______________________________________________________________________
Brief History of Kinston, NC
The Neuse River was named by the Neusioc Indians, who lived in North Carolina’s eastern region prior to European colonialism. Although the Neuse extends west as far as Raleigh, Kinston is the westernmost town that is navigable by boat. This has played a significant role in Kinston’s development.
British colonists established farms in the area that eventually grew into profitable plantations. Plantations required manpower, thus enslaved Africans outnumbering the plantation owners provided that labor. The planters with the newly developed profits dubbed their town “Kingston.” After the American colonies united to fight the Revolutionary War, the “g” was removed to eliminate the overt reference to British royalty. Kinston emerged on the north side of the Neuse River; on a bluff approximately 12 feet above water level. The Neuse River was used for transportation, irrigation, and later as a resource for mills. To date, buildings, streets, and other town features do not take advantage of the river.
The Civil War marks the next milestone in Kinston history. The CSS Ram Neuse, a confederate navy ironclad, was under construction when the Union Army was moving upriver from New Bern. To prevent the incomplete ship from being captured, the Confederates scuttled the ship in place. The sites of its construction and sinking became historic sites, as did areas around Lenoir County where Civil War battles occurred. The history of the CSS Ram Neuse remains one of Kinston’s most significant historic landmarks and is the object of current interpretive efforts.
Post-Civil War Kinston remained active agriculturally until after World War II. Additionally, textiles emerged as higher wage jobs, spurring growth at the edges of Kinston and throughout Lenoir County. Later, general modernization strategies applied throughout North Carolina came to Kinston. State economic development efforts led to the founding of Lenoir County Community College, the attraction of industrial employers such as DuPont. Finally, the Global TransPark, a large airstrip with an industrial/high-tech campus, has begun to operate in the area.
Kinston has left a large footprint on the history of American music for a city of its size. During the 1930s through the 60s, Kinston’s tobacco warehouses were frequent stops for some of the world’s most famous jazz, rock, and rhythm and blues bands. Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Chubby Checker, Fats Domino, and Ray Charles are just a few of the performers that attracted music lovers from across the region. Classical and jazz musicians dominated music instruction in segregated schools, mentoring generations of skilled musicians. Five members of the James Brown band hail from Kinston, as well as Little Eva and Mitchell’s Christian Singers. A legacy of jazz, gospel, blues, funk, and now hip hop contributes to a vital music scene.
The decline of textiles, as well as valuable cash crops such as tobacco, in North Carolina resulted in many negative impacts on Kinston. Loss of jobs, a slow start to the development of the Global TransPark, as well as the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Fran and Floyd have slowed the city’s redevelopment. The hurricanes resulted in flood damage to many structures in the flood plain and an application for FEMA buyout funds to purchase significant lands along the river.
However, sustained community organization and resources have been built from significant assets. Queen Street retains valuable building stock and the Main Street Program has successfully supported several development initiatives. Land acquired in the FEMA buyout program has resulted in an extraordinary amount of open space along the river’s edge. Agencies have developed plans and funding for restoration of portions of the Adkins Branch, a tributary of the Neuse River. Active flight schedules at the Global TransPark are activating high-tech industrial sites.
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
Development of a Downtown Artscape Vision Plan for Kinston SmART Initiative
Kinston, NC
Issue Date: April 2016
Deadline for Applications: May 27, 2016 (11:59 PM, Mountain Time Zone)
Applications and all materials must be received by this date and time to be considered. Responses to this artist call will only be accepted electronically through CaFE (callforentry.org). Mailed or physical copies will not be accepted.
Project: SmART Kinston is the recipient of a SmART Initiative grant from the North Carolina Arts Council (NCAC). The NCAC SmART Initiative demonstrates how arts driven economic development transforms communities. SmART Kinston, in collaboration with the NCAC, is seeking an artist or artist-led team to develop an artscape vision plan for downtown Kinston. The area is to encompass the downtown section from the Queen Street Bridge and the Kinston Music Park, north to Peyton Avenue, west to the Old Power Plant along Atlantic Avenue, and bounded to the south by the Arts Riverwalk along the Neuse River. For this project, the area will be called the Kinston SmART Corridor.
Click here for map of Kinston SmART Corridor.
The primary goal of the artscape vision plan is to develop concepts that will activate and enhance cultural connectivity, economic vitality, and walkability along the streets and pathways of this area and reflect the unique characteristics and identity of Kinston.
Arts and cultural assets on or adjacent to this area include the Community Council for the Arts, Arts Riverwalk, Overland Gallery, Pearson Park, Buy Local Gallery, Neuse Regional Library, CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center, Neuseway Nature Center and Planetarium and Campground, Historic Harmony Hall, the Arts and Cultural District Neighborhood, and the Kinston Music Park and African American Music Heritage Trailhead, along with restaurants and businesses such as Chef & the Farmer and Mother Earth Brewing Company.
The selected artist/artist-led team will:
1.) Spend a minimum of 5 days over a 3 to 4 month period in Kinston researching the community, meeting with key stakeholders, and holding community meetings.
2.) Create an artscape vision plan for Kinston SmART Corridor. Artscape elements and concepts include wayfinding, signage, seating, lighting, streetscape, hard and soft landscape, and temporary and permanent public art. A special emphasis will be placed on wayfinding and connectivity of cultural areas.
3.) Identify and create detailed treatments of the 3 focus areas: Queen Street Corridor, Tobacco Square, and Arts Riverwalk.
4.) Identify and design elements of the plan that can be utilized throughout the downtown Kinston Streetscape Plan. Also identify temporary public art projects that can involve the Kinston community.
Background: Kinston is a community of 21,677 that is 1 ½ hours east of Raleigh. It is the county seat of Lenoir County and located in the crook of an elbow in the Neuse River. Over the past ten years, downtown Kinston has been experiencing a renaissance. It’s a centerpiece of the African American Music Trail (AAMT), a project of NCAC that celebrates Eastern North Carolina’s transformative figures in the history of jazz, gospel, and popular music. Kinston musicians helped shape the sound that became known as funk and made up the original rhythm section of the James Brown Band. Visitors can learn more at the Kinston Music Park, located at the Queen Street entranceway.
In 2008, local developer Stephen Hill restored an abandoned historic building to house Mother Earth Brewing Company, the only LEED Gold certified brewery in the country. Two years earlier, Chef Vivian Howard had returned home from New York to open the Chef & the Farmer restaurant, featured in the PBS show A Chef’s Life. The historic Mitchell Town neighborhood has been designated as Kinston’s Arts and Cultural District, and Stephen Hill is renovating 46 houses into affordable artist studios and residences. Many new galleries, restaurants, and bars, as well as a boutique hotel, have opened contributing to more than $30 million in private investment in downtown. More than $500,000 has been raised from national and state foundations including the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Program and the Educational Foundation of America.
Process: Artists and artist-led teams are being solicited to submit qualifications for review. Previous experience integrating art in streetscape design, including wayfinding systems, landscaping, and site furnishings is required. Experience in community collaboration is also required.
Eligibility: Open to any artist or artist teams authorized to work in the United States.
Selection Criteria:
1.) Artistic accomplishment as demonstrated by images of previously completed artwork.
2.) Experience with planning and collaboration with multiple stakeholders, working on design teams, and with streetscape projects in urban settings.
3.) Approach to the project as demonstrated in the preliminary statement of interest in the project.
4.) Disciplines may include public artists versed in various media, knowledgeable in two or three-dimensional work, light or other digital applications, and social practice.
The Selection Committee is comprised of leaders from the SmART Initiative, which includes representatives from the public and private sector, public art experts, and stakeholders in the SmART Corridor. The committee will review the RFQ applicants and invite two or three finalists to visit Kinston and present to the committee how they would approach the planning and visioning tasks involved.
The Selection Committee will review all material properly submitted. Finalists will be selected based upon the competitiveness of the applicants’ qualifications. The commissioned artist or artist team will be determined based upon the application and interview by the committee.
RFQ Submission Due: May 27, 2016 (11:59 PM, Mountain Time Zone)
Submittals: Applications must be submitted electronically through CaFE (callforentry.org).
Materials must include:
1.) Statement of Interest: A statement briefly outlining interest in this project and experience working on comparable projects of size, scope, and budget (5,000 character maximum).
2.) Resume: A resume of one to two pages highlighting professional accomplishments for each team member and a description of any experience with the type of project described in the RFQ.
3.) Up to 10 images (JPEG) of previously completed artworks to be named and numbered corresponding to an annotated script. No videos or audio files please.
4.) Annotated Image List: Information for each image submitted should list the name of the artist(s), title of work, date, media, size, site location, client, and art budget.
5.) References: Contact information for three (3) references, including name, title and affiliation, phone number, and email address. References should be able to speak to the artist/team’s ability to provide services for a public art project of similar size and scope.
6.) Working Relationships / Design Experience: If the applicant has collaborated with government agencies, arts councils, neighborhood organizations, or other relevant organizations and individuals, please describe those working relationships and how they impacted the research and design processes. Describe any experience with fabrication, installation, and conservation/maintenance planning for outdoor artwork or design enhancements of similar scale and scope. If you are applying as a team, please identify the lead artist and indicate if the individuals and/or organizations that comprise the team have previously collaborated in a similar capacity, and if so, the nature of the association.
Timeline:
Deadline – May 27, 2016
Committee Review – June 10, 2016
Finalist Interviews – early-mid July 2016
Budget: $50,000 – $60,000
Stipend for Finalists: Up to three (3) finalists will receive a $1,500 stipend to cover all costs for an interview for the project with the selection panel and all related travel expenses. No proposal for an artwork will be required of the finalists for their interviews. Interview with the Artist Selection Panel will be scheduled for July 2016.
For additional information on this project: contact Cheryl Cullom Stewart, 336-286-0058 or 336-601-2062, cacstewart1@aol.com
_______________________________________________________________________
Brief History of Kinston, NC
The Neuse River was named by the Neusioc Indians, who lived in North Carolina’s eastern region prior to European colonialism. Although the Neuse extends west as far as Raleigh, Kinston is the westernmost town that is navigable by boat. This has played a significant role in Kinston’s development.
British colonists established farms in the area that eventually grew into profitable plantations. Plantations required manpower, thus enslaved Africans outnumbering the plantation owners provided that labor. The planters with the newly developed profits dubbed their town “Kingston.” After the American colonies united to fight the Revolutionary War, the “g” was removed to eliminate the overt reference to British royalty. Kinston emerged on the north side of the Neuse River; on a bluff approximately 12 feet above water level. The Neuse River was used for transportation, irrigation, and later as a resource for mills. To date, buildings, streets, and other town features do not take advantage of the river.
The Civil War marks the next milestone in Kinston history. The CSS Ram Neuse, a confederate navy ironclad, was under construction when the Union Army was moving upriver from New Bern. To prevent the incomplete ship from being captured, the Confederates scuttled the ship in place. The sites of its construction and sinking became historic sites, as did areas around Lenoir County where Civil War battles occurred. The history of the CSS Ram Neuse remains one of Kinston’s most significant historic landmarks and is the object of current interpretive efforts.
Post-Civil War Kinston remained active agriculturally until after World War II. Additionally, textiles emerged as higher wage jobs, spurring growth at the edges of Kinston and throughout Lenoir County. Later, general modernization strategies applied throughout North Carolina came to Kinston. State economic development efforts led to the founding of Lenoir County Community College, the attraction of industrial employers such as DuPont. Finally, the Global TransPark, a large airstrip with an industrial/high-tech campus, has begun to operate in the area.
Kinston has left a large footprint on the history of American music for a city of its size. During the 1930s through the 60s, Kinston’s tobacco warehouses were frequent stops for some of the world’s most famous jazz, rock, and rhythm and blues bands. Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Chubby Checker, Fats Domino, and Ray Charles are just a few of the performers that attracted music lovers from across the region. Classical and jazz musicians dominated music instruction in segregated schools, mentoring generations of skilled musicians. Five members of the James Brown band hail from Kinston, as well as Little Eva and Mitchell’s Christian Singers. A legacy of jazz, gospel, blues, funk, and now hip hop contributes to a vital music scene.
The decline of textiles, as well as valuable cash crops such as tobacco, in North Carolina resulted in many negative impacts on Kinston. Loss of jobs, a slow start to the development of the Global TransPark, as well as the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Fran and Floyd have slowed the city’s redevelopment. The hurricanes resulted in flood damage to many structures in the flood plain and an application for FEMA buyout funds to purchase significant lands along the river.
However, sustained community organization and resources have been built from significant assets. Queen Street retains valuable building stock and the Main Street Program has successfully supported several development initiatives. Land acquired in the FEMA buyout program has resulted in an extraordinary amount of open space along the river’s edge. Agencies have developed plans and funding for restoration of portions of the Adkins Branch, a tributary of the Neuse River. Active flight schedules at the Global TransPark are activating high-tech industrial sites.