PROJECT DESCRIPTION 

The South Suburban Park and Recreation District’s Public Art Committee (SSPAC)  requests proposals for permanent artwork to be placed at South Suburban Park and Recreation District’s (SSPRD) Cherry Knolls Park, a  heavily used, 25 acre community park located in Centennial, Colorado.  The park amenities include: 5 ball fields, 7 multi-use athletic fields, restroom, shelter, playground, creek, and parking lot.  The Big Dry Creek Regional Trail extends through the park providing access from the surrounding neighborhoods to deKoevend Park, Goodson Recreation Center, South Suburban Golf Course, retail centers, library, public schools, etc.  The Big Dry Creek trail connects to the Highline Canal Trail approximately 0.5 miles north of the park. 

The proposed location for the artwork is along Elizabeth St. in a grassy area at the top of a hill.  Please see the map provided.  Directly across Elizabeth St., is the Sandburg Elementary Center for the Sciences, a public school.  Located downhill from the proposed location are the athletic fields, playground, trail, creek and other park amenities. The parking lot is located to the north of, and at roughly the same elevation as, the proposed artwork location. 

PROJECT CRITERIA

The proposed art 1) should be appropriate for the surrounding family focused uses; 2) should be an integral part of the site in theme, materials, and scale; 4) should be unique, and be thoughtfully integrated into the existing environment; 5) must meet or exceed standards for structural integrity and durability; 6) must be weather, vandal, and graffiti resistance; 7) and must meet or exceed standards for public safety.  Submissions may include existing artist-owned work, if appropriate, for the site.  SSPRD will provide reasonable care with regard to security and maintenance.  The artwork’s dimensions and design are to be at the artist’s discretion.  It is recommended that artists visit the site prior to submitting a proposal.

BUDGET

Up to $25,000 is available for all expenses related to this commission including artist fees, materials, fabrication, finishes, unground foundation, engineering, insurance, shipping, travel, installation, documentation, and all other associated expenses.  The final artist selected must provide a Certificate Insurance that will be in effect during delivery and installation. It is possible SSPRD staff could assist the artist with the physical installation, but this will need to be discussed and negotiated with the artist and will depend on the extent to which SSPRD has the necessary capabilities. SSPRD reserves the right to request that the artist, at no additional cost, submit installation plans stamped by a Colorado licensed engineer.

ELIGIBILITY

This project is open to all artists residing in Colorado who have the background, experience and reputation for completing such a project. Commissioned or artist-owned work, if appropriate, will be considered.  The selected artwork may not be duplicated within 200 miles of the site.

SELECTION PROCESS

Artwork will be selected by the nine (9)-member South Suburban Public Art Committee, a group of citizen volunteers with diverse interests in public art appointed by the Board of Directors.  Three non-voting SSPRD employees act as advisors to the Committee.  Final approval is by the SSPRD Board of Directors.

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Strong visual presence
• Creativity of approach
• Appropriateness of the proposed artwork to the site
• Aesthetic quality
• Maintenance requirements
• Resistant to weather, vandalism and graffiti
• Materials, construction and durability
• Public safety
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative setting
• References from artist’s clients
• Probability of successful completion of the project as determined by the SSPAC

FINALISTS

Finalists will be chosen to present design concepts that best convey their ideas. Finalists will be asked to present their ideas to the committee during an interview process and will be paid a $100 proposal fee.  In order to evaluate final concepts properly, the format should be a color rendering and/or simple maquette.  A detail budget breakdown for the project is required.  The selected artist will enter into a contract with SSPRD which includes a 1/3-1/3-1/3 payment plan for the anticipated schedule of the project.

SCHEDULE

SOUTH SUBURBAN PARK AND RECREATION DISTRICT

SSPRD is a special district serving nearly 152,000 residents in the cities of  Bow Mar, Columbine Valley, Littleton, Lone Tree west of I-25, Sheridan, Centennial west of I-25 and portions of unincorporated Arapahoe, Douglas and Jefferson counties.  Our mission is to contribute to the full and meaningful lives of District residents by providing a variety of leisure services as well as improving the quality of life through stewardship of the environment, parks, trails and open space.  For more detailed information, please visit our website at ssprd.org  

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria