Call Detail
Rio Grande Farm Park Call for Public Art
Entry Deadline: 11/6/17
Application Closed
Number of Applications Allowed: 2
Work Sample Requirements
Images | Minimum:Min. 2, Maximum:Max. 5
Total Samples | Minimum:Min. 2, Maximum:Max. 5
Call Type: Public Art
Eligibility: Regional
State: Colorado

Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Rio Grande Farm Park, Alamosa, CO

 

Call​ ​Summary​:

The Rio Grande Farm Park (RGFP), housed within the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition (SLVLFC) seeks an artist, art collective, carpenter, craftsperson, or maker of any kind to design and fabricate a permanent, public art installation inclusive of the RGFP landscape. This project uses art to encourage creative placemaking, focusing on the community’s physical, mental, spiritual, creative, and social well-being. The primary goal of this work is to serve its community’s interest, while promoting transformation that develops quality of place. The committee will consider sculptures or objects that can be physically engaged as seating elements.

This includes, but is not limited to, sculpture, earthworks, benches and landscape architecture. The sitting places should provide cross cultural opportunities for meditation, healing, and health.

 

The RFQ deadline is midnight, on November 1, 2017. Qualified artists will then be invited to submit Request for Proposals (RFP) later in November, 2017. Selected artists will work with the RGFP Arts in Society Committee to complete the project. The commission is slated to reach a final design in December, 2017, with installation to be completed in June, 2018. The RGFP is celebrated as the “people’s park.” Accordingly, community approval is a priority of this project. Public assemblies will be organized throughout the process to inform Alamosa citizens of the state of affairs and receive citizens' feedback.

Please familiarize yourself with our master plan:
http://riograndefarmpark.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Rio-Grande-Farm-Park-MP_033016.pdf

Background​:

The RGFP was formally launched as part of the SLVLFC in 2012 as a unique venture to preserve and develop a beautiful, open space and location of a previous beloved community/school garden on the Rio Grande. With assistance from passionate volunteers and the Trust for Public Land, this successful grassroots effort involved hundreds of people through surveys and feedback sessions, culminating in a detailed Masterplan that incorporated public artworks.

 

The RGFP encompasses 38.2 acres of innovative, multi-use land, only a 10-minute walk from downtown Alamosa. The park honors the agricultural heritage of the San Luis Valley as its roots for self-sufficiency and community sustainability. Hispanic families came to the southern part of the valley in the mid-1800s, using innovative farming techniques, like communal irrigation systems called acequias, which are still utilized at the Farm Park today. Situated along the Rio Grande Corridor, its 8-inch nutrient rich topsoil, nourished for centuries by river sediment, is the ideal setting for an organic farm incubator and family farm plots.

 

On a typical summer day, visitors can see Guatemalan families tilling the fields, a majestic
panorama of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and children playing on the swings. By utilizing the Park’s agri-“culture” for inspiration, this unique project celebrates the San Luis Valley’s natural beauty and cultural diversity, allowing this intersection to become a special home where art inspires the community to come together and enjoy a sense of place. This project ensures that art is part of the Farm Park’s foundation, creating an artistic culture that supports the community vision of an equitable, local food system.

 

Artworks​ ​criteria​:

❏ Fits within the context of the site (considering scale, content, design, and materials).

❏ Upholds the ecological function and practical endeavor of the park.

❏ Considers the needs of the RGFP’s diverse audience through formal and conceptual

engagement.

❏ Conceptually promotes health and wellness with clarity

❏ Invites interactivity through physical engagement

❏ Imaginatively uses available resources to drive artistic innovation, upholding the park’s

mission to foster an equitable local food system that restores the health of the people,

community, economy and environment.

❏ Considers public safety

❏ Will maintain structural and surface soundness, durability, and resistance to vandalism and weathering

❏ Priority will be given to San Luis Valley residents, northern New Mexico residents, and

Colorado residents, respectively

 

Budget​:

A budget between $1,000- 10,000 will be allotted toward the commission of a site-specific outdoor sculpture. All expenses associated with the artwork should be inclusive of, but not limited to, artist design fee, structural engineering, assistance in fabrication, materials, transportation, installation, travel to and from the site, per diem expenses, project documentation, contingency to cover unexpected expenses, and other costs related to the sculpture. The RGFP will cover liability insurance for the piece.

 

Eligibility​:

The RGFP seeks to promote inclusive participation in and engagement with the arts. Thus, this RFQ is open to all. This includes, but is not limited to, craftspeople, engineers, artists, art collectives, or self-identifying creatives. Preference will be given to SLV residents.

 

Information​ ​Meeting​:

A tour of the Rio Grande Farm Park will take place at 5:00 PM on Wednesday October 11, 2017. Afterwards, an Artist Information Meeting will be held from 6-8 PM at the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition Office. The Arts in Society Committee and RGFP staff will present information on the project, answer questions, and review the application procedures. The presented materials, along with Frequently Asked Questions, will be posted to the RGFP website after the meeting: www.riograndefarmpark.org

 

Application​ ​deadline​:

Applications can be hand delivered, mailed, or submitted electronically. Please send applications to the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition office or email files in a single PDF format to Marlena Antonucci at rtsinsociety.rgfp@gmail.com.

San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition
PO Box 181
Alamosa, CO 81101

Application​ ​Criteria​:

❏ Contact information for all team members including name, address, telephone, and email address.

❏ Biographical information or resumes including previous experience for principal team members

❏ A written narrative describing your proposal (250 words or less)

❏ At least two references

❏ 2-5 digital images of previously completed work (JPEG or PDF).

 

Timeline​:

August 30, 2017 Announcement of RFQ

October 11, 2017 Information Meeting

October 18, 2017 Deadline for submission of questions regarding RFQ

November 1, 2017 Deadline for RFQ materials

November, 2017 Review of applications

November, 2017 Invite selected applicants to complete an RFP

December, 2017 RFP deadline

December, 2017 Selection and notification of winning proposal

February, 2018 Artist Progress Report

June, 2018 Installation of artworks

 

Contact/Questions​:

Marlena Antonucci

Rio Grande Farm Park, Community Engagement Coordinator

EMAIL: artsinsociety.rgfp@gmail.com

The Arts in Society grant is funded by the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, the Hemera Foundation, and Colorado Creative Industries and is facilitated by Redline Contemporary Art Center.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria