AIPP Mission Statement

The Art in Public Places program enriches New Mexico’s public spaces through an innovative and diverse public art collection.

Since its inception in 1986, the program has placed more than 3,000 works of art in all of New Mexico’s 33 counties. Our goal is to reflect the diversity of the arts in New Mexico, the Southwest, and the nation while building a dynamic public art collection for the State of New Mexico.

Through a fair and open public process, committees made up of local and regional representatives work with New Mexico Arts staff to select artwork for their communities. The Art in Public Places program then commissions large-scale projects that are designed for integration directly into the architecture or landscape of a given site, or the program purchases existing original artwork to be placed in or around public buildings permanently or on loan.

Project Intent

The Art in Public Places Program of New Mexico Arts and the Local Selection Committee (LSC) for the Center of Recreational Excellence (CORE) in Hobbs, New Mexico seek an artist or artist team to create a site-specific commission project to be situated outside the main entrance of the recreational facility. Kinetic and light responsive projects are encouraged, especially those responding to the use of the recreational center, as well as its larger function in the City of Hobbs, and Lea County as a whole. The LSC is interested in commissioning a work that speaks to ideas of energy, movement, transformation, and community. The LSC would like the artist/artist team to consider the abundant energy sources that sustain the Lea County area. The artist/artist team should consider the viewer experiencing the artwork from inside the CORE facility as well as outside and draw people in from multiple vantage points. Artists are encouraged to explore designs inspired by interactive works and to use the work as a way to promote recreational excellence.

Media must be durable enough to sustain an 80 mph wind load, low maintenance, permanent, safe for both children and adults, and be ADA compliant. At the selected artist’s expense the artwork may require certification by an electrical, civil and/or structural engineer licensed to practice in the State of New Mexico, and review by a professional fine art conservator.

Eligibility

This request for qualifications is open to all artists or artist teams working in the United States. Artists submitting qualifications should demonstrate a level of experience and professionalism that is commensurate with the project scope and budget. 

AIPP regulations state that 1% funds may not be spent for artwork created for an institution or agency by an employee of the institution or agency. Qualifications submitted by and on behalf of current employees or family of current employees of New Mexico Junior College, Lea County, J.F Maddox Foundation and the City of Hobbs will not be considered. Applicants may be required to provide verifiable proof of current employment at the discretion of AIPP Program staff. Past employees are eligible to submit proposals, but may not become employed by New Mexico Junior College and the City of Hobbs for the duration of the project.

Lea County Information

Lea County is situated in the Southeastern corner of New Mexico, next to the Texas border, and has a community of over 70,000 residents. Lea County houses five rural municipalities; Hobbs is the largest city with a population over 35,000. The area was once submerged underwater and as the inland sea evaporated layers of marine life decayed underneath, resulting in huge oil and natural gas reserves that have made Lea County one of the richest centers of natural resources in the nation. The area thrived on petroleum for over 8 decades but energy sources are quickly diversifying with nuclear, solar, and wind energy firms moving in. Lea County’s natural environment is also ideal for sustainable energy production with strong winds, vast blue skies, and ample sunshine. Lea County also sits next to a large underground aquifer; the Ogallala. The Ogallala powers the ubiquitous windmills that local ranchers use to water their herds and agricultural lands. With abundant energy sources and entrepreneurial pioneers, Lea County is a driving force for sustainable communities in Southeastern New Mexico.

Site information

The Center of Recreational Excellence (CORE) represents a unique partnership of the City of Hobbs, Lea County, New Mexico Junior College, Hobbs Municipal Schools, University of the Southwest, and the J.F Maddox Foundation. CORE is an intergenerational place for children, adults, and seniors, and offers indoor year-round active opportunities in one location. The multi-purpose 160,000 square foot space features a 3-story indoor play area for children, an indoor soccer field, gymnasiums, fitness areas, multi level indoor track, swimming pools and more. By bringing the community together, CORE strives to increase the quality of life in Lea County with an attention to the health of its citizens and by creating a positive economic impact, symbolizing the energy of Lea County. 

Site Information

Photographs, videos and plans of the area can be found by clicking here.

Project Amount

$250,000 is available for this project, which includes finalist presentation fees and travel expenses. This amount includes all fees and expenses associated with the project, e.g., materials, equipment, labor, permits, engineering documents, insurance, taxes, travel, installation, shipping, identification plaque, and written and professional photographic documentation of the completed project. There is no additional funding.

Selection Process and Criteria

The Local Selection Committee is made up of representatives from the owner and user agencies of the facility, the project architect, an artist, and arts professionals. In some cases representatives from the student body serve on the committee. Under the guidance of an AIPP Project Coordinator, this group of individuals is responsible for prospectus development, submission review, finalist selection and ultimately selecting the artist or artist team to be awarded the commission project.

Artists may research the project using any resource with the exception of discussion with individual members of the Local Selection Committee or the New Mexico Arts Commission.

The selection criteria shall include, but is not limited to:

·         The professional qualifications of the artist(s) as evidenced by the supporting materials.

·         Proven ability to undertake projects of the described scope.

·         Artistic merit and superior caliber craftsmanship as evidenced by the images.

·         Suitability of submission to project intent and site.

Up to five finalists will be invited to submit a formal proposal for the projects.  Finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium for a written proposal and a maquette of the proposed artwork. One site visit will be required of each finalist to include a personal presentation of the artwork proposal to the Local Selection Committee. All maquettes, samples and written proposals will become the property of New Mexico Junior College.

Additionally, each finalist/team will receive a travel stipend based on mapped mileage according to the following schedule:

 $250 for travel and lodging between 50 – 300 miles one-way.

$450 for travel and lodging between 301 – 800 miles one-way.

$900 for travel and lodging 801 miles and over one-way.

Artists or artist teams short-listed as finalists for these projects will be required to enter into a Finalist Presentation Contract with the State of New Mexico. A sample Finalist Presentation Contract is available on the New Mexico Arts website.

 The artist or artist team that is ultimately awarded the commission project will be required to enter into a Professional Services Contract with the State of New Mexico.  A sample Professional Services Contract is available on the New Mexico Arts website.

Submission Requirements

Please read the following information carefully as incomplete or late submissions will not be accepted. Supplemental information beyond what is requested, including proposals specific to this project, will not be reviewed by the Local Selection Committee. Failure to provide any of the published requirements will result in disqualification from the competition.  Duplicate submissions will not be accepted. All materials must be submitted via CaFÉ according to the specifications outlined below.

A succinct letter of interest no longer than 3 paragraphs written specifically to address the needs of this project. Please explain what excites you about the opportunity, how you may approach the project if selected as a finalist, and outline your professional qualifications.

A current chronological resume or curriculum vitae demonstrating relevant work experience, particularly public art or privately funded commission projects.  A biography or an autobiography will not fulfill the resume requirement.

Ten images or videos (or a combination) of previously completed work.  Complete image citations will be required; including artwork title, medium, height, width and depth, price or value, year of completion, and project description to include budget and commissioning agency.

Please review and adhere to the Image and Media Preparation page on CaFÉ when formatting your images or videos. Tutorials can be downloaded using the links near the bottom of the page. By default, CaFÉ will organize the images in your submission alphabetically. If you wish to present the images to the committee in a different order you must prioritize the images before submitting an application.

Project Timeline (subject to change):

January 2018 – Project Announced

April 16th, 2018 – Submission Deadline 

May 2018 – Notification of Finalists

July 2018 – Finalist Presentations

December 2020 – Artwork completed and installed

New Mexico Pay Equity Initiative

Effective July 1, 2010, businesses seeking new contracts with any Executive Branch state agency will be required to comply with the requirements of Executive Order 2009-049, to aid in identifying and combating pay inequity and job segregation in the State of New Mexico, as a condition of being awarded a contract.

If the offeror has ten (10) or more employees OR eight (8) or more employees in the same job classification, offeror must complete and submit the required reporting form (PE10-249 or PE250, depending on their size at the time) with their bid or proposal for evaluation purposes.

For contracts that extend beyond one (1) calendar year, or are extended beyond one (1) calendar year, offeror must also agree to complete and submit the required form annually within thirty (30) calendar days of the annual bid or proposal submittal anniversary date and, if more than 180 days has elapsed since submittal of the last report, at the completion of the contract.

 
Should offeror not meet the size requirement for reporting at contract award but subsequently grows such that they meet or exceed the size requirement for reporting, offer must agree to provide the required report within ninety (90) calendar days of meeting or exceeding the size requirement.

Offeror must also agree to levy these reporting requirements on any subcontractor(s) performing more than 10% of the dollar value of this contract if said subcontractor(s) meets, or grows to meet, the stated employee size thresholds during the term of the contract.

Offeror must further agree that, should one or more subcontractor not meet the size requirement for reporting at contract award but subsequently grows such that they meet or exceed the size requirement for reporting, offeror will submit the required report, for each such subcontractor, within ninety (90) calendar days of that subcontractor meeting or exceeding the size requirement.

Questions/Follow Up

Questions regarding the project should be directed to Naomi Gibbons, Public Art Project Coordinator, at 505-827-6490, email: naomi.gibbons@state.nm.us

Visits to the site by artists for the purpose of preparing an artwork proposal should be coordinated with the CORE Project Director, Mary Lyle at 575-492-2679 or mlyle@nmjc.edu.

If you would like your CaFE submission reviewed by an AIPP staff person to assure completeness and compliance with the requirements, please contact AIPP staff no less than two weeks prior to the submission deadline. Technical assistance calls increase dramatically during the final two weeks of the open submission period; therefore there is no guarantee of CaFE submission reviews during the final two weeks of the competition. Submission materials will not be reviewed on the day of the deadline.

Deadline for Submission: 4:00 P.M. (MDT), April 16th, 2018

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria