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 New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources seek an artist or artist team to create a site-specific commission project to be situated in the atrium entrance of the Bureau’s main building.  Large hanging mobile and multi-dimensional projects that encompass the space, walls included, are encouraged, especially those responding to the geologic and mineral complexities of New Mexico, as well as the work done at the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources. The LSC is interested in commissioning a work that speaks to ideas of geology, mineral and energy sources, mapping, and geohydrology. The LSC would like the artwork to engage, and educate the public in the work done by the bureau, an agency that serves New Mexico through research, the distribution of information to State and Federal agencies, geological state mapping, public education and the maintenance of a wide variety of geological data. The artwork should be light-weight, yet sturdy, and emphasizes the atrium as a passageway to the Bureau of Geology.  Artists are encouraged to explore designs inspired by geology and that reference the functions within Bureau of Geology.

Media must be durable, 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 Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources and New Mexico Institute of Technology 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 Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources and New Mexico Institute of Technology for the duration of the project.

Institutional information

Established by legislation in 1927, the New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources is a research and service division of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NM Tech). The New Mexico State legislature approved an act establishing the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, assigning it the responsibility for applied research into the geology and mineral resources of the state. From the very beginning the bureau has worked cooperatively with other state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Atomic Energy Commission, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

As a division of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech), the bureau has a long tradition of working closely with undergraduate and graduate students from New Mexico Tech and other universities throughout the state, teaching and providing cooperative and financial support. The bureau provides public education and outreach through college teaching and advising, the Mineral Museum, and teacher- and student-training programs. The bureau is headquartered on the campus of New Mexico Tech in Socorro, with a satellite office in Albuquerque. The bureau serves a broad audience, from professional geoscientists and university professors to grade-school children and their teachers, as well as influential decision makers and the general public.

Site Information

Photographs and plans of the area can be found by clicking the "View Site Details" link above or here.

Project Amount

$120,000 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 and a public presentation at the college.  All maquettes, samples and written proposals will become the property of New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources/ New Mexico Institute of Technology.

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 19, 2018 – Project Announced

March 22, 2018 – Submission Deadline 

May 20, 2018 – Notification of Finalists

Summer 2018– Finalist Presentations

January 2019 – 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 Coordinator, at 505-827-6490, email: naomi.gibbons@state.nm.us

Visits to the campus site by artists for the purpose of preparing an artwork proposal should be coordinated with the NM TECH Bureau of Geology Project Director, Alex Garcia at alex.garcia@nmt.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), Thursday, March 22, 2018

Legal Agreement:

All New Mexico Arts public art projects are fair and open competitions pursuant to section 13-4A-8 (1997 Repl.) of the Art in Public Places Act (Section 13-4A-1 through 11, NMSA 1978).

It is unlawful for artists to solicit opinions or viewings from individual members of the LSC or members of the New Mexico Arts Commission prior to set committee reviews. Any such solicitations will result in disqualification from the competition. New Mexico Arts reserves the right to refuse submissions, to refuse any finalist, to waive formal procedures, or to withhold the award of a purchase or commission should it be determined that submissions are not acceptable. Application to this project constitutes agreement to abide by all applicable AIPP program guidelines.

The artist or artist's representative certifies that the information contained in the submission, including all supporting documents is true and correct to the best of his or her knowledge.  Any fraudulent statement made in the submission will result in disqualification.

Please copy and paste the text of your succinct letter of interest, no longer than 3 paragraphs, written specifically to address the needs of the 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.

Please copy and paste your 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.

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. Failure to provide any of the published requirements will result in disqualification from the competition.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria