Letters of interest and qualifications are requested from artists interested in creating site specific art for the public area(s) of the new Dixie State University Human Performance Center in St. George, Utah.
 

Dixie State University Human Performance Center
The new Dixie State University Human Performance Center is an innovative combination of three major campus functions: academics, recreation and athletics. Dixie State envisions the new facility as an iconic landmark serving as a gateway for the west entry of campus. At approximately 155,000 square feet, the center provides extensive opportunities for recreation, activity and interdisciplinary academic programs for the University and the St. George community. The Human Performance Center includes classrooms, teaching labs, office and administration space, conference rooms, an Olympic-size competition pool/natatorium with an elevated spectator seating area, full-service fitness center with three multipurpose rooms, indoor and outdoor/rooftop basketball courts, indoor and outdoor running track, 65-foot climbing wall, 12-foot bouldering wall, nutrition bar and lounge, and an exterior plaza with gas-fueled fire pit. 

DSU College of Health Sciences
https://health.dixie.edu/
The mission of the Dixie State University College of Health Sciences is to prepare students for employment in healthcare settings, service to the community, and lifelong learning.

The vision is to contribute to excellence in healthcare by inspiring future healthcare providers to lead by example; seek further knowledge; and passionately advocate for all patients, communities, and populations.

In addition to supporting the core values of Dixie State University, College of Health Sciences values fairness, accountability, ethics, caring, empathy, excellence, and interprofessional collaboration.

The Health Sciences programs are noted for excellent certification/licensure exam pass rates, outstanding graduation rates, high employments rates upon program completion, dedicated and supportive faculty, small class sizes, and a state-of-the-art beautiful health sciences facility.
 

Dixie State University
 https://dixie.edu/         
Dixie State University is a public comprehensive university dedicated to rigorous learning and the enrichment of the professional and personal lives of its students and community by providing opportunities that engage the unique Southern Utah environment and resources.

Dr. Richard B. Williams, President of Dixie University writes, “As a regional state university, we promote our campus-wide culture of learning by providing our students with rigorous instruction and personalized attention delivered by a talented roster of highly trained and educated faculty. We are proud to offer nearly 60 undergraduate programs and 44 highly sought after bachelor degree programs. As part of our mission, Dixie State has also maintained its role as a community college in providing several educational and vocational opportunities to our students….. We embrace and celebrate a culture of values and we take pride in fostering a spirit of service, citizenship, diversity, ethics and collaboration – all of which are hallmarks of a true university.”
 

St. George and Washington County, Utah
https://www.visitstgeorge.com/                                                                      
Known as Utah’s Dixie, the story of a group of settlers determined to succeed despite a harsh desert climate and struggles with water – sometimes because there was too much of it, resulting in flooding that sometimes wiped out whole towns, but most of the time because there was too little of it. At first dependent on agriculture, the area’s economic base has expanded significantly over the last four decades to include industry and tourism. Home to few residents in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the population has skyrocketed in the last 20 years.

The Virgin River Anasazi were St. George’s earliest residents, inhabiting the area from approximately 200 B.C. to 1200 A.D. They left behind rock art and ruins of their dwellings. The reason for their departure is unknown to this day. The Paiute tribe arrived between 1100 and 1200 A.D., utilizing the area as a hunting ground for deer, rabbits and other animals. The Paiutes also grew crops along the riverbeds, including corn, wheat and melons. In 1776, the Dominguez-Escalante Party became the first recorded European-Americans to visit the area. Fur trappers and government survey parties followed.

St. George became the county seat of Washington County in 1863. That same year, construction began on the St. George LDS Tabernacle, which was finished in 1875. In 1871, work began on the St. George LDS Temple, which became a cooperative effort uniting many Southern Utah communities. Mormon Apostle Daniel H. Wells dedicated the temple on April 6, 1877. It was the first temple constructed west of the Mississippi River. Undergoing significant renovations in the late 1930’s and mid 1970’s, the structure is the longest continuously operated Mormon Temple in the world.

In 1911, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of St. George’s settling, the Dixie Stake Academy building was constructed. The LDS Church operated the academy until 1933, when it became a two-year college within Utah’s higher education system. The new Dixie College campus opened in the southeastern corner of the city in the 1960’s.
(courtesy visitstgeorge.com)
 

ART SELECTION COMMITTEE STATEMENT
Active Learning / Active Life is the impetus for this project specifically and for DSU generally. This facility design was also driven by the notion that the exterior is as important as interior. 

The south wing focuses on recreation and sports to include an indoor 50-meter pool with seating for 750 fans for swim meets, basketball courts, volley ball courts, pickleball courts, fitness rooms, climbing wall, yoga “balconies,” and a running track that transitions from the interior to exterior with a 20% grade sprint hill and back again.

The design of the building encourages “building as teacher” where the north wing occupants pursing academic studies in population health, exercise science, physical education, recreation and sport management, athletic training, physical therapy, and occupational therapy can visibly see the south wing where the occupants pursue the physical realities of those sciences.

The Committee has identified potential sites for art placement / involvement as suggestions, but will be open to other sites as suggested by the artist.  Areas identified include the exterior at the northeast quad entry (main entrance from campus,) the exterior space between the Human Performance Center and Student Activity Center, interior lobby between northeast and west entries, exterior west entry, 2nd level two-story interior lounge space overlooking the NE entry plaza and/or perforated metal panels on the west exterior.
 

BUDGET 

$204,000 has been allocated by the Utah State Legislature to commission public art work(s) for this facility. These funds are intended to cover all costs associated with the artist’s public art commission(s) including but not limited to; travel, installation and related expenses.

Finalists will be offered an honorarium to assist with costs associated with time and travel for a full proposal presentation and interview with the selection committee. The honorarium will become part of the total commission award for the selected artist(s).
 

ELIGIBILITY 

Resident American or legal resident artists / artist teams are eligible for this commission. Utah artists are encouraged to apply. Art selection committee members, Utah Arts & Museums staff and employees, subcontractors or consultants of MHTN Architecture or Layton Construction are not eligible for this project.
 

SUBMISSION OPTIONS, INSTRUCTIONS AND REQUIRED MATERIALS

Interested artists may submit applications online or via USB flash/thumb drives.  The deadline is the same for both methods and is not a postmark deadline.  Please do not include supplemental materials beyond the requirements listed below. All applications must include the following: 

ON-LINE METHOD:
Register at www.callforentry.org and follow the directions for registration and submitting material for this Public Art Request for Qualifications    

If the artist’s work cannot be documented well with still image you may submit movie files via the “Hard Copy Method” listed below.  Movie files cannot be submitted via the online method.

HARD COPY METHOD:
• A PC compatible USB thumb drive labeled with applicant's name containing:
• A letter of interest of not more than three typewritten pages in pdf format. This letter should include the artist’s reasons for interest in this project in particular.  In doing so, the artist should also describe how his/her work and/or experience relates to the project.  
• Up to six (6) images maximum of previous site-specific public work. All images must be in JPEG format, 1920 pixels maximum on the longest side, 72 dpi, with compression settings resulting in the best image quality under 2MB file size. The image files should be named so that the list sorts in the order of the image listing.
• A pdf document identifying each image to include title, year, medium, dimensions.
• A professional resume in pdf format

If the work cannot be documented well with still images a usb thumb/flash drive containing a movie file (of no more than 3 minutes) may be submitted as documentation of artist’s projects.  Please note only one media, movie file or images, can be presented to the committee per artist in this preliminary phase.

If the artist wishes the material returned, an addressed and stamped envelope of ample size and postage for return of the flash/thumb drive should be included. Material that is not accompanied by a stamped envelope cannot be returned.

Utah Arts & Museums will not be responsible for applications delayed or lost in transit.  While all reasonable care will be taken in the handling of materials, neither the Utah Division of Arts & Museums nor the DSU Health & Human Performance Art Selection Committee will be liable for late, lost or damaged materials or electronic files.  Faxed or e-mailed applications cannot be accepted.  The DSU Health & Human Performance Art Selection Committee reserves the right to withhold the award of a commission or re-release the call for entries.  

 

DEADLINE

Complete application packages must be RECEIVED on or before
August 3, 2018 by 5 p.m. MDT (THIS IS NOT A POSTMARK DEADLINE)

Non-online applications may be sent by mail, courier, hand delivered or express delivered to:
Jim Glenn, Utah Public Art Program
RE: Dixie State University
300 S Rio Grande
Salt Lake City, UT 8410

 

SELECTION PROCESS AND SCHEDULE

The Selection Committee will review proposals from which a short list of semi-finalists will be selected and invited to develop a proposal. The finalist honorarium will be applied toward the commission amount for the artist(s) awarded the commission. The Committee reserves the option to commission more than one artist. Final selection(s) will be made from the semi-finalists.
August 3, 2018                                  Deadline for receipt of qualifications
August 23, 2018                                Committee reviews applications
October 11, 2018                               Finalist presentations / proposals
July 2019                                           Building completion
 

ART SELECTION COMMITTEE

Eliezer Bermúdez                              DSU, Dean College of Health Sciences
Clint Bunnell                                      Project Manager, Facilities Construction & Management
Alexander Chamberlain                     Artist and DSU Assistant Professor
Paul Morris                                         DSU, VP of Administrative Services
Chad Nielsen                                     MHTN Architects
Sherry Ruesch                                   DSU, Director Facilities Management
Richard B. Williams                           DSU, President

Please do not contact committee members. If you have any questions information is available at: publicart.utah.gov

Or contact: Jim Glenn at 801-245-7271 or e-mail at: jglenn@utah.gov

Lisa Greenhalgh at 801-245-7270 or e-mail at: lggreenhalgh@utah.gov

Images courtesy of MHTN Architects

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria