Request for Qualifications
Submissions to the RFQ are due February 25, 2019 and must be submitted via CaFÉ. Artists are asked to submit the required documents and images to demonstrate their interest and expertise.

In reviewing submitted RFQ materials, the committee will consider the following:

• The quality of the artist’s portfolio or previous work samples submitted
• The artist’s cover letter and how well it addresses this particular project
• The artist’s experience working with the public art process and demonstrated ability to work with the project architect and facility managers

Following review, select artists will be asked to submit a complete formal design proposal, including a budget, timeline, and references. Proposal packets and budgets for finalists must include additional lighting needs, signage, and plans for a foundation (if needed) or other structural support, design fees, material costs, labor for fabrication and installation, and all necessary costs involving planning, completion, delivery, and installation of the project. It is the responsibility of the artist to budget accordingly.

If decided by the committee, in-person or video presentations may take place. There will be modest financial compensation for final design proposals and in-person presentations. Any other travel is the responsibility of the individual artist.

About the Building

The new Science Initiative Building is an approximately 168,000 square foot, 5-story structure on the northwest corner of the University of Wyoming campus. The interior palette is neutral, clean and high-tech with lots of glass elements to allow in natural light and allow for transparency. Digital displays and feature walls are located throughout the building. The exterior of the building is more traditional and sandstone to match the rest of campus.

The Center for Advanced Scientific Imaging (CASI) will consist of state of the art imaging rooms for atomic force microscopes, transition electron microscopes and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer. The Center for Integrative Biological Research (CIBR) will include labs, core support spaces and offices for faculty, research staff, and graduate students from the department of Botany and Molecular Biology, precisely controlled environments for animal rearing and plant growth, and modern greenhouses. The Active Learning Classroom will be a transformation feature for this building and campus for core science courses in biology, chemistry and physics. In these classrooms, students will be engaged in a variety of learning opportunities, which are facilitated by the instructor that include short interactive lectures, small group discussions, problem sets, and case studies, as well as web-based learning opportunities outside of class. The building will also include specialized audio visual and IT systems to allow the users to share their research work in real time.

The overall approach to this building is to highlight active and participatory education in the life sciences at multiple levels and scales. The building is scheduled to be completed and occupied in 2021. For images and plans, visit the Arts Council website.

Artwork

The committee is interested in work for both the interior and exterior of the building. The committee would like to see artwork that encompasses the theme of education, specifically participatory education and active learning. The adjacent Engineering Education and Research Building (EERB, scheduled to open in February 2019), will also be installing public art. Exterior art on this part of campus would engage pedestrian traffic and have a high degree of visibility for the public and for faculty, staff, and students.

Interior artwork may either complement or contrast the design and palette of the building. Additional themes that the committee would like artists to consider are: Wyoming as laboratory, education as a partnership, research as a platform for learning, experiential learning, and themes directly connected to the programs, education, and research occurring in the building, including: Life sciences from the molecular level to earth systems biology (multiple scales), examining the various components of life sciences and how they fit together, and data imaging.

The second level of the building is most conducive for artwork and will have the most public access. There are multiple walls within the facility that could accommodate large scale artwork. There are some locations on the interior of the building that have been identified for digital displays. These displays may be available to artists as content has not yet been generated. A double height space by the main entrance is open to the second and third levels and could support a ceiling mounted piece.

All styles, genres, conceptual approaches, and mediums will be considered, including digital work (video, audio, sound, light, etc.).

All proposed artwork must be durable, structurally sound, secure, site appropriate, and easy to maintain. Additional drawings, site plans, and information will be provided to the artists invited to submit complete proposals.

Project Budget

The total project budget available for artwork is $90,000. This amount may be allocated for multiple artists/artworks or for various locations. A more specific budget allocation will be determined by the committee after finalists are selected.

Timeline

The selection committee will review the submissions to this RFQ in March 2019. Following review, select artists will be asked to submit a complete formal design proposal. A decision will be made by May 2019. A specific timeline for development, production, and installation will be established upon selection of the finalist(s). This timeline is subject to adjustment.

The Committee
Artists’ submissions will be reviewed and final selections will be made by a committee appointed by the Wyoming Arts Council and the State of Wyoming. The committee for this project includes administrators, faculty, staff, and students from UW, including those that will occupy the building, as well as artists, community members, architecture and construction project managers, and a Wyoming Arts Council board member.

If you have any questions about the project or need more information on the selection process, please contact Rachel Clifton at the Wyoming Arts Council, 307-777-5305 or rachel.clifton@wyo.gov.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria