The Chicago Public Art Program – a division of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) – invites Chicago-based professional artists, professional artist teams and nonprofit arts organizations to submit qualifications for potential inclusion in the 2020/2021 Chicago Public Art Prequalified List (the “2020/2021 List”).  The 2020/2021 List is a mechanism for selecting candidates for public art commission opportunities via the Percent for Art Ordinance, the Public Art Menu Program, and other special projects of the Chicago Public Art Program. 


PLEASE NOTE: Artists, artist teams, and nonprofit arts organizations prequalified through previous calls must apply to this call to be considered for prequalification in 2020 and 2021.



I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Each individual artist (“Artist”), artist team (“Team”), or nonprofit arts organization (“Organization”) accepted into the 2020/2021 List will be featured in a page on the City of Chicago website.  Their name(s) will be accompanied by one or two images representative of their body of work, a short statement about the Artist / Team / Organization, their primary medium and a link to their website.

Past public art experience is not required, however successful applicants will meet all eligibility requirements, including but not limited to the ability to implement their design concepts in durable and/or permanent, low- or no-maintenance materials suitable for public and/or outdoor environments, while managing all resources involved in the completion of a public art project.

Applicant qualifications will be reviewed by a guest panel of arts professionals convened by DCASE (“Panel”).  The Panel will select from among eligible applicants to create a pool of 50 prequalified Artists / Teams / Organizations, from which candidates may be selected for public art opportunities managed by the Chicago Public Art Program in 2020 and 2021.

In an effort to advance public art opportunities across the City of Chicago, increase the diversity of artworks commissioned via the Chicago Public Art Program, and provide equity of access to public art opportunities, DCASE and the Chicago Public Art Program will reissue an RFQ for the Chicago Public Art Prequalified List every two years.  Each prequalified Applicant—whether working as an individual Artist, Team member, Organization, Organization’s lead artist, or a combination of the aforementioned—will be eligible for up to one new commission for artwork through the Chicago Public Art Program in a single calendar year (with possible exception for extraordinary circumstances).


               THE CHICAGO PUBLIC ART PROGRAM:

               In 1978, Chicago’s City Council unanimously approved the Percent for Art Ordinance, which requires that
               1.33 percent of municipal construction or renovation costs be allocated to the commissioning or purchase of
               on-site artworks accessible to the public.  Through the Chicago Public Art Program, DCASE implements the
               Percent for Art Ordinance, administers the acclaimed Chicago Public Art Collection, and manages the 
               Public Art Menu Program, Mural Registry, and other publicly-funded, temporary and permanent special
               projects throughout the city.  

               The Chicago Public Art Collection provides the citizens of Chicago with an improved public environment and
               enhances city buildings and spaces with quality works of art by professional artists.  Since the passage of the
               ordinance in 1978, the Public Art Program has contributed significantly to the City’s collection, now numbering
               over 500 artworks in more than 150 public spaces and facilities, including Libraries, Police Stations,
               transportation facilities, and more.  Through the Public Art Program’s many public art initiatives, DCASE
               continues to expand the collection and advocates for a diverse public art ecosystem that includes all of our
               city’s communities.


               PUBLIC ART MENU PROGRAM:

               Through the Public Art Menu Program, the Chicago Public Art Program works collaboratively with Aldermanic
               offices to administer neighborhood public art commissions in all of our city’s communities.  Opportunities for
               Public Art Menu Program projects vary from year to year, and are determined by factors such as community and
               Aldermanic office support, site availability, and available funds.  The Chicago Public Art Prequalified List is a
               mechanism for selecting candidates for Menu and other public art commission opportunities. 

               Public Art Menu Program projects are required to be accessible and/or visible to the public, and priority is given
               to project proposals that activate City-owned sites including vacant lots, facilities and the public right-of-way. 
               Menu artworks must be constructed of durable materials suitable for outdoor use, and require minimal to no
               maintenance.  Minimum lifespans for Menu artworks are five years for sculpture and three years for murals.    


               CITY OF CHICAGO MURAL REGISTRY:

               Outdoor murals commissioned via Chicago Public Art Program opportunities will be entered into the
               City of Chicago Mural Registry.




II. APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY FOR 2020/2021 LIST:

               A. This opportunity is open to individual artists (Artists) and artist teams (Teams) residing in Chicago, Illinois.  


               B. Nonprofit arts organizations (Organizations) that are resident and incorporated in Chicago, Illinois, may also
               apply in partnership with one specified Artist or a combination of specified Artists acting as the project lead(s). 


               C. Past public art experience is not required; however Artist / Team / Organization must demonstrate:

                              1.) Ability to develop and implement design concepts in durable and/or permanent materials
                              suitable for public and/or outdoor environments, and which require minimal to no maintenance

                              2.) Administrative capacity to responsibly and effectively manage the resources involved in
                              completing an art installation on time, within budget, and in compliance with all applicable codes,
                              ordinances and contracts.  This may include but is not limited to:

                                             a.) Proposing and adhering to practicable: project budgets, timelines, production
                                             materials and installation methods

                                             b.) Subcontracting to properly credentialed professionals such as structural engineers,
                                             draftsmen, fabricators and installers

                                             c.) Carrying all insurance required by applicable laws, codes, ordinances and contracts

                                             d.) Securing all necessary permits and approvals

                                             e.) Coordinating with all applicable City departments and stakeholders



               D. Each artist, whether seeking prequalification as an individual Artist, as part of a Team, as a lead artist for
               an Organization, or a combination of the aforementioned, must be:

                              1.) A professional artist

                              2.) At least 18 years old 

                              3.) A United States citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States

                              4.) A resident of the city of Chicago, Illinois

                                             a.) Proof of residency is required for application. 

                                                            i.) Only a current, valid Illinois Driver’s License, State of Illinois ID, or recent utility  
                                                            bill in artist’s name will be accepted.

                                                            ii.) P.O. boxes will not be accepted. 



               E. For the purposes of this call, a professional artist is someone who:

                              1.) Has at least a two-year history of professional art practice

                              2.) Has specialized training in the field (not limited to academic training)

                              3.) Has demonstrated success in the arts through the creation of high-quality work, especially that
                              which is well-suited for public spaces

                              4.) Is recognized as a professional by peers (artists working in the same discipline) and experts in the
                              field

                              5.) Is not enrolled in an undergraduate course of study in the visual arts as of October 14, 2019



               F. For the purposes of this call, a professional artist team: 

                              1.) Is two or more professional artists (as defined above) collaborating in the creation of joint work* for
                              which all team members hold copyright

                                             a.) * Per the Copyright Act of 1976 (17 USC Section 101), “A ‘joint work’ is a work prepared by
                                             two or more authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into inseparable or
                                             interdependent parts of a unitary whole.”

                              2.) Must demonstrate a body of joint work spanning at least 12 months prior to applying to this call
                               (beginning August 13, 2018 or earlier)



               G. For the purposes of this call, a nonprofit arts organization: 

                              1.) Must be a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the state of Illinois for at least 12 months
                              prior to applying to this call (incorporation date must be no later than August 13, 2018)

                              2.) Must have a primary mission to create, produce, present, provide, or support arts and culture
                              services for the public 

                              3.) Must be located and operate in the city of Chicago, with a valid Chicago street address as its
                              principal place of business 

                              4.) Must demonstrate a body of joint work created in collaboration between the Organization and
                              the proposed lead artist(s) with whom it is applying




III. SELECTION PROCESS AND CRITERIA:

The Panel will assess all eligible Artist / Team / Organization applications based on:

               A. Artistic excellence: Application demonstrates originality of concept and content; mastery of skills and
               techniques; professional quality of craftsmanship; professional approaches to process and presentation.


               B. Professional competence: Application demonstrates activities indicating a professional practice, which may
               include but are not limited to specialized training in the field (not limited to academic training); previous
               commissions for site-specific work; exhibitions in museums, art galleries, and/or other art venues;
               participation in artist residency programs; and other professional activities.  


               C. Administrative capacity: Application demonstrates the organizational skills and resource management
               capabilities necessary to successfully develop and deliver a commissioned artwork on time, within budget, and
               in compliance with all applicable codes, ordinances and contracts.  This may be demonstrated by previous public
               art commissions, or by projects of comparable budget, scale and/or complexity. 

 


IV. HOW TO APPLY:

               A. The application will be accessible via CaFÉ (www.callforentry.org) from August 13 to October 14, 2019.

                              1.) Interested applicants must register with CaFÉ in order to view the application. 

                              2.) Only applications submitted via CaFÉ will be reviewed.  Do not submit materials by email or by post.

                              3.) For technical assistance using CaFÉ, please visit https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/



               B. Applicants may apply as an Artist, a Team, and/or an Organization, but may not submit more than one
               application in each category.  

                              1.) A unique portfolio of previous work ("Work Samples") must be provided with each application.




V. APPLICATION MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Please read the following requirements carefully.  Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

               A. LETTER OF INTEREST

                              1.) A single page document of 500 words or less, to include: 

                                             a.) Description of Applicant's (Artist’s / Team’s / Organization’s) specific interest in Chicago
                                             public art opportunities. 

                                             b.) Description of content and concepts central to Applicant's work. 

                                             c.) A brief summary of Applicant's professional experience to date, including how that
                                             experience may qualify Applicant for public art projects

                                             d.) If Applicant is (i.) a Team or (ii.) an Organization applying with proposed lead artist(s),
                                             include a description of Applicant's collaborative history and process (i.) as a Team or 
                                             (ii.) as an Organization with the specified lead artist(s). 

                                             e.) If Applicant has not previously completed a public art project of durable or permanent
                                             materials, discuss how Applicant might approach developing a work of art for a public space. 



               B. RESUME / CURRICULUM VITAE

                              1.) Artists: Please submit your resume or CV. 

                              2.) Teams: Please submit your team/studio resume or CV, or collate the individual resumes/CVs of
                              each Team member into a single document. 

                              3.) Organizations: Please submit a single document in which the individual resume or CV for each
                              lead artist proposed in your application has been collated.



               C. PORTFOLIO OF PREVIOUS WORK

                              1.) In the "CHOOSE WORK SAMPLES" portion of this call, please provide: 

                                             a.) 10 images of existing, recent work

                                                            i.) File Types: JPEG or JPG only
                                                            ii.) File Dimensions: 1200 pixels or greater on the longest side
                                                            iii.) File size: Under 5 MB
                                                            iv.) Do not submit more than 2 images of the same work. 

                                                                           - Composite images of no more than 2 views of the same work are
                                                                           acceptable. 

                                                                           - Illegible images (e.g. poor resolution) will not be reviewed. 


                                             b.) (Optional) Up to 2 videos documenting existing, recent work

                                                            i.) Submit video only to demonstrate kinetic or time-based work.
                                                            ii.) Do not submit video of static work, artist interviews, or promotional material. 
                                                            iii.) File Types: MOV, WMV, MP4, 3GP, AVI, ASF, MPG, M2T, MKV, M2TS
                                                            iv.) File size: Under 100 MB
                                                            v.) Currently, linked media – from YouTube, Vimeo, etc. – are not accepted by CaFÉ



                              2.) Eligible Work Samples: 

                                             a.) Artists: Submit only images or videos of Artist’s own original artwork or collaborative joint
                                             work for which Artist shares copyright. 

                                             b.) Teams: Submit only images or videos of Team’s own original artwork or joint work for
                                              which all artists on Team share copyright. 

                                             c.) Organizations: Submit only images or videos of original artwork or joint work for which all
                                             proposed lead artist(s) share copyright. 



                              3.) Please Note:

                                             a.) Applicants seeking prequalification in more than one category (Artist, Team or
                                             Organization) must submit a separate application–with a unique portfolio of previous work–for
                                             each category.

                                                            i.) Duplicate portfolios will not be considered.

                                                            ii.) Do not submit images or videos of works or projects by others for which applicant
                                                            played a supportive role (assistant, fabricator, engineer, etc.). 

                                             b.) This call is a request for qualifications only. 

                                                            i.) Do not submit proposals for specific public art projects or donations of artwork.



               D. ANNOTATED IMAGE LIST

                              1.) For each work sample provided, please list:

                                             a.) Title

                                             b.) Medium/media

                                             c.) Dimensions

                                             d.) Year completed

                                             e.) Price, project budget, or commission budget

                                             f.) Installation site (if available), including street address or coordinates

                                             g.) Brief statement (2 sentences maximum) about the work

                                             h.) Organizations: In addition to the annotations listed above, list the name(s) of lead artist(s)
                                             for each work. 

                                             i.) (Optional) Thumbnail images are advised but not required.



               E. PROOF OF RESIDENCE

                              1.) Artists, Teams and Organizations: 

                                             a.) For each artist, provide a PDF copy of one of the following forms of documentation
                                             (option i., ii. or iii.):

                                                            i.) Current, valid Illinois Driver’s License (front and back sides)

                                                            ii.) Current, valid State of Illinois ID (front and back sides)

                                                            iii.) Recent utility bill in artist’s name (all pages)

                                             b.)  P.O. boxes will not be accepted.

VII. RESOURCES FOR APPLICANTS:

Chicago Public Art Program
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/provdrs/public_art_program.html

Percent for Art Guidelines
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/public_art_program.html.html

Percent for Art Ordinance
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/auto_generated/public_art_program_publandreports/new_art_on_pink_line.html

City of Chicago Mural Registry
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/mural_registry.html

City of Chicago Mural Resource Guide
https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/dca/Public%20Art/mural_registry/muralresourceguide.pdf

CaFÉ Help for Artists
https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/

Copyright Act of 1976 (17 USC Section 101)
https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCODE-2011-title17/USCODE-2011-title17-chap1-sec101

IRS Tax Exemption Requirements for 501(c)(3) Organizations
https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/charitable-organizations/exemption-requirements-section-501c3-organizations

Office of the Illinois Secretary of State
https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/business_services/corp.html

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria