Request for Qualifications
City of Frisco Public Art Program
RFQ #1905-087 Call to Artists
Pearson Acres Park*

 *Placeholder name. Park name to be determined by the Park Naming Committee.

Deadline: Friday, June 28, 2019, 4:00 p.m. CST (Application received)
Budget: $42,000.00

The City of Frisco Public Art Program is issuing this Request for Qualifications for a public art opportunity within the City. The City seeks qualifications from artists to be considered for the project are listed below. To be considered for this project, all applications must be submitted via www.callforentry.org (CaFÉ™).

Eligibility

This opportunity is open to all artists. The City of Frisco does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, age, national origin, or disability. Qualifications by City employees or their relatives, and members of the Artist Selection Committee or Public Art Board or their relatives will not be considered.  

Qualifications must be submitted online by 4:00 p.m. CST, Friday, June 28, 2019, to www.callforentry.org. Online submissions must include:

• A completed Submission Cover Page.
• A typed cover letter describing your interest in Pearson Acres Park public art project and how it relates to your past work.
• A typed artist resume with current contact information.
• A typed artist statement serving as a general introduction to your work and working methods. 
• Three references with current contact information, including name, phone, email address and project scope.
• Images of Past Work – Submit no more than 15 images of past and/or existing work that are appropriate to the Pearson Acres Park public art project. The first five images should be those most relevant to this Request for Qualifications keeping in mind the $42,000.00 project budget.

Incomplete applications will NOT be considered.

Selection Process

The Artist Selection Committee may include representatives of the Public Art Board, City of Frisco staff, artists, arts professionals, and community representatives that will review qualifications for the Pearson Acres Park public art project. The Committee will evaluate qualifications based on:

• Demonstrated excellence of past work in conceptual, aesthetic and technical terms.
• Quality of professional qualifications and relevant experience.
• Stated interest and approach specific to this project.
• Ability to create a work of art that meets the project goals listed below.

Finalists may be requested to develop proposals or be interviewed by the committee. The City of Frisco is not required to make a selection from these submissions, if, in their opinion, qualifications are not appropriate or if the project does not come to fruition.

Budget

The Pearson Acres Park public art budget is all-inclusive, including, but not limited to, artist fee, fabrication costs, transportation, insurance, engineering services, permit fees, site prep, installation, and/or any other related expenses. The project budget is $42,000.00.

Questions

Questions related to this RFQ should be submitted to Frisco Purchasing via email to purchasing@friscotexas.gov, by 4:00 p.m. CST on Friday, June 14, 2019. Answers to all questions will be posted on the City of Frisco Purchasing page at www.friscotexas.gov.bids.

The Pearson Acres Park Public Art Project

Pearson Acres Park will be a 10-acre neighborhood park located along Teel Parkway in Frisco, TX. Amenities include multi-purpose open spaces, playground equipment, a pavilion and walking trails. Construction will begin later this year.

The park will be built on land once owned by Charles Pearson and his family. Pearson graduated with a degree in Agriculture from Texas A&M after returning from WWII as an officer in the Marine Corps. He moved back to the Frisco area to farm and was hired as a Vocational Agriculture teacher at Frisco High School. His wife Emily and their four children settled in Frisco in 1958 and opened a dairy farm on the land that will become Pearson Acres Park. He would go on to serve as the President of the Frisco ISD Board of Trustees for 10 years. Pearson and family remained active at the dairy until 1987. 

White fencing made by Mr. Pearson will line an area of the park reserved for the public art project. The public art should reflect the history of the site as a dairy farm and serve as a tribute to Mr. Pearson’s service to the community. Interactive and/or educational art is preferred.

Public Art Goals

The public art at Pearson Acres Park should:

• Be a freestanding, outdoor public artwork suitable to be viewed from all angles.
• Represent the site as described above.
• Be welcoming to visitors and be safe and hazard-free.
• Be made of low-maintenance, durable materials that are resistant to vandalism. All materials must be approved by City of Frisco staff. Special attention should be given to potential heat issues in the summer months.
• Be completed by October 2020.

About the City of Frisco

Originating as a small railroad and farming community in 1902, Frisco is now one of the most exciting places to live, work, play and grow in the north Texas area. Located 25 miles north of Dallas, Frisco is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. In September 2018, Money Magazine announced that Frisco topped its list of the "Best 50 Places to Live in America.”

For more information about the City of Frisco, visit www.friscotexas.gov.

The City of Frisco Public Art Program

The mission of the City of Frisco Public Art Program is to promote cultural, aesthetic, and economic vitality in Frisco, Texas by integrating the work of artists into public places, civic infrastructure and development of the community.

The goals of the City of Frisco Public Art Program are:

• To further the development and awareness of, and interest in, the visual arts.
• To integrate the design work of artists into the development of Frisco’s capital infrastructure improvements.
• To create an enhanced, interactive visual environment for Frisco residents.
• To commemorate Frisco’s rich cultural and ethnic diversity.
• To promote and encourage public and private art programs.
• To promote tourism and economic vitality in Frisco through the artistic enhancement of public spaces.
• To increase attachment to place.
• Engage community partners to build support for public art.

Pearson Acres Park Public Art Project Timeline

Call Released:                                  Friday, May 17, 2019

Question submission deadline:         Friday, June 14, 2019 4:00 p.m. CST
purchasing@friscotexas.gov

Submission Deadline for RFQ:          Friday, June 28, 2019, 4:00 p.m. CST
(Application received)

Finalist Notified and Announced:       On or before July 19, 2019

Contract Executed by:                        Friday, August 2, 2019

Installation Complete deadline:          October 2020

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria