REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
Fronterra Park Art Project

Qualifications are requested from Colorado artists, or artists who reside in Colorado Region (determined to be Colorado and neighboring states of Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona) for a site-specific work of art to be commissioned for Fronterra Park located in Commerce City, Colorado.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTAL: April 12, 11:59p.m. MST
SUBMITTALS ACCEPTED ONLINE ONLY: www.callforentry.org
TOTAL ART BUDGET: $50,000

PROJECT SUMMARY
The City of Commerce City and the Commerce City Cultural Council seek to commission a site specific work (or works) of public art for the newly completed Fronterra Park located at 10020 Joplin St, Commerce City, CO 80022.

Fronterra Park is a nature-inspired park, approximately 20 acres in size. It is situated in Commerce City, between Stuart Middle School and Second Creek Elementary School, in the Fronterra Park neighborhood. The park is a neighborhood-scaled park with restroom facilities, playground equipment, climbing boulders, walking/jogging trails, fitness stations, skate area, multi-use hard court, and two graded playfields. The park was designed to incorporate sustainable landscaping principles and includes low-level lighting intended to enhance safety while limiting light pollution. The park was officially opened to the public in August 2015.

 ARTWORK FOR FRONTERRA PARK
The Art Selection Committee is recommending the creation of a site-specific artwork for the new park. Artwork could celebrate the name of the park and the neighborhood in which it is situated. Fronterra, or frontera, means “frontier” in Spanish. The Selection Panel is also interested in artwork that can make a connection to the site and Commerce City as a whole. This area has been constantly changing and evolving. In the 1920s the area was rural and devoted to agriculture, including wheat fields, dairies, and pig farms. Later, industry moved in, with a refinery established in 1930 and grain elevators built in the late 1930s. Hence the name of Commerce City, established in the 1950s. Rocky Mountain Arsenal was founded in 1942 due east of the growing community. Today the area is evolving again, becoming a thriving city and community with many new residential areas that continue to grow.

The artwork for Fronterra Park can be proposed as a free-standing sculpture(s) for one or more of the entrances to the park or in the natural areas at the edges of the park. It is possible that the artwork would work as a marker/identifier for the park Fronterra Park.

 Because the art will be placed in a park that is frequented by the school-children from the Middle and Elementary Schools adjacent, it is essential that the artwork be constructed of durable materials (stone, steel, bronze and other durable metals are preferred) and be able to withstand climbing, touching and wear and tear of park activities. In addition, the extreme sun and sudden weather/temperature changes in Colorado must also be taken into account. 

STUDENT INPUT
Fronterra park is situated between two schools and is likely to visited frequently by the students and staff of the school. Because of this, we will be soliciting public input from the students and staff at the schools during the final stages of the proposal stage. Semi-finalists will be asked to submit a one-page PDF describing their proposed project. These PDFs will be enlarged and posted at the schools during the final weeks of classes. The art teachers at each school will be using these posters in their curriculum and soliciting input from their students. This input will be given to the selection panel as “advisory only” information; the students will not have a vote in the ultimate commission winner.

PUBLIC ART BUDGET
The project budget for the exterior artwork for Fronterra Park is 50,000 USD.

The budget for each site shall be inclusive of all costs associated with the public art project including, but not limited to: artist design fee, structural engineering, insurance, materials, fabrication, transportation, installation, site modifications, travel to and from the site, per diem expenses, project documentation, contingency to cover unexpected expenses and any other costs related to the project. 

MAINTENANCE AND DURABILITY
All applicants are expected to consider the issues of long-term preservation and maintenance of public art, along with the timeline and budget. Public art projects are in the public realm and may therefore be exposed to weather and subject to vandalism and climbing. Public art projects should be fabricated of highly durable, low maintenance materials. Semi­finalists will be encouraged to consult with a professional conservator prior to the submission of a final proposal.

 ELIGIBILITY
All applicants must be legal residents of the United States and reside full-time in Colorado or neighboring states of Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. Applying artists or artist teams must have the skills and experience commensurate with the responsibility of successfully completing a public art installation.  The City and Cultural Council will comply with all federal, state and local anti-discrimination laws in the administration and implementation of the public art master plan.

SELECTION PROCESS AND SCHEDULE
The Art Selection Committee will review only completed applications that adhere to the criteria set forth in this RFQ. A short list of semi­finalists will be invited to prepare and present a design proposal and a summary poster to be displayed at local schools. A finalist may be selected from the semi­finalists’ proposals and recommended to the Cultural Council for approval. Upon the Cultural Council’s approval, the finalist proposal may be presented to City Council for final approval.

Semi-finalists will be paid an honorarium of $1,000 for the design and presentation of the proposal. Those who reside outside a 100-mile radius of Commerce City will be offered up to $300 for travel reimbursement.

The tentative schedule is as follows:

APPLICATION PROCESS
All applications for this project must be submitted through CaFÉ™ (www.callforentry.org) no later than the deadline for submission identified above. No hard copy or e-mail submissions will be accepted. There is no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system.

The applicant must submit the following:

1. Digital Images. Six digital images of previously completed artworks through the CaFÉ™ system. Artists who wish to submit kinetic may submit video content with their CaFÉ™ application. Digital images are required even if videos are also submitted.
Instructions on how to use CaFÉ™ and format images/video can be found at www.callforentry.org/image_prep.phtml. Assistance in using the CaFÉ™ system is available during regular business hours by calling 303­629­1166, 1­888­562­7232 or e­mail cafe@westaf.org.

 2. Résumé: A current résumé that outlines your professional accomplishments as an artist. Your resume may be any length, but the committee members are only required to read to the first two pages.  If applying as a team, please submit a resume for each artist, with the lead artist first.

3. Statement of Interest: A statement of interest of 250 words or less briefly outlining the artist’s interest in the specific opportunity and the artist’s experience working on projects of this scope.

 4. Responses to questions: Please also include answers to the following questions in the CaFÉ™ application.

•  In which state do you reside full-time?
• Have you completed at least one public art commission for a municipality or state agency? 

ABOUT COMMERCE CITY, COLORADO
As the state’s third-fastest growing city, Commerce City is redefining itself for the next generation, building on historic values of community, industry, agriculture and family. Centrally located along Colorado’s bustling Front Range, Commerce City is a Quality Community for a Lifetime, with 25 miles of trails, a championship golf course, 840 acres of open space and parks, one of the country’s largest soccer complexes and the nation’s largest urban wildlife refuge. Learn more at www.c3gov.com. 

ABOUT THE COMMERCE CITY PUBLIC ART PROGRAM
The goal of the Commerce City Public Art Program is to acquire public art unique to Commerce City that reflects community values, and to place it within public spaces for the community and visitors to enjoy. This public art will generate community pride and contribute to the vitality of the community by enhancing quality of life. Also, public art may remind us of our heritage, serve as a source of celebration, and prompt new ways of seeing and inspiring conversation and reflection. Completed in 2013, the Public Art Master Plan provides a framework to guide the Commerce City Cultural Council in selecting the most appropriate public artwork that reflects the community’s values and culture for designated locations throughout Commerce City. 

LEGAL COMMENTS
Commerce City and the Commerce City Cultural Council reserve the right to reject any or all applications, proposals, applicants, and projects, to waive any informalities or irregularities, and to modify or terminate the application process or the selection process for any reason and without prior notice. The issuance of this Request for Qualifications and the receipt and evaluation of applications do not obligate Commerce City to select any proposal or applicant or enter into any agreement.  The City will not pay any costs incurred in responding to this Request for Qualifications except as expressly stated. 

 Applicants are cautioned not to undertake any activities or actions to promote or advertise their submittal, other than discussions with City staff as described.  Proposers are not permitted to make any direct or indirect contact with members of the Art Selection Committee, the Commerce City Cultural Council, the City Council, or media on the subject of this Request for Qualifications, except in the course of City-sponsored presentations or to submit questions.  Violation of these rules is grounds for disqualification.

QUESTIONS

Questions regarding this Request for Qualifications must be submitted by e-mail only to Kendall Peterson, Public Art Consultant no later than 5:00 p.m. MST, Friday April 10 at Kendall.Peterson@theresquareddenver.com. Responses to all questions will be posted on the City’s website and CaFETM. 

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria