Call Detail
Highline Canal Trail
Entry Deadline: 4/22/19
Application Closed
Work Sample Requirements
Images | Minimum:Min. 1, Maximum:Max. 6
Total Samples | Minimum:Min. 1, Maximum:Max. 6
Call Type: Public Art
Eligibility: Local
State: Colorado

The High Line Canal Trail, at Hampden Ave. and Colorado Blvd.

Budget: $40,000 USD
Eligibility: Artists or artist teams residing in COLORADO
DEADLINE: Monday, April 22, 2019 11:59 p.m. MST

Introduction
The City of Denver’s Public Art program seeks to commission a Colorado artist or a team of artists to create a site-specific public artwork at the newly constructed High Line Canal Trail at Hampden Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Denver.  Construction of the new trail is expected to be completed in 2020. 

This section of the Highline Canal Trail is approximately a half mile long adjacent to the east Hampden Ave. and Colorado Blvd. intersection. The paved trail and underpass will provide a safe connection across the busy intersection for both cyclists and pedestrians. This area carries heavy vehicular traffic with a rate of more than 80,000 vehicles per day. 

The High Line Canal Trail meanders 71 miles across the metro Denver area, and is one of the longest and most spectacular linear parks in the nation. The canal spans 11 governmental jurisdictions from Waterton Canyon in Douglas County to Green Valley Ranch in Northeast Denver. Its cottonwood banks weave through residential neighborhoods, public parks, golf courses, cemeteries, commercial and industrial lands, and over and under urban thruways, all while offering those traveling its banks a slice of nature in the city. The trail offers pedestrians a perfect trail for a walk, run, hike or outing. While the waterway is owned and operated by Denver Water, this national landmark trail is maintained by municipal recreation agencies. As one of the longest continuous urban trails in the country, the canal twists through the most populated area of Colorado while passing through multiple and varied communities. More than 350,000 residents reside within one mile of the canal and recent data indicates that annually more than 500,000 people use the canal as a recreational asset. The Wellshire Golf Course sits in proximity to the project site and has operated since 1926.

PUBLIC ART at the High Line Canal trail

Goals
The selection panel seeks public artwork(s) located in proximity to the new trail. Artwork will be mainly viewed by those in heavy vehicular traffic in constant motion or viewed while vehicles are stopped at nearby intersections.

Appropriate & Unique
The selection panel seeks a unique, one-of-a-kind artwork(s) appropriate for the High Line Canal Trail. The artwork should speak to the community, the history of the area and the legacy of the High Line Canal.  The selection panel is open to a broad range of artworks. Motion, movement and sound could act as a beacon for this location. It is also imperative that the artwork is not distracting to golfers at the nearby Wellshire Golf Course.

Materials & Media
The selection panel members have set forth specific goals and parameters for this public art project with the hope of creating a unique and inspiring work of art for the diverse communities that visit and enjoy the High Line Canal Trail. The selection panel is open to artworks made from a variety of suitable materials for the site.

Maintenance & Durability
All applicants are expected to consider the issues of long-term conservation and maintenance of public art, along with time and budget. These projects exist in the public realm and are exposed to weather and physical stresses, as well as vulnerable to vandalism. Public art projects should be fabricated of highly durable, low-maintenance materials. Finalists are encouraged to consult with a professional conservator or fabricator prior to the submission of a final proposal. Selected artist proposals will be reviewed by the City of Denver’s Public Art Committee and other appropriate city agencies to ensure conformity with city standards of maintenance and durability, as well as ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards. All finalists are expected to stay on budget and to complete work in an approved timeframe.

Eligibility
This project is open to artists residing in Colorado, regardless of race, color, creed, gender, gender variance, sexual orientation, national origin, age, religion, marital status, political opinion or affiliation, or mental or physical disability. Artists working in any media are eligible to apply. Artists are not required to have previous experience in public art. Emerging artists are encouraged to apply. Contact the Denver Public Art office with any questions regarding eligibility.

Applying for This Opportunity
In response to this RFQ, applicants will be asked to submit six digital images of previous work, a résumé, and a statement of interest no longer than 2,000 characters via www.callforentry.org (CaFÉ™). From these applications, the selection panel will choose between three and five finalists who will create site-specific proposals and present them to the selection panel. Artists/teams selected as finalists will be required to submit a Diversity & Inclusiveness Form for their proposals to be considered, which will be provided upon notification. As directed by Executive Order 101, this form must be submitted for all city solicitations of proposals. Denver Arts & Venues Public Art Program staff can provide guidance on filling out this form. Artists will be paid an honorarium for this work. Finalists will be expected to pay for travel expenses from the honorarium. From the interview and proposal, an artist or artist team will be selected for this commission. The selected artist or artist team for the commission will collaborate with the Public Art Program staff and the design team when finalizing their designs for installation.

Can a Team Apply?
Applicants may apply as a single artist or multi-person collaborative group. If applying as a team, please submit one résumé for the team, with one page per team member.

Diversity and Inclusiveness
Denver Executive Order No. 101 establishes strategies between the City and private industry to use diversity and inclusiveness to promote economic development in the City and County of Denver and to encourage more businesses to compete for City contracts and procurements. The Executive Order requires, among other things, the collection of certain information regarding the practices of the City’s contractors and consultants toward diversity and inclusiveness and encourages/requires City agencies to include diversity and inclusiveness policies in selection criteria where legally permitted in solicitations for City services or goods. Diversity and Inclusiveness means inviting values, perspectives and contributions of people from diverse backgrounds, and integrates diversity into its hiring and retention policies, training opportunities, and business development methods to provide an equal opportunity for each person to participate, contribute, and succeed within the organization’s workplace. “Diversity” encompasses a wide variety of human differences, including differences such as race, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, physical disabilities, appearance, historically underutilized and disadvantaged persons, as well as social identities such as religion, marital status, socio-economic status, lifestyle, education, parental status, geographic background, language ability, and veteran status.

Budget
The budget for this commission is approximately $40,000 USD which will be allocated to the artist/team selected. These funds come from the City of Denver’s 1% for Public Art Ordinance resulting from the construction budget if the capital improvements. This contract amount is inclusive of all costs associated with the project including, but not limited to: the artist’s design fee, other consultation fees such as structural engineering consultation, insurance (including Colorado Workers Compensation), tools, materials, fabrication, transportation, installation, any building or site modification required, travel to and from the site, per diem expenses, project documentation, contingency to cover unexpected expenses, and any other costs. For all work done on city property, prevailing wage requirements will be applied.

Tentative Timeline
(Except for online application deadline, timeline is subject to adjustments)
Monday, April 22, 2019: 11:59 MST         Deadline for entry (via CaFÉ™ system)
April 2019                                                       Finalist Selection
May 2019                                                        Finalist Proposals

June 2019                                                        Finalist Notification

Art Selection Panel
According to Denver’s Public Art policy, the art selection panel plays an active role in the acquisition of public art for Denver. The High Line Canal selection panel is comprised of 11 voting members and additional non-voting advisors. The selection panel is responsible for reviewing the site, establishing criteria, writing a request for qualifications, reviewing applications, selecting and interviewing finalists and identifying an artist to recommend for the commission. 

Selection Process
Between three and five artists/artist teams will be selected as finalists, depending on the number of qualified responses to the RFQ. Those selected will receive more specific information regarding the site and have the opportunity to meet with site representatives, the design team and Public Art staff. The finalists will receive an honorarium to prepare and present the proposal in person. The selection panel will review the proposals, interview the finalists and recommend an artist for the commission. The final recommendation of the selection panel will be presented to the Public Art Committee for feasibility, the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs, and the Mayor of Denver for final approval. All decisions of the City and County of Denver are final.

Materials to be Submitted
Please read this section carefully. Incomplete applications will NOT be considered. The applicant’s name must appear on all materials submitted.

All materials must be submitted online, via the CaFÉ™ website (www.callforentry.org). There is no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system.

Digital Images In order to be considered for this project, the applicant must electronically submit six digital images of previously completed artworks through the CaFÉ™ online system. Artists who wish to submit kinetic, sound or media works must submit a complete CaFÉ™ application and will have the opportunity to upload up to two video files. IMPORTANT: if submitting audio or video files, do not use them as your very first image. They may be submitted under items 2-6.

Instructions on how to format images to CaFÉ™ can be found at https://www.callforentry.org/uploading-images-audio-and-video-files/. Assistance in using the CaFÉ™ system is available here: https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/. If an artist does not have access to a computer, they may call 720-865-5563 to make arrangements to use a computer at Denver Arts & Venues offices.

Statement of Interest Submit a statement outlining your interest in the High Line Canal public art project and why it is of special interest to you (2,000-character maximum).  

Résumé Submit a one to two-page current résumé via CaFÉ™ that highlights your professional accomplishments as an artist relevant to this project. Please name your résumé file accordingly: Last name.First initial (i.e. Smith.J.pdf). Résumés that are more than two pages for an individual artist will not be downloaded. If applying as a team, please submit one résumé with one page per team member.

Please direct all questions about this project to:
Mary Valdez, Public Art Administrator,720-865-5564, mary.valdez@denvergov.org

 

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria