Coeur d’Alene is a resort city in northern Idaho, located on picturesque Lake Coeur d’ Alene, where visitors from all over the world enjoy the region’s sparkling lakes, green forests, and bountiful rivers, along with mountain and water sports. Founded in 1878, Coeur d’Alene has a rich history of over 150 years in mining and logging operations, and has largely transitioned over the past several decades into a tourism and hospitality-based economy.

The Coeur d’Alene Arts Commission is pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for an artist/artist team to leave their mark and enhance the visual landscape and character of our community. Public art helps to set the tone of a neighborhood and builds community identity. It takes an ordinary space that you might walk by daily without notice and makes it extraordinary. Most importantly, public art is accessible to everyone and creates an emotional response in all who see it -- the young and the young-at-heart alike.   The Coeur d’Alene Arts Commission invites artists/artist teams to submit qualifications for consideration for the following project:

FOURTH STREET PARKING GARAGE PUBLIC ART PROJECT

This Request for Qualifications is for art that will be located on the East exterior wall of a new public parking structure located at Fourth Street and Coeur d’Alene Avenue in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The goal for the piece is to significantly beautify one of the primary pedestrian and vehicle passageways of the downtown core.  The art will be installed vertically, anchored onto a wall made of concrete masonry blocks. Submissions of murals (painted directly onto the wall) will NOT be considered.

Project Dimensions:  This Request for Qualifications will be updated with exterior wall and project area dimensions when they are determined.  The project area dimensions will allow the design to be placed on an area resistant to potential traffic and pedestrian interference. Submitted designs should be configured to cover the majority of the installation area. 

There is no theme for this project; however, the work should be appropriate for viewers of all ages, should reflect the vibrant beauty of our downtown community, and leave a lasting impression on all who view it.

Submission Deadline:

Applications must be received through the CaFÉ website (www.callforentry.org) no later than 5 PM PST February 26, 2021. The call is titled “City of Coeur d Alene ID Fourth Street Parking Garage Public Art Project.”

Timeline:

October 28, 2020:  Call opens - Request for Qualifications announced (submissions ONLY accepted through the CaFÉ website www.callforentry.org)

February 26, 2021:  Artist submission deadline.

March 12, 2021:  Finalist notification. A selection committee will meet to select three (3) to five (5) Finalists, who will be notified and invited to make proposals.

May 28, 2021:  Finalist proposals due.

June, 2021:  Artist proposals go on display in different locations for public comment.

July 2021:  Selection committee meets, participates in a 20 minute video conference call or in-person presentation with each artist, makes a selection, and forwards it to the Arts Commission for approval.

July 27, 2021:  Final selection presented to the Coeur d’Alene Arts Commission for approval, and then to the Coeur d’Alene City Council for approval.

August, 2021:  Artist contract generated and issued.

March/April 2022:  Art completed, installed, and dedicated.

Initial Submission:

Cover Letter:  A one-page cover letter which summarizes the applicant’s interest in the project.

Professional Qualifications:  The Artist will submit a resume reflecting any experience in submission, selection, and/or successful installation of public art in a similar medium and scale. Each of the submissions should include up to six (6) clearly identified images of previous work. The Artist will also include a summary (not more than two pages) of experience in fabricating and installing permanent artwork suitable for the outdoor elements. This summary may include up to six (6) projects, with supportive information.

Supportive information should include:  the title of the piece, commissioning body, project budget, date, materials, and client (with contact information). Special regard will be given to similar successful projects installed in the Northwest region (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming), and successful experience working with local governmental or municipal agencies. Failure to provide any of the published requirements will result in disqualification.

The Artwork:

Artwork must be original works of art by submitting Artists. The artwork may not contain advertising, religious art, sexual content, negative imagery, or convey political partisanship.

The chosen art will be for exterior installation and requires durability and characteristics to withstand the elements in the Inland Northwest.

The selected Artists will be responsible for providing all equipment and materials needed to safely execute the project, including ladders, lifts, etc.

Selection Process:

The Selection Committee will consist of seven (7) voting members including citizens, arts professionals, a city councilperson, and two non-voting members of the Coeur d’Alene Arts Commission. The Selection Committee will review all the eligible submissions and select up to five finalists to develop proposals.

Each of the Finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium to prepare a proposal. The finalists will be asked to provide detailed sketches, renderings, narration, budget, schedule, and a 3D model (“maquette”) of the proposed artwork.

The Selection Committee will review all eligible submissions, interview finalists via video conferencing or in-person presentations, and forward their recommendation to the Arts Commission for review and approval. Upon approval, the Arts Commission will forward a recommendation to the City Council. Following City Council approval, a contract will be issued to the selected artist and/or artist team.

Selection Criteria:

Selection criteria to be used for consideration shall include, but not be limited to the following:  Artistic quality, context, and diversity.  Submissions will also be evaluated on their feasibility and convincing evidence of the Artist’s ability to successfully complete the work as proposed by the submitted materials.

Budget & Payment Schedule:

The budget for the project is $75,000, which is inclusive of all artist costs. The amount includes all costs related to the artist and/or artist team’s design and project: management fees; all subcontract and consultant costs, including engineers, electricians, fabricators, studio and overhead costs; fabrication, transportation, delivery and installation of all art components, liability and insurance costs as required, and all other costs associated with the art project. Artwork should meet all applicable city building codes. All finalist proposals must include a 10% contingency as part of their budget, to be used only with written permission from the City.

Eligibility:

This call is open to all Artists, Designers, or Creative individuals regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or disability. Coeur d’Alene Arts Commission members and selection committee members are not eligible for participation.

Application Return:

The City of Coeur d’Alene will keep all applications on file, unless the artist indicates that they do not want their name added to the City’s artist database for email notices of future calls. Artist’s response for this Call to Artists will not be returned. Every effort will be made to protect submitted materials; however, the City will not accept responsibility for any lost or damaged materials during the selection process.

The City of Coeur d’ Alene reserves the right to change the dates of this project timeline, to modify this solicitation, to request additional information or proposal from any or all participating artists, to re-open the competition and/or to accept or reject, at any time prior to the commissioning of a work, any or all design proposals.

For more information about the Coeur d’Alene Arts Commission, visit our website at www.cdaid.org/arts. 

Contact Information:

City Staff Support to the Arts Commission:

Amy Ferguson, Executive Assistant

Phone: (208) 666-5754

Email:  amyf@cdaid.org

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria