Deadline Extended!
Contract Amount Increased!

 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

RTD N Line Commuter Rail Station in Commerce City
Public Art Project

Qualifications are requested from Colorado-based artists, for a site-specific exterior work of art to be commissioned for the N Line (North Metro) Commuter Rail Stop located 72nd Avenue and Colorado Blvd. in Commerce City, Colorado.

NEW DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTAL: February 14, 2020 11:59 p.m. MST
SUBMITTALS ACCEPTED ONLINE ONLY: www.callforentry.org
TOTAL ART BUDGET: $58,000

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 soon-to-be completed North Metro Rail Line Station at 72nd Avenue in Commerce City.

This new commuter rail will come to the Denver metro area this summer. The first 13 miles of the N Line (referred to as the North Metro rail line during construction) will provide service from Union Station through Denver, Commerce City, Thornton. Eventually, when the entire 18.5 miles is built out, the line will service Northglenn and eventually to north Adams County.  The N Line will connect at Union Station where riders have the option to transfer to the University of Colorado A Line to the airport and other rail lines that depart from Union Station and downtown.

RTD has provided $40,000 for each of the stations along the line and will work with each of the cities to select artwork appropriate for the site. 

ARTWORK FOR N LINE COMMERCE CITY STATION
The Art Selection Committee is recommending the creation of a site-specific artwork for the new station. Commerce City has one station along the line, and it is the first station on the line after a long elevated portion of rail. As passengers ride this line, they will see the Flatirons and the Rockies to the west, downtown skyline to the south and pass a variety of industrial areas that are part of this north metro area.

Artwork could celebrate Commerce City and the bright future of the neighborhood in which it is situated. This area has been constantly changing and evolving. Before the area was settled, it was home to the Cheyenne and Arapahoe people. In the1920s the area was mostly 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 neighborhood around the Commerce City N Line Station is currently industrial with a sprinkle of small bungalows and open space. The City of Commerce City has created a Station Area Master Plan, which will guide this area to a Transit Oriented Development with higher density mixed-use buildings near the transit stop, fanning out to single-family residential further from the station. https://www.c3gov.com/home/showdocument?id=542

The artwork for this commuter rail station should celebrate the history and bright future of the western community in Commerce City. This part of Commerce City is beginning to change and change and grow, and the commuter rail will be an enormous benefit and catalyst for the area. The business owners and residents in the area have great hope for the future and a sense of pride for this unique community. It is a very diverse neighborhood in every aspect and artwork should celebrate all these aspects of the community.

The Selection Panel has suggested sculptural elements for the inner section of a traffic circle (vertical marker) on the north side of the station or attached to a seat wall below the train plaza.  Kinetic artwork and color is encouraged. Because the art will be placed in the public realm, 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 station activities. In addition, the extreme sun and sudden weather/temperature changes in Colorado must also be taken into account.

PUBLIC ART BUDGET
The project budget for the exterior artwork for the N Line Commerce City Station is ,000 USD. The budget for 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. 

ELIGIBILITY
All applicants must be legal residents of the United States and reside full-time in Colorado. 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 present a proposal to the selection panel. 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.

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:

 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.

 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.

 }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.

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

1. Do you reside in Colorado full-time?
2. Have you completed at least one public art commission for a municipality or state agency?
3. This project has a very quick turn-around. Would it present a problem for you to complete a project by fall of 2020 if contracts are awarded by April 2020?

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 Janurary 24 2020 at Kendall.Peterson@theresquareddenver.com. Responses to all questions will be posted on the City’s website and CaFETM. 

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria