MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE  

Request for Qualifications  

West High School / Romig Middle School Library Renovation  

1% for Art / Public Art Program / Public Works  

PO Box 196650 

Anchorage, AK  99519-6650 

(907) 343-6473  

Project:  West High School / Romig Middle School Library Renovation 

Deadline for Entries: August 28, 2020 11:59 PM MST 

Contact: Curator of Public Art, Public Art Program, (907) 343-6473 

Amount of Commission: $97,500 total; $65,000 Location 1, $32,500 location 2  

Eligibility: National Call 

Code 

In accordance with Municipal Code 7.40, the Municipality of Anchorage is announcing a call for qualified artists to create artwork for West High School / Romig Middle School in Anchorage, Alaska.   

Project Information  

Project construction was completed May 2018. The installation of artwork will be coordinated with the Curator of public Art and school.  

Site Description 

The art selection jury intends to commission two complementary installations totaling $97,5000 to be permanently installed at two different locations within the indoor atrium area located just outside of the renovated library. The entry to the Library from the atrium area is composed of a floor to ceiling wall of windows. West High School and Romig Middle School are the only combined school in Anchorage, and the renovated library is the largest school library in the state of Alaska. The two schools are joined at the shared library and common area where the artwork is to be installed.  

Past additions and renovations to West H.S. have added public artwork including Ancient Light, inlaid bronze additions to the terrazzo floors by artist Sheila Wyne in 1994, Glacial Alchemy by artist David Griggs in 1998, and Vortex, by artist Mark Gibianin 2016.  All three installations feature science themes and were successfully integrated with, or reflect the architecture of the school. Romig M.S. features public artwork including a suspended sculpture in the hallway connecting Romig to West H.S. titled, Flyway by artist Arthur Higgins in 1999, Knowledge by artist Przemyslaw Kordys in 2017, and Ethnounis Portal, by artists Angelina and Joel Heidel in 2017. These works communicate themes of science and technology while addressing mankind’s interface with nature.  

Romig M.S. is located at 2500 Minnesota, Anchorage AK 99503  

West H.S. is located at 1700 Hillcrest Dr.,  Anchorage, AK 99517  

Location 1: 

Atrium, skylight: $65,000 

The jury is interested in seeing suspended or wall mounted artwork in location 1 that will capture, reflect, or otherwise respond to the natural light of the atrium, adding color and movement to the predominantly white space. The vibrant orange of the skylight’s structural beams and bright green soffit located inside the library, which has a clear line of site through the large floor-to ceiling entry windows, present a strong color palette. Existing color schemes should be given consideration in any color making decisions.  

Preferably, any structural mounting will anchor to the orange beams or the wall rather than the ceiling. Please see attachments for pictures of location 1, site plans with dimensions, as well as pictures with dimensions overlaid for reference. (*Note all dimensions are approximate)  

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vp0k3l6lzyptdlp/AACReAgGtzKepN2AZAucYRJ5a?dl=0 

Location 2: 

Atrium, floor: $32,500 

At the ground level, location 2, the jury would like to see functional, floor-based artwork that encourages zones of conversation between students from both schools as they converge at the library. This area functions as a confluence between the two schools. Historically there was a sculptural installation commonly referred to as the “carpet blocks” in this area. These blocks created a dynamic environment that encouraged students to socialize and presented opportunities for photoshoots as seen in many school year book photos. The jury is interested in seeing proposals that, similar to the carpet blocks, create an aesthetically interesting and engaging environment while functioning as seating. A successful proposal will accomplish these goals while leaving the space feeling open and airy rather than cluttered and congested. Additionally, reasonable clearance should be maintained for the movement of equipment through the hallways.   

Existing benches may be removed/relocated within the school if a hindrance to proposal or may be incorporated into proposals. 

West H.S. school colors are orange and black and Romig M.S. are purple and white. Both school colors have been integrated into floor tiling in the common area where the artwork is to be located and while the specific colors are not required to be used for proposals they should be given consideration in any color palette decision making.  

Please see attachments for pictures of location 2, site plans with dimensions, picture with dimensions overlaid for reference, and yearbook photos of the “carpet blocks”. (*Note all dimensions are approximate)  

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ihbslxnutiztvsm/AAAAIGlE1MsKN3-YsjM0Zr2oa?dl=0 

Artists or artist teams may apply for one or both locations 

Themes 

The themes discussed by the West High School and Romig Middle School Art Selection Jury focused on literacy and language and the convergence of the two schools in the common area. There is preference to see artwork that responds to the diversity of the student population and acknowledges global interconnectedness and stewardship. Within that context, the jury is interested in seeing suspended or wall mounted artwork in location 1 and functional, floor-based artwork for location 2. Though it is not a requirement, the jury welcomes proposals for both art locations from a single artist or artist team. 

Both West and Romig have Spanish and Russian Immersion Programs and serve a campus of diverse learners and ethnicities with a population of students who speak over 55 languages. The total population for both schools is upwards of 2,600 students with an age range from 12-19. West H.S. is an application school for the International Baccalaureate and Romig M.S. provides internationally focused classrooms where students are encouraged to become active members of society in and out of school. Romig prides itself in being a school that celebrates individual distinction. 

Requirements 

There are no restrictions on style or the design of the artwork, but the proposal must provide assurance the artwork will be durable and routine maintenance requirements must be minimal.  Also, surplus materials (2%) will be required for future maintenance needs, if appropriate. The installation must be permanent and must be designed to last the life of the building. This is an earthquake area and needs to meet standards in the IBC 2009 building code as amended by the Municipality of Anchorage. All suspended pieces must be at least 18” lower than the sprinkler system by code.  Suspended items cannot impede the flow of water. Sculptures taller than 6’ must be engineered and permitted through the MOA system set up for works of art.   

Budget  

The total budget for the artwork during this renovation is $97,500 broken into two project locations: $65,000 for location 1, and $32,500 for location 2 .  This includes all costs of design, fabrication, installation, photographic documentation, catalog documentation and an identifying plaque.  Any permitting, or engineer fees required for sculptures taller than 6’ must be paid by artist. Any structural or engineer fees for approved structure modifications, must be paid by artist.   State laws related to public construction, including licensing, insurance, bonding, and payment of prevailing wage rates, may apply. 

Selection Criteria: 

Artists will be selected to develop proposals with the project team based on: 

1. Artistic Merit as evidenced by representation of relevant past work in images.   

1. Appropriateness of the artist’s medium, style and previous experience in relation to the project goals and setting. 

1. Experience with projects of a similar scale and scope including familiarity with the public art process, the public review approval process, and/or collaboration with high schools, and design agencies; and art selection juries.   

1. Artists must have good communication skills and be able to work with diverse community members.  

1. Diversity of artists and media reflects the overall program goals to strive for diversity in style, scale, media and artists in new and traditional art forms. Artists with no prior public art experience will be seriously considered.  Artists with strong bodies of work, with little public art background are encouraged to apply and will be given equal consideration.   

Artists are required to submit the following items:  

1. Six digital images of past work should be loaded into CaFE (callforentry.org) following the guidelines on that site. 

2. Each image should be identified with title, materials, dimensions, and value.  

3. Current 1-2 page resume, including 3 professional references. 

4. Your artist statement should include a description of why you are interested or particularly qualified for this project.  It should also address any experience or work sample deficiencies in relation to your chosen medium. 

5.  Answers to required questions about location, medium, and commission level. 

ART SELECTION JURY  

Romig Principal Carrie Sumner, and joint school Librarian Staci Cox represent the user facility on the Art Selection Jury; Jon Stolle, former Principal Architect of Kumin Associates, represents the design seat on the jury;  Sarah Davies is a visual artist and educator with the Anchorage School District; Schawna Thoma is a Consultant with the Northern Compass Group and represents the Anchorage community; Lance Wilber, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Julie Makaela, a Project Administrator with Project Management and Engineering, represent the Municipality of Anchorage. Gideon Gerlt is the Curator of Public Art and Nicholas Bell represents Project Management for the Anchorage School District. 

Additional Information  

Requests for additional information may be directed to the Curator of Public Art, at Municipality of Anchorage at the Department of Public Works.  The telephone number is (907) 343-6473; the FAX number is (907) 249-7567. The 1% for Art program for the Municipality of Anchorage has a web at: 

https://www.muni.org/Departments/Public_Works_Administration/PublicArt/Pages/default.aspx 

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria