Call Detail
City of Wilmington: Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park Sculpture
http://www.wilmingtonde.gov/residents/sculptureRFP

Entry Deadline: 9/30/12
Application Closed
Work Sample Requirements
Images | Minimum:Min. 1, Maximum:Max. 10
Total Samples | Minimum:Min. 1, Maximum:Max. 10
Call Type: Unspecified
Eligibility: Unspecified
State: Unspecified

The goal of the open selection and design process is to identify an artist or team with the skills, experience, resources, and vision to create and install a high quality piece of public art. The available budget (provided by both public and private funds) for the sculpture is up to $220,000 inclusive of all artist/designer expenses, insurance, research, design, travel, fabrication, construction, transportation, materials, fees, and installation costs. Interested artists or artist teams are invited to submit their qualifications, as described in Section 4, to the selection committee no later than September 30, 2011. Three to four qualified artists will be identified through this process and will be asked to submit formal proposals as described in Section 6 of this document. Artists selected to submit formal proposals will be notified in writing and provided with additional information regarding the proposals, review of proposals, and final commission.



Sculpture Background

a. Why is this being done?

Public art has the power to: transform how we perceive the places where we live, work, and play; enliven our public spaces; awaken our thinking about our history; and change our communities into environments that invite interaction. Public art can connect strangers, invite children to ask questions, and provide a place for respite that can calm hurried lives. Public art enhances the quality of life by encouraging a deeper understanding of place with aesthetic objects that touch people and can be touched by people today and in the future.

Wilmington, Delaware was a major station on the Underground Railroad. The Harriet Tubman/Thomas Garrett public art project should speak to and about the relationship that was forged between Harriet Tubman and Thomas Garrett (who lived in Wilmington) in the efforts to free slaves from the bonds and inhumanity of slavery. The project should also symbolize and recognize the importance and necessity of whites and blacks working together on the underground railroad to aid fugitive slaves escaping the south in search of freedom in the North.

b. Who is sponsoring the commission of the sculpture?

• Mayor James M. Baker, City of Wilmington
• Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs
• Wilmington Arts Commission
• Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware

c. What is the funding source?

• Funding is secured and provided by the City of Wilmington’s Percent for Art Fund.

d. What role does the project play in Wilmington’s public art objectives?

• Attracts cultural tourism to the City
• Makes the City more dynamic
• Major component in the City’s economic development strategy
• Provides a creative historical marker that celebrates the role that Harriett Tubman and Thomas Garrett played in the Underground Railroad movement.



Timeline And Overview Of The Selection Process

The artist selection process is a two-phase process with a Request For Qualifications in Phase I and a formal Request For Proposals in Phase II for selected artists.

Phase I - Overview

A. Request for Qualifications (RFQ) – Interested artists are invited to submit portfolios and 2- dimensional sketches of initial ideas for the sculpture electronically. Refer to Section 4 for complete Portfolio submission and RFQ requirements.

B. Review of Qualifications – The Selection Committee will review eligible portfolios and select at least three (3) artists or teams as semifinalists to submit formal proposals in Phase II of the selection process.

Phase II - Overview

A. Request for Proposals (RFP) - Artists or teams selected semifinalists for Phase II of the process will respond to a formal Request for Proposals, which shall include necessary supporting sketches and materials, a written narrative, a work plan and fee schedule.

B. Review of Proposals – Selection Committee will review proposals, select preferred proposal, and enter into a contract for commission of the selected sculpture.



Timeline

September 30, 2011 Deadline for submission of Request For Qualifications(RFQ).

October 5, 2011 Selection Committee meets to review qualifications on portfolios.

October 11, 2011 Artists selected to submit formal Request for Proposals – notified in writing via e-mail by this date.

December 18, 2011 Deadline for submission of Request For Proposals (RFP).

January 13, 2012 Selection Committee meets to review proposals.

February 1, 2012 Selection Committee announces winning artist.

No Later than August 15, 2012 Sculpture to be installed.

August 21, 2012 Dedication ceremony. (on Harriet Tubman’s birthday)



Phase 1 - Request For Qualifications

Eligible Portfolios
Only artists with previous experience in the design, construction, and installation of figurative sculpture for outdoor public spaces are encouraged to apply.

Submission of Qualifications
Interested, eligible artists must submit qualifications, as described below, no later than September 30, 2011 in order to be considered. All submissions will be electronic through callforentry.org CaFE website. All applicants must go to the specified online submission site, create a profile/account, fill in the application and go through Checkout before the due date to qualify. Items listed below are required as part of your submission. The information that can be uploaded as *PDFs to the website.

1. Current resume or similar document of no more than three (3) pages describing the artist’s relevant experience. Artist teams shall submit a resume for each principal team member.

2. Up to (10) images (JPG format only - size is listed on the CaFE site) of recent and/or relevant work. Include detail views.

3. Three (3) references with complete contact information from the artist’s most recent or relevant projects.

4. A maximum of three (3) selections of supporting materials (reviews, news articles, gallery guides, etc.)

5. A letter of interest with a discussion of style; conceptual sculpture theme; *black-and-white preliminary sketch/renderings no larger than 8 ½ x 11” of possible ideas (no 3-D work); and the statement on the artist’s ability to complete, direct, and coordinate the installation of the project by the deadline.

* Individual submission elements (multi page resume, resumes of team members...etc.) should be submitted as a single bundled PDF as the CaFE web site only allows a single upload per category.



Phase 1 - Review Of Qualifications

All eligible, complete RFQs will be evaluated by the Sculpture Selection Committee. The Selection Committee will be comprised of individuals from the City of Wilmington, the Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware, the Delaware Art Museum, Christina Cultural Arts Center, two community members, and the landscape architect. The committee will evaluate RFQs based on the following criteria:

• Artistic excellence and originality as evidence by portfolio images and supporting materials.

• Appropriateness of the artist’s medium, style, and experience in relation to the project goals as
determined by the consensus of the Selection Committee.

• Artist’s ability to respond creatively and uniquely to the site-specific design challenges, special limitations, and site character.

• Artist’s experience with similar projects and demonstrated ability to successfully meet the requirements of this project.

• Artist’s ability to capture the essence of the City of Wilmington’s role in the Underground Railroad as exhibited by Harriet Tubman and Thomas Garrett.

Prior to scoring the submitted portfolios, the Selection Committee will meet as a group to review and discuss each portfolio. Individual Committee members will then score each portfolio based on the following criteria:

50% - Images of previous figurative work
30% - Conceptual drawings and discussion of artistic intent/theme
20% - Overall evaluation

Each artist will receive an individual score from each committee member. Artists’ scores will be tallied and 3 will be selected as semifinalists for Phase II of the selection process. All scores shall be kept in possession of the committee and not released to the public nor shared with the artist.

Following the scoring of portfolios all artists will be notified of their status and semifinalists selected for the second phase will be asked to submit formal proposals (RFP).



phase 2 - Request For Proposals

Formal Request for Proposals

Proposal Submission
Upon notice in writing from the Selection Committee, three (3) to four (4) artists will be selected to submit formal proposals (RFP) based upon their submissions for the portfolios. Semifinalists will be given a stipend to complete the requirements of the RFP and the Selection Committee will schedule interviews with each semifinalist.

Below is a description of the process in brief:

1. Semifinalists will prepare a proposal based upon the design criteria (See section 7) and deliver it to the Sculpture Committee at or before December 18, 2011. Proposals should be delivered to:

Attn: Sculpture Selection Committee c/o Megan McGlinchey
Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware
800 South Madison Street.
Wilmington, DE 19801

2. The Proposal shall consist of the following items:

A. A scaled maquette of the proposed sculpture. This will be made to a prescribed scale and will provide sufficient detail for the Selection Committee to understand the scope, detail, and intent of the work.

B. A written narrative of the proposed sculpture detailing the thematic development and
interpretation of symbolic details.

C. A schedule of proposed materials, fees, and work plan/calendar up to and including the
installation of the sculpture in the park.

3. The Committee will meet in closed session for discussion and scoring of the proposals according to criteria similar to those applied to scoring the portfolios.

4. The sculpture commission will be awarded to the artist receiving the highest cumulative score.

5. After the selected sculpture is delivered and installed at the specified location, the ownership of all images, written materials, maquette, and finished works of art shall be the property of the City of Wilmington. The City may relocate the original art work at any time.

Proposal Stipend
Artist selected to submit formal proposals shall be provided a stipend consistent with the assignment to submit a maquette that demonstrates the proposed work using the specified medium and subject matter, plus suggested modifications.

The stipend shall be $5,000 per artist. The contract for the artist receiving the final commission will include the stipend.


All applicants must go to the "Vew Site Detail" link on this page to download the complete RFQ.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria