City of Kirkland

Request for Qualifications

132nd Square Park Call for Art

Job # 41-20-CMO

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS                                                        

Notice is hereby given that qualifications will be received by the City of Kirkland, Washington, for:

132nd Square Park Call for Art

File with Purchasing Agent, Finance Department, 123 - 5th Ave, Kirkland WA, 98033

Qualifications received later than 5:00 p.m. September 11, 2020 will not be considered.

A copy of this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) may be obtained from City’s web site at http://www.kirklandwa.gov/. Click on the Business tab at the top of the page and then click on the Request for Proposals link found under “Doing Business with the City."

The City of Kirkland reserves the right to reject any and all submissions, and to waive irregularities and informalities in the submittal and evaluation process. This RFQ does not obligate the City to pay any costs incurred by respondents in the preparation and submission of qualifications.  Furthermore, the RFQ does not obligate the City to accept or contract for any expressed or implied services.

In order to be considered for award, all the required information listed in the RFQ shall be included with each artist submission.  Failure to submit all of the requested documentation may disqualify the submission from being considered. 

The City of Kirkland requires that no person shall, on the grounds of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity.  The City of Kirkland further assures that every effort will be made to ensure non-discrimination in all of its programs and activities, whether those programs are federally funded or not.

In addition to nondiscrimination compliance requirements, the artist ultimately awarded a contract shall comply with federal, state and local laws, statutes and ordinances relative to the execution of the work.  This requirement includes, but is not limited to, protection of public and employee safety and health; environmental protection; waste reduction and recycling; the protection of natural resources; permits; fees; taxes; and similar subjects.

Dated this 20th day of August 2020

Greg Piland

Financial Operations Manager

425-587-3123

City of Kirkland Request for Qualifications

132nd Square Park Call for Art

Primary Contacts:

Chris Hendrickson

City Manager’s Office

CHendrickson@kirklandwa.gov

Budget:  $56,000 for design, presentation to multiple boards and commissions, presentation to City Council, materials and fabrication, and installation supervision/direction.

Deadline:  September 11, 2020

Description:

The City of Kirkland in collaboration with the Kirkland Cultural Arts Commission and Kirkland Park Board, invites artists or artist teams to submit proposals for site-specific outdoor public art to be placed at 132nd Square Park, a popular 9.75 acre community park located in Kirkland, WA.

The art installation may consist of one or more elements and should reflect the park’s natural beauty as well as the diverse neighborhood community that uses the park. In addition, this public art is part of a 1% Capital Improvement Project to redesign and make improvements to the park. The public art should therefore complement the new design and enhancements specified in the 132nd Square Park Design Documents.

Eligibility Requirements: This project is open to all artists residing in the United States who have the background, experience and reputation for completing outdoor art installations of this scope.

Artists should consider the following characteristics:

·         Appropriate for the surrounding family focused uses

·         Integral to park site in theme, materials and scale

·         Consists of free-standing or individual elements

·         Reflect the diverse neighborhood community that uses park

·         May be a mural, mosaic, or incorporated into a bench, wall, or wayfinding elements

The proposed art must fulfill the following:

·         Fabricated in permanent, outdoor media and meets or exceeds standards for structural integrity and durability

·         Low maintenance, weather, vandal and graffiti resistant

·         Meets or exceeds standards for public safety

·         Suitable for public viewing by all ages

The public art will be revealed at a community event to celebrate the reopening of 132nd Square Park at the completion of the park improvements, estimated for Spring 2022.

Background:

One percent (1%) for Art is assessed on capital improvement projects (CIP) that are undertaken by the City of Kirkland. The Kirkland Cultural Arts Commission (KCAC) together with City departments manages the design and development of art that is integrated into City projects and approved by City Council. The Art Committee is composed of members from KCAC and Fire Department personnel.

City

The City of Kirkland has expanded geographically several times since its founding in 1905. Most recently, a 2011 annexation added 33,000 residents to the City for a current total of approximately 85,000. (The area where the 132nd Square Park is located was included in this annexation.) The City is known for its Lake Washington waterfront parks and lively downtown, as well as a high concentration of technology workers. Kirkland’s population has become more diverse since the last census, with significant increases of foreign-born residents. The City’s three secondary languages are Spanish, Russian, and Chinese, with several other languages represented in the resident population.  

Overall Park Improvements

The 132nd Square Park, located at 13159 132nd Avenue NE, covers 9.75 total acres, with a project area of 6.9 acres in the Evergreen Hills area of NE Kirkland. It is bounded by NE 132 Street (north), 132 Avenue NE (east) and residential developments (west and south). The overall park project, of which this art installation will be a part, is partially funded by the Washington State Department of Ecology to provide a stormwater facility. Improvements to the park include: synthetic grass and lighting on the athletic field; expanded parking lot; new restrooms, new playground and picnic shelters; and revitalized walking trails. An extant reflexology feature will be relocated and a labyrinth will be added.  

Public Art and Park Setting

The 132nd Square Park is a beloved community resource. The upgraded facilities, particularly the improved athletic field, will expand the park’s functionality, drawing visitors from a larger area of Kirkland. The park is located in a culturally diverse area with roots in Native American (Duwamish) history and significant immigrant populations. The proposed public art should honor the park’s history and its natural beauty as well as reflect the current pluralism of the community. The art project should be compatible with the modern immigrant experience and Kirkland’s open and inclusive spirit. 

Proposed Sites for Public Art

Artists will select one or more of these proposed sites within 132nd Square Park grounds for public art installation. These sites were chosen as they are near family recreation facilities, are relatively flat and are accessible by ADA compliant pathways.

1)    Near Restrooms

2)    Next to Picnic Shelters

3)    Along Pathways

4)    Near or part of the labyrinth

Artist Selection Process:

The Art Committee will review responses to the RFQ and recommend finalist(s) to the Cultural Arts Commission for recommendation to the City Council. The Committee reserves the right to select three finalists for this opportunity. The Committee also reserves the right to not select any artists. Artists will be expected to provide written qualifications, examples of prior work that corresponds with this project, and be available for an interview.

Submittal:

· 1 page letter of interest including vision statement describing why you should be considered for this opportunity, and how your vision addresses this specific public art call. You may include preferred site(s) for art installation with broad stroke concept ideas.

· 3-5 digital images of your current work that is most relevant to this project, format and sized small enough to be able to be emailed.

· Three references for outdoor public art projects that you have completed successfully

Finalist Selection Criteria:

· Comparable work developing a series of concepts reflective of city agency.

· Demonstrated ability to complete permanent public artworks on time and on budget.

· Demonstrated ability to research and study the community to develop art that is uniquely of the community.

· Ability to integrate interpretive elements in infrastructure.  

· Ability to work with engineers, contractors and a diverse project team.

· Ability to meet project timeline

Schedule:

DATE(S) and TASK

Aug 20 – Sept 11, 2020: Application Period

Aug 28, 2020: Questions due by 5 PM

Sept 2, 2020: Responses to questions posted by the City

Sept 11, 2020 5 p.m.: Applications Due

Sept 14 – 18, 2020: Application Review

Sept 24 – 25, 2020: Artist finalist interviews

Sept 28, 2020: Selected artist notified

Sept 28 – Oct 5, 2020: Contract negotiations with final contract issuance on October 5

Oct 5 – Oct 19, 2020: Artist develop 2-3 Concepts

Oct 19, 2020: Artist Concepts Due

Oct 23, 2020: Artist notified of concept selected

Oct 23 – Nov 3, 2020: Artist develops final design

Questions

Upon release of this RFQ, all Artist communications concerning the RFQ should be directed to the City’s RFQ Coordinator listed below. Unauthorized contact regarding this RFQ with any other City employees may result in disqualification. Any oral communications will be considered unofficial and non-binding on the City. Artists should rely only on written statements issued by the RFQ Coordinator. The City’s RFQ Coordinator for this project is:

Name: Chris Hendrickson

Address: City of Kirkland, City Managers Office
123 5th Avenue, Kirkland, Washington 98033

E-mail: chendrickson@kirklandwa.gov

Qualification Submittal Instructions

Submissions must be received by no later than 5:00 pm PDT on September 11, 2020.

We prefer that qualifications be submitted by email. Emailed submissions should include “Qualification-Job #41-20-CMO” in the subject line and be addressed to: purchasing@kirklandwa.gov. (Emailed submissions must be in MS Word or PDF format and cannot exceed 20MB).

As an alternate to email, qualifications can be mailed or delivered to:

City of Kirkland

Attn: Greg Piland – Job #41-20-CMO
123 5th Avenue
Kirkland, WA 98033

If submitting a paper qualification, the original plus four (4) copies of all qualifications in printed form must be submitted in a sealed envelope or box with the following words clearly marked on the outside of the envelope, 132nd Square Park Call for Art RFQ. The supplier’s name and address must be clearly indicated on the envelope.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria