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Public Art Intent and Goals

The City of Kansas City, Missouri One Percent for Art program seeks to commission works of art that advance public understanding of visual art and enhance the quality of public places by selecting a qualified artist who can innovatively and thoughtfully design within the context of this project.

Project Background

The City of Kansas City, Missouri One Percent for Art program seeks to commission a professional visual artist, or artist team, to design art to be placed on or near a newly expanded section of Maplewoods Parkway in Clay County, MO. The total budget available for this project is $150,000. The RFQ deadline is 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time Zone, October 24, 2020.

On April 4, 2017, Kansas City voters approved an infrastructure repair plan funded by General Obligation bonds, a plan known as GO KC. Residents voted on three ballot questions. Question #1 called for approving the issuance of $600 million in bonds over a 20-year period to repair streets, bridges and sidewalks, including trails.

One of the major streets, bridges and roads projects is the expansion of Maplewoods Parkway from NE 96th Street to Shoal Creek Parkway, to upgrade this section of road to the current parkway standard. Improvements include wide grass medians, on-street bike lanes, sidewalks, enclosed storm systems, and roundabouts at the key intersections.

Eligibility

Professional visual artists, or artist teams, at least 18 years of age are eligible, with a preference for artists who live or work in the Missouri counties of Cass, Clay, Jackson, Platte, and Ray County, or the Kansas counties of Johnson and Wyandotte. Demonstrated experience working with diverse community stakeholders is desired. Full-time, permanent City of Kansas City, Missouri employees, project consultants and their employees and sub-consultants are ineligible to apply.

Budget

The public art budget for the Maplewoods Parkway project is up to $150,000. The selected artist(s) will provide original, site-responsive public art for the parkway between NE 96th St and Shoal Creek Parkway. Options for sites include medians, roundabouts, sidewalks, or other solutions identified by the selected artist(s).

Question and Answer Period
Questions related to this project for the KCMO Public Art Administrator or the KCMO Maplewoods Parkway expansion Project Manager should be emailed to the Public Art Administrator at james.martin@kcmo.org by 5:00 p.m. CDT Monday, September 28th. Questions received by this deadline will be answered in writing on this CaFE Call for Artists listing via a RFQ addendum after the Artist Information Session described below. Questions may also be answered during the Artist Information Session described below if time allows.
[9/14/2020 Addendum: The correct end date of the RFQ Question and Answer period is 5:00 CDT Monday, September 28th.]

Artist Information Session
An information session with the KCMO Public Art Adminstrator and the Maplewoods Parkway Project Manager will be held via videoconference Wednesday, September 30th 1-3 p.m. CDT. Please use the following links to join:
Join Microsoft Teams Meeting
To join by phone: +1 872-212-5076
Conference ID: 696 816 207#

[10/5/2020 FAQ Addendum. The following questions and answers result from the Question and Answer Period and Artist Information Session referred to above:

Q1: I see that there is a preference for artists who live or work in one of seven counties near Kansas City. I do not live in one of those counties. Am I still eligible?

A1: Yes, you are eligible to submit your qualifications to the Maplewoods Parkway public art opportunity. Please be advised, however, that the selection panel will be instructed that there is a preference for artists who live or work in the Missouri counties of Cass, Clay, Jackson, Platte, and Ray County, or the Kansas counties of Johnson and Wyandotte, and that artists from these locations should be considered before respondents from outside of these locations.

Q2: Based on the published Evaluation Criteria, it seems that you are looking for someone who has experience working on a project of the scale indicated by the $150,000 budget, or who is collaborating with a partner who has such experience. Can that partner be a subcontractor, or are you looking for a collaborator who is a full partner?

A2: The Artist Selection Panel can only consider the qualifications that have been submitted. Consequently, the qualifications of any collaborator should be submitted jointly, at the same time as the artist’s qualifications. The nature of the collaboration (e.g., equal partners, or an agreement in which one party has a larger share of the partnership) is determined solely by those co-applicants.

Q3: The RFP states that the budget in total is $150,000. Does that include all site prep costs such as the foundation, if a sculpture was selected?

A3: Yes, artists should expect the $150,000 budget to pay for all costs directly related to placing finished art, including but not limited to: design, fabrication, transportation, installation, lighting, permits, excavation, site remediation and landscaping, electrical work and fixtures such as lighting, approval by a licensed structural engineer, travel expenses, general liability insurance and commercial auto insurance.

The $150,000 budget must also pay for costs that may be incurred to meet other contractual requirements, including but not limited to:

• acquiring a City of Kansas City, Missouri business license
• registering as a vendor with the City of Kansas City, Missouri
• ensuring that municipal revenue tax to the City of Kansas City, Missouri is current
• developing a budget to include all aspects of design, fabrication, transportation, installation and lighting, and that may include costs such as:
  • permits
  • excavation, site remediation and landscaping
  • electrical work and fixtures such as lighting
  • approval by a licensed structural engineer
  • travel expenses
  • general liability insurance
  • commercial auto insurance
• contracts over $160,000 may be subject to City of Kansas City DBE, MBE, WBE and SLBE guidelines

Requirements of the State of Missouri may include, but are not limited to:

• registering with the Missouri Secretary of State to conduct business in the state of Missouri

• Worker’s Compensation and managing related documentation
• notarized affidavit of compliance with federal e-Verify requirements
• contracts over $75,000 must meet Missouri’s Prevailing Wage Law and require managing related documentation

Federal requirements may include, but are not limited to:

• W-9
• e-Verify

Q4: Can you describe a specific site along the roadway that has been selected for placement of art?

A4: The roadway project, which is approximately 2 miles long, features medians, sidewalks and roundabouts. The choice of site has been left open-ended purposely to allow more design options.

On the east side of the road, there is a 10-foot wide multi-use trail. On the west side there is a sidewalk. The street has a bike lane, and there is a wide median. There are 4 roundabouts, one of which is peanut-shaped. In the section that has been finished, the wide median has been landscaped, as well as the areas adjacent to the sidewalks.

Q5: Can you provide more information about the schedule?

A5: Storm sewer and water line installation was finished in Spring 2020. Roadway construction started in March 2020. Three of five roadway construction sequences will be finished at the end of October 2020. The fourth roadway construction sequence, which includes the peanut-shaped roundabout, will be completed at the end of 2020. The fifth roadway construction sequence, which is the Shoal Creek Parkway intersection, is projected to be finished in June or July 2021.

Q6: Are there any infrastructure obstacles in the median, such as storm sewers or drains, or other structures that have footings?

A6: There are no structures with footings. However, some landscaping design has been completed for the median. There are some trees planned for the median. There are also some retaining walls in the median due to elevation differences between the north-bound and south-bound lanes of the roadway.

Q7: Will it be possible to place a structure that has a footing 6-8 feet below grade?

A7: The storm sewers run parallel to the roadway for the most part. There are occasional crossings beneath the median. With a roadway approximately 2 miles long, we feel that there are ample spaces available that would not conflict with a below-grade storm sewer crossing. More detailed construction drawings will be provided to all shortlisted semi-finalists that are asked to submit a design proposal.

Q8: Are more detailed landscape plans available that illustrate pedestrian circulation pathways on the sidewalks, in intersections with the roadway, and among plantings?

A8: A construction drawing that shows features such as bike lanes and pedestrian crossings can be downloaded at ftp://ftp.kcmo.org/outgoing/PR/jwang/Maplewoods%20Parkway%20PSE%20Plan/.

Q9: Will the landscaping in the median contain tall trees or other features that would be within the sight lines of someone looking at the art, or is the landscape mostly open, with smaller trees and shrubs?

A9: There are maples and birches being planned. Most of the landscaping will be complete in spring 2021. If the final art design is finalized before the remaining landscaping is finished, if there are requests to adjust the tree spacing or locations, we are open to that kind of concept.

Q10: What is the ideal dedication date for public art at Maplewoods Parkway?

A10: July 2021 is the ideal date. After the project is complete, the road will be open to traffic and art delivery and installation will require much more coordination. Landscaping damaged by art delivery and installation might have to be replaced at the artist’s cost. If the final art design is available before landscape plantings are finished, we may be able to modify the planting schedule slightly.

Q11: Is there electricity in the roundabouts or in the median?

A11: The design we have does not include lighting in the roundabouts. The streetlights are located along the side of the roadway. Artists should expect to bear the costs of providing power to light art locations.

Q12: Was this project advertised previously under a different name, with a larger budget?

A12: Yes, at the time it was called the Maplewoods Parkway/North Woodland Project.

End of 10/5/2020 FAQ Addendum].

Evaluation Criteria
The selection of an artist, or artist team, shall be based on whose qualifications best meet the requirements contained in this Project Outline. In keeping with the standard One Percent for Art selection criteria, the Selection Panel will review and consider the following evaluation criteria:

Excellence: Works of art in the artist's portfolio are original, innovative, of exceptional quality and enduring value.

Relevant prior experience: The artist has created projects of a similar scale and budget and has experience coordinating with multiple stakeholders or is jointly submitting the qualifications of a collaborator that has created such projects and that has such experience.

Appropriateness to site and project: Works of art in the portfolio indicate that the artist is likely to be sensitive to the social, economic, cultural, historical and physical context of the site and the surrounding neighborhood, either existing or planned.

Durability: Works of art in the artist's portfolio utilize materials and processes likely to contribute to the longevity of public works of art, especially for projects that will be located outdoors, or is willing to adopt such practices by collaborating with a partner with relevant specialized expertise.

Selection Process
The Kansas City, Missouri Public Art Administrator will convene a selection panel to evaluate the submissions. Up to three semi-finalists will be selected and paid a $1,200 design fee to develop a proposal to present to the selection panel. The selection panel will review the semi-finalist proposals, budgets and qualifications (images of work, resume/CV, letter of interest, references) and select one artist, or artist team, and one alternate. The selected artist/artist team's proposal will be presented to the Municipal Art Commission for approval prior to development of a contract. All contracts may be subject to approval by City Council.

Semi-finalist and finalist artists seeking assistance with City of Kansas City, Missouri contract requirements should contact KC BizCare, https://www.kcmo.gov/programs-initiatives/kc-bizcare or 816-513-2492. For questions outside of BizCare’s scope of services, artists may be referred to other resources. BizCare and other City employees and/or contractors are not authorized to give legal advice to artists. Semi-finalist and finalist artists may find it advantageous to consult with an attorney while discussing contract terms with the City.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria