Download full project specifications here.

REQUIREMENTS (continued):
Letter of Interest
Resume/CV
List providing details of your portfolio images, such as title, date, materials, size and budget

Eligibility

Professional visual artists, or artist teams, at least 18 years of age are eligible. Artists located outside of the United States are requested to use a U.S.-based fabricator. Demonstrated experience working with diverse community stakeholders is desired. Full-time, permanent City of Kansas City, Missouri employees, project consultants, project contractors, and their employees and sub-contractors are ineligible to apply.

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. The public art at KCI should reflect our City’s diverse demographics and should welcome travelers of all backgrounds to experience art in an inclusive environment.

Commission Description

The City of Kansas City, Missouri One Percent for Art program seeks to commission a professional visual artist, or artist team, to create two  installations to be placed in the stairwells at the new KCI Airport parking garage.

The two installations (one per stairwell) will be located in either: a) the gap between stair runs, or; b) directly in-side the glass enclosure, or; c) on the 7 story concrete wall that separates the elevator shaft from stairs. The gap between stair runs is approximately 17’-6” long, 2’-0” wide, and 90 feet tall. The glass area between mullions varies but generally 6’x12’ and 10” deep.  Art can be suspended from the roof structure and / or supported from the ground and is permitted to extend the full height of the stair shaft. Visitors will be able to touch or interact with this installation. This piece is meant to illuminate and enliven the vertical circulation during the day and night. The artist may interpret these installations as a pair (diptych) or as duplicate pieces.

About the Site: Garage Stairwells

The 2 west stairs of the garage located directly adjacent to the elevated roadway connecting arrivals and departures levels is the primary pedestrian vertical circulation in the garage.  These 2 large vertical glass towers stand outside the footprint of the garage and within the gap between the roadway and garage. The stair extends all seven levels and is 75’ tall or 90’ from roof to lowest level floor.  The stair is a switchback concrete stair structured off the con-crete wall of the elevator and concrete crucible column at the opposing landing.  The stair is generally overall 30’ long and 12’ wide.  Each run of the stair is 4’-8” wide with a 2’ wide gap between.  The guardrails are side mounted to the stair and are steel pipe rail.

Download full project specifications here.

KCI Background

When it debuted on November 21, 1972, the three-terminal Kansas City International airport was at the forefront of modern aviation. With runways designed for jumbo jets and visions of supersonic travel, it was an early example of “drive to your gate” design, the ultimate in airport convenience. The terminals’ once revolutionary design is now dated, space is cramped, and amenities no longer meet travelers’ expectations. Added security requirements have also complicated the travel process by further reducing available space.

Over the years, there have been several initiatives to renovate the existing terminals or perhaps even construct an entirely new terminal. In 1995 and 2009 two KCI Master Plans recommended a single terminal.

A more in-depth study was conducted in 2013 by the City of Kansas City, Missouri City Council that included passenger goals, objectives and preferences. The Mayor’s Airport Terminal Advisory Group, the Aviation Department and its airline partners concluded a new, single-terminal design would be the best option to bring KCI up to modern standards and amenities.

In November 2017, Kansas City, Missouri voters overwhelmingly approved construction of a single airport terminal with 76 percent in favor.

The New Single Terminal and Parking at KCI Project Description

At just over one million square feet, the Kansas City International Airport Single Terminal is the largest single infrastructure project in the City’s history. It will have a profound and lasting economic impact on the region in the form of new jobs, opportunities for local and small businesses, and a first-class traveler experience for airport users.

Completion is estimated in Spring 2023, with 39 gates and the ability to expand to 50 in the future. The project will also include a seven-story 6,200-space parking structure along landside and airside improvements.

The new terminal will support more efficient airline operations and allow airport users to enjoy the convenience of modern air travel in a facility with updated technology and amenities, close parking, spacious gate areas, and ample food and beverage options.

Kansas City is being recognized more and more as a world-class city. The New Single Terminal and Parking at KCI will greet visitors with a warm Kansas City welcome and send hometown travelers off in style.

Delivering a World-Class New Terminal for Kansas City

A new airport terminal that reflects the core values and aspirations of Kansas City.

The development of a new terminal at Kansas City International Airport will enhance Kansas City's world-class reputation by adding a world-class airport terminal that will spur economic development, increase the long-term capacity of M/WBE and local firms, and build the workforce of the future.

The New Single Terminal and Parking at KCI project will be part of Kansas City’s One Percent for Art program, which began in 1986 and now features over 45 works of public art.

Total Budget

The total public art budget for the New Single Terminal and Parking is $5.65 million (US dollars). The individual art locations and budgets are as follows:

Location Budget: Garage stairwells, up to $500,000, all inclusive

Budget includes, but is not limited to, stipends, design fees, travel, fabrication, supplies, material costs, delivery, approval by a Missouri-licensed engineer, lighting materials, installation, etc.

Submission Materials

Please submit the following via this CaFE RFQ by no later than Saturday, February 13, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. MST. Submissions received after this deadline will not be considered. The KCMO Public Art Administrator reserves the right to conduct on-site or telephone interviews to clarify submission materials as needed.

Letter of Intent, up to 1 page

• Clearly describe your interest in the project and how you will be able to contribute to its success.
• Articulate your interest and/or experience in public art design, fabrication &/or project collaboration.
• Summarize your experience in developing and/or executing creative projects of this scope in the public realm in the Kansas City metropolitan area (if applicable), airports, and beyond (e.g. site-responsive art installations, interactive and participatory artworks, multimedia projects, creative placemaking events, festivals, etc.).

Resume/CV

• Artist’s Experience: list your professional experience including any commissions, residencies, touring, exhibitions, collaborations, and projects involving the community and work in the public sector.
• Education: list your educational background and training.
• Experience working with organizations, institutions, developers, locally and beyond.
• Include up to 3 professional references

Images, video, audio or multi-media

A relevant body of work that demonstrates conceptual, aesthetic, and technical mastery in at least one artistic medium. Attach up to 10 .pdf or jpg. images &/or links and/or up to 6 each audio and/or video files.

Image List
A list providing details of your portfolio images, such as title, year made, materials, dimensions and budget.

Evaluation Criteria

The Selection Panel will use the following evaluation criteria to select an artist or artist team:

• 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.
• Diversity, equity and inclusion: The City of Kansas City, Missouri seeks a diverse, equitable and inclusive group of artists to produce public art for the New Single Terminal and Parking at KCI. Selection panelists will consider diversity, equity and inclusion when evaluating artists in conjunction with the City’s policies on contracting and hiring practices.

Selection Process

The selected Shortlisted Artists will be notified by mid-March 2021.

The Kansas City, Missouri Public Art Administrator, in conjunction with the Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Art Commission, will convene one or more selection panels to evaluate the submissions. Selection panels are comprised of area arts professionals, project stakeholders, and community members such as Municipal Art Commission appointees. Up to three semi-finalists will be selected and paid a $5,000 stipend to develop a proposal (RFP) 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 or more artist(s) or artist teams, 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 the Kansas City 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.

Contract

Selected artists will be required to sign a contract outlining expectations, timelines and requirements for creating art at the New Single Terminal and Parking at KCI Project per the City of Kansas City, Missouri.

Question and Answer Period

Questions related to this project should be sent to artsbuildkci@gmail.com no later than January 10, 2021. Frequently asked questions are located at https://www.buildkci.com/art/.

[Addendum 1/29/2021: 

Parking Garage Stairwells Q & A:

Q: There are 2 stairwells. Is the artwork the same or different for each location?

A: The semifinalists can decide whether to have a matching pair of art pieces or 2 separate art works.

Q: There are walls on each stair landing, can I use those to display artwork?

A: The wall spaces may incorporate some painted/flat elements of the main stairwell art piece, but the wall cannot be drilled into as it is the elevator shaft. The walls will also have directional signage for each parking floor displayed on it.

Q: Is the artwork contained inside the stairwell or outside the glass?

A: Artwork is envisioned to be inside the stairwell &/or inside the glass, not on the exterior of the parking structure.

Q: Can my artwork incorporate sculpture and lighting elements?

A: yes.

Q: What is the space within the stairwells?

A: area for hanging art piece is 90 ft (7 stories) tall x 17' 6" length, in-between guardrails. See specification packet for additional dimensions.

Q: Are the garage parking levels color-coded? Will that be shared with us?

A: Yes, during the RFP phase, the garage architect will share the overall branding, signage placement and safety requirements for the garage areas with the semifinalists.

Q: How do I apply as a team with multiple resumes & images?

A: Within www.callforentry.org there is an option to apply as a team, although, only 1 file can be uploaded for a resume, so it may include multiple pages for each team member uploaded as a single document.

The January 6th & 9th recorded Artist Information Sessions are posted online for your reference. Links below.

Virtual Artist Information Sessions were held to educate artists, art teams and art fabricators about opportunities for upcoming One Percent for Art public commissions for the New Single Terminal and Parking at Kansas City International Airport. These sessions covered RFPs for large-scale ceramics, connector experiential artwork, parking garage stairwells and arrivals roadway.

Jan 6th, 2021: VIEW RECORDED SESSION HERE

Jan 9th, 2021: VIEW RECORDED SESSION HERE

For more FAQs visit: https://www.buildkci.com/art/

End of 1/29/2021 Addendum.]

Schedule

RFQ issued: December 18, 2020
Artist Information Sessions:  Wed Jan 6th 5:30-7pm CST & Sat Jan 9th, 10am-11:30am CST (See above)
Questions due to artsbuildkci@gmail.com by January 10, 2020
Answers to questions issued by addendum to RFQ: by January 16, 2020
RFQ due: February 13, 2021 11:59pm MST
Shortlist Artist notified: mid-March 2021
RFP issued: mid-March
RFP due: May 15, 2021
Interviews conducted between: May 15-31, 2021
Finalist notified: June 2021
Design, Site Visits, Coordination, Fabrication: 2021-2022
Artwork installation completed no later than: December 2022
Airport Opens: March 2023

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria