The City of Boulder Fire Station 3 Public Art Selection Panel is seeking an artist or artist team for a site-specific, tribute public artwork to narrate dignity and respect to all who dedicate their lives to public service. The tribute will specifically acknowledge two Boulder firefighters that gave their lives while on duty. An additional goal is to narrate hope, transformation, and support to the Fire Team, their families, the Boulder Community, and the desire of safe communities for all.  This opportunity is part of the relocation and reconstruction of Fire Station 3.

This public art opportunity has a total budget of $65,000.

This commission is open to all Colorado artists/artist teams working in all media. The estimated budget is all-inclusive. A project-specific selection panel has been assembled for the selection process. The public art components will be overseen by staff in the Office of Arts + Culture Public Art Program, with input from the project’s architect Davis Partnership, and key members of the Fire Division and the Fire Station 3 relocation design advisory group.

Concept site plan provided by Davis Partnership  |  Additional details may be found https://bouldercolorado.gov/planning/fire-station-3-relocation-4

Boulder Tribute Overview

The Fire Station 3 Public Art Selection Panel wishes to honor and acknowledge those that dedicate their lives to public service. This tribute shall acknowledge dignity and respect to those that have given their lives serving others, with specific acknowledgement to Firemen William Duran and Scott Smith, who perished on duty January 26, 1982. It is a goal that this tribute additionally portrays hope and transformation of the community as the team transitions to its new facilities. This community includes the many active and passive users of this facility as it will become a main Fire-Rescue hub in Boulder: a fire crew of 12 will be on premise 24/6, administrative staff, Fire-Rescue team members past and present and their extended families, and the individuals.

A memorial is currently located at the original Fire Station 3 site, roughly 30th St. and Arapahoe Avenue. *Decisions are still being made in regards to relocating this existing memorial to the new site.  

Boulder Fire Station 3 Overview

Fire Station 3, currently located at 1585 30th St., is outdated, inefficient, undersized and located in the 100-year flood plain. Relocation will allow for better service delivery to a significant part of the city that is not currently within a four-minute response time (industry standard) of any of our fire stations. Relocation and recreation of this facility is underway at 30th and Bluff Streets, Boulder. The new station will significantly improve response coverage to a rapidly growing portion of the city. In addition, the new facility will allow for resources to be repositioned and increase the efficiency of operations while increasing scope of emergency medical service (EMS) delivery. The station will house administration services and roughly a dozen fire personnel 24/7.

The station strives to be community facing, integrating “purposeful design” to create a flex space for both community use and fire training. Additionally, this new facility will utilize gender-neutral design considerations into its functionality. Boulder Fire-Rescue Department (BFRD) strives to make Boulder a safe place to live, work and play. BFRD reduces the human suffering caused by fires, accidents, sudden illnesses, hazardous material releases, and other disasters. Boulder Fire-Rescue provides an abundant amount of resources to our community and strives to reduce human suffering caused by fires, accidents, sudden illnesses, hazardous material releases, and other disasters. The facility is designed with Boulder’s climate commitment in mind. It includes a stormwater detention area thoughtfully designed with native grasses and vegetation that attracts pollinators. The facility will include four large bays, housing quarters, administrative facilities.

Public Art: Parameters & Goals

The selection panel’s specific goals for this public art opportunity are to create a unique artwork which serves as a tribute to those who dedicate their lives to public service. This opportunity may/shall take into consideration an existing memorial named in honor of William Duran and Scott Smith, who “gave their lives learning to save others” (see image of existing memorial). Artists interested in applying are invited to submit work samples that exhibit how their narrates respect, dignity, hope and transformation.

Appropriate & Unique: The selection panel seeks to commission an artist or artist team to create a one-of-a-kind tribute. No specific site has been determined, as the selection panel feels this is best explored once an artist has joined the project team. Possible locations include:

• Free-standing, exterior opportunity near the facility’s public entrance
• Tribute integrated into the building, internally or externally
• Interior opportunity which is publicly accessible

Location: Fire Station 3 and a new approach road will be constructed along the northwest corner of 30th and Bluff Streets. The final project’s location may require site-specific permitting, which will be the selected artist’s responsibility.

Materials & Media: The project is currently open to artwork of any media. The City of Boulder is committed to sustainability and resilience in the need for climate change adaptation. This will be a selection panel consideration.

Durability & Maintenance:   All public art projects in Colorado are exposed to weather, physical stresses, and subject to vandalism, and should be considered in proposal development. Semi-finalists are encouraged to consult with a professional conservator or fabricator before submitting a final proposal.

Artist proposals awarded contracts will be reviewed by the selection panel, the Office of Arts and Culture, the Technical Review Committee (a project-specific group comprised of city staff and Fire Station 3 Relocation design review committee), the Boulder Arts Commission, and the City Manager’s Office to ensure conformity with city standards of construction, maintenance and durability, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.  All finalists are expected to stay on budget and to complete work in an approved timeframe, integrated with the overall Fire Station 3 project. The selection panel additionally acknowledges drastic increases to construction materials recently and encourages consideration to reuse of materials in this memorial.

Applying for these opportunities

In response to this Request for Qualifications (RFQ), applicants will be asked to submit up-to eight digital images of existing work samples, two video or audio samples, a résumé or CV, and a statement of interest in the Fire Station 3 Public Art opportunity of no more than 2,000 characters via www.callforentry.org (CaFÉ™).  From these applications, the selection panel will choose between three and five semi-finalists who will be asked to design a formal proposal for the panel. A $1,500 honorarium will be available for semi-finalists. Semi-finalists are strongly encouraged to conduct a site visit, and will be expected to pay for travel expenses from the honorarium.  The project selection panel will choose an artist/artist team for this commission from the proposals. 

Eligibility:  This project is open to all Colorado artists, regardless of race, color, creed, gender, gender variance, national origin, age, religion, marital status, political opinion or affiliation, or mental or physical handicap.  Artists working in any media are encouraged to apply.  Artists are not required to have previous experience in public art.

Can a team apply?:  Applicant(s) may apply as a single artist or multi-person collaboration.  In the case of teams, please submit a single résumé for the whole team (see details below).

Selected artists will collaborate with the Fire Station 3 Design Advisory Group and Technical Review Committee when finalizing their designs for installation. Public art commissions must go through applicable review and permitting processes.

Budget

This public art opportunity has a total budget of $65,000. This budget amount is inclusive of all costs associated with the project, including, but not limited to, the artist’s design fee, other consultation fees such as structural engineering; insurance, including Colorado Workers Compensation; small tools; materials; fabrication; transportation and installation; any building or site modification required; travel to and from the site; per-diem expenses; project documentation; contingency to cover unexpected expenses, and any other costs of any kind. The project timeline will ideally be integrated with the Fire Station 3 construction timeline, with the potential for collaborative budgeting opportunities. 

Tentative Timeline

(Except for online application deadline, timeline is subject to adjustments):

• Monday, June 28, 2021, 11:59 p.m. MDT:  Deadline for entry (via CaFÉ™ system)
• Week of July 12, 2021:  Semi-finalist selection and semi-finalist notification
• July 16 - Aug 12, 2021:  Proposal development and site visit (to be scheduled)
• Aug 12, 2021:  Draft proposals due for Technical Review Committee review
• Week of August 23, 2021:  Semi-finalists present proposals, community engagement
• Sept 15, 2021:  Boulder Arts Commission Review
• Late Sept 2019:  Finalist notification
• Mid-2022:  Fire Station 3 construction begins

This timeline reflects a goal to integrate into Fire Station 3’s construction timeline: FS3 Design finalized Dec 2021, Construction anticipated to begin mid-2022.
 

Project Selection Panel 

The Fire Station 3 Public Art Selection Panel is composed of five voting members. The technical review committee is composed of approximately five additional non-voting advisors. 

Selection Process

Between three and five artists/artist teams will be selected as semi-finalists and will receive a $1,500 honorarium. They will receive more specific information regarding the site and will have the opportunity to meet with the selection panel and technical review committee during a site visit. The selection panel will interview and/or review proposals from the semi-finalists and recommend finalists for the commission.

Community engagement is a vital component in Boulder’s decision-making process. Semi-finalists should be prepared to present or have their proposals presented to the public in some fashion during the decision-making process. The final recommendation of the selection panel will be presented to the Boulder Arts Commission and the city manager for final approval.

Materials to be Submitted

Please read this section carefully. Incomplete applications will NOT be considered, without exception. The applicant’s name must appear on all materials submitted.

All materials must be submitted online, via the CaFÉ™ website (www.callforentry.org). There is no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system.

Digital Images:   To be considered for this project, the applicant must electronically submit up to eight digital images of previously completed artworks through the CaFÉ™ system.  Artists who wish to submit kinetic, sound, or media works may include up to two videos and up to two audio attachments.

Instructions on how to format images to CaFÉ™ specifications can be found at:  http://www.callforentry.org/imaging_tips.phtml.  Assistance in using the CaFÉ™ system is available during regular business hours by calling 303-629-1166 or 1-888-562-7232, or e-mail cafe@westaf.org.  If you do not have access to a computer, call 303-441-4342 to make arrangements to use the Office of Arts and Culture computer.

Statement of Interest:  Please submit a statement of interest that briefly outlines your interest in the Fire Station 3 Public Art Project and experience working on projects of this kind (2,000 character maximum) via CaFÉ™. 

Résumé/CV:  Submit a one-to-two-page current résumé or CV, via CaFÉ™ that highlights your professional accomplishments as an artist.  Please name your résumé file accordingly: Last name. First initial (i.e. Smith.J.doc).  Résumés over two pages will not be downloaded.  If applying as a team, please submit one résumé with one to two pages per team member. 

References:  Submit two or three professional references that can speak to your accomplishments as an artist.

Colorado Artist: Please confirm

Questions about the project:  Please contact Mandy Vink, public art administrator and Fire Station 3 Public Art Project Manager: 303-441-4342 or vinkm@boulderlibrary.org.

For more information about the Public Art Program, visit https://boulderarts.org/public-art/ Boulder’s Community Cultural Plan can be found https://boulderarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Community-Cultural-Plan-11-17-2015.pdf 

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria