Erie Arts & Culture, on behalf of the Hamot Health Foundation and UPMC Hamot, is requesting qualifications from artists or artist teams who have established reputations for design, execution, and installation of public art projects. A preference will be given to artists or artist teams who have a portfolio reflecting work created and installed within a healthcare environment. The client is requesting qualifications from artists interested in creating an original art installation inside the newly constructed UPMC Hamot Patient Care Tower located in Erie, Pennsylvania. The finished artwork is expected to translate UPMC’s central values of diversity, equity, and inclusion into a visual narrative. The artwork will be installed in a first floor hallway spanning approximately 140’ in length and may consist of both 2D work, 3D work, or a combination of both.

To address the client’s goals, artwork should:

• Be constructed of materials that are durable and easy to both clean and maintain.
• Be suitable for a healthcare setting and avoid colors, shapes, and textures that are triggering or counteract efforts to create an environment that supports mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing.
• Be appropriate for all ages.
• Be modular so the installation can be either moved or reconfigured as necessary to accommodate the future development of the Patient Care Tower.
• Complement the space in which it is installed.
• Integrate into the design UPMC Hamot’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Site Specs:

• First floor hallway
• Hallway is approximately 140’ in length
• Hallway is configured into six panels ranging from 21.5’-27’ in length
• Height above the handrail is 59”
• LED tubed lighting is recessed into the ceiling and in between the wall panels
• Opposite the wall is a south-facing window and seating
• The artwork may consist of 2D work, 3D work, or a combination of both.

BUDGET

The budget for this project is $50,000. This is inclusive of all expenses related to the project, including artist fees, artist travel, fabrication, installation, insurance, and maintenance contingency.

BACKGROUND AND PROJECT OVERVIEW

In 1977, the Hamot Medical Center constructed a patient tower to position Hamot as a leader in critical care medicine, incorporating innovations that preceded other hospitals by decades, including private rooms and state-of-the-art technologies.

UPMC Hamot’s massive growth has not only led to a reimagination of the original tower, but also to the construction of another pioneering facility — guaranteeing critical care excellence in the Erie region for years to come. UPMC Hamot’s new Patient Care Tower, a $111 million, seven-story facility will provide unmatched care to meet the growing needs of nearly one million individuals in 13 counties spanning Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York.

The Patient Care Tower will deliver technologies and services otherwise unavailable within a 100-mile radius of Erie. A timely advancement, the tower includes a significant expansion of patient rooms with negative airflow capabilities, a vital measure in the case of airborne outbreaks or pandemics. The Patient Care Tower will provide 24/7/365 access to board-certified intensivists — vastly exceeding the Leapfrog Group’s standard for excellence in intensive care.

UPMC Hamot’s specialists practicing in the facility include board-certified critical care pulmonologists, trauma surgeons, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.

The Patient Care Tower is the largest construction project in the 140-year history of UPMC Hamot. Upon completion, UPMC’s total investment in the Erie community will exceed $400 million since affiliation in 2011.

UPMC VALUING AND PRIORITIZING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

Diversity, inclusion, and culturally competent medical care are defining characteristics of UPMC.Improving the health and health status of the communities we serve is UPMC’s mission. The multicultural dimensions of these communities makes diversity and inclusion a necessity. We advance a meaningful diversity strategy inclusive of actively engaging with the communities we serve through hiring and engaging a diverse staff. The UPMC patient, member, and customer experience is designed to provide culturally competent services and care that are accessible to all patients and families recognizing that care needs may differ for individuals from diverse backgrounds.

ARTIST SELECTION

A Selection Committee appointed by Erie Arts & Culture and the Hamot Health Foundation, including hospital staff, community members, and design professionals, will evaluate submissions based on artistic merit, artist history of completing installations of a similar scale and scope, and interest in creating a statement work for UPMC Hamot Patient Care Tower. Three finalists will be selected to prepare proposals. Each finalist will be given an opportunity, either in-person or virtually, to tour the space and meet with community constituents. The finalists will be interviewed and present their proposals virtually to the Selection Committee. Finalists will each receive a stipend of $1,000 for their proposal. One artist or artist team will be selected for the commission.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Application materials shall include:

• Letter of Interest (LOI): Include interest in application and cite examples of relevant past projects. (Limit to one page/500 words)
• Artist BIO (Limit to one page/500 words)
• CV: (Limit to two pages)
• Professional References: Complete contact information for three references with a deep knowledge of your past works.
• Work Samples: Five digital images and descriptions of relevant completed artwork.
  • Label images/media: last name of artist, artwork title, installation date.
  • Short description of each completed artwork submitted as a work sample (Limit to 200 words per artwork).

Please include:
- The budget of the project
- Other team members if it was a collaboration
- Materials
- Location.

• Ensure that the descriptions are clearly labeled and match the submitted work samples.

Erie Arts & Culture reserves the right to accept or reject any and all submittals, waive technicalities and informalities, change scope of work, and amend said Request for Qualifications as desired.

TIMELINE

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria