Artist Request for Qualifications

Landmark Sculpture: Fruitville Road and US 41 Roundabout

City of Sarasota, Florida

TOTAL BUDGET: $175,000

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: September 16, 2021

ELIGIBILITY

Professional artists residing in the United States who have successfully completed projects of similar scale and budget.

OPPORTUNITY

Through a Request for Qualifications, the City of Sarasota, Florida is seeking a professional artist to create an outdoor landmark sculpture for placement within a roadway roundabout located at the intersection of Fruitville Road and US 41 (N. Tamiami Trail) in downtown Sarasota. This project is part of a public art initiative that is focused on acquiring diverse public works of art to be permanently displayed in numerous roundabouts throughout the city.  These projects have many stakeholders including the City Commission, the Public Art Committee, various City departments, developers, and building owners who may have contributed to the public art fund and other interested community organizations and individuals.  There is no central theme for the overall collection of sculpture in these roundabouts. 

This process will initially involve selecting several finalists deemed qualified to design and produce the work of art. The final candidate will be asked to engage the city and community stakeholders before designing the artwork.

QUESTIONS AND CLARIFICATION

 Submit any questions or requests for clarification to:

Mary Davis Wallace, Senior Planner | Public Art; marydavis.wallace@sarasotafl.gov

Office Direct Phone: 941.263.6349

DESIGN CRITERIA

 Overall design criteria that will help guide the selection of artist finalist are:

·         Is work that will complement its downtown location

·         Is designed to require minimal maintenance (do not include a water feature)

·         Is a high quality, free-standing outdoor sculpture

·         Is of an original design (not reproduced)

·         Does not draw viewers to it but is appreciated from a distance (i.e. non-interactive)

·         Should not create a distracting situation for drivers using the roundabout

·         Does not exceed 20’ in height

·         Proposed work should be structurally sound and meet applicable standards of the Florida Building Code regarding the foundation and wind loading; final work will need to be engineered and stamped by a registered Florida engineer

·         The artwork must have a minimum offset of six feet from the edge of the inside travel lane

·         Materials used must meet the demands of Sarasota’s subtropical climate (sea salt air)

·         The sculpture must not contain any signs or traffic control features, auditory devices, reflective surfaces, flashing lights, moving parts or moving illumination

·         It must be devoid of advertising, including charitable, fraternal, religious, or political signs, symbols, logos, banners or any other such device

·         The structure may not display messages with text, or contain any words or alpha-numeric characters

·         Lighting of the sculpture must not be directed at motorists, bicyclists or pedestrians

·         The artwork, including any amenities, must not obstruct any signs or interfere with any sight distance, sight triangle or view zone

·         The artwork will have an anti-graffiti coating

·         The artist will provide a two-year warranty on materials and craftsmanship

There is no stated stylistic preference; a full spectrum of high-quality outdoor sculpture is anticipated to be of interest to the City. 

LEGAL / WAIVERS

VARA Rights Act

Standard Public Art Contracts between an artist and the City of Sarasota require that an artist transfer any copyright on the artwork and rights associated with the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (VARA) to the City.

The selected artist waives any rights he or she may have to claim at present or in the future that the removal of the artwork from its original location constitutes a destruction of the work under Section 106A(a)(3)(B) of the Visual Artists Rights Act because the artwork is "site specific art" or for any other reason. For purposes of this paragraph, the term "site specific art" shall mean artwork created specifically to exist in a certain place such that its removal from that place would be tantamount to its destruction. The artist agrees that the determination of the location of the artwork shall be a matter within the sole discretion of the City of Sarasota.

Copyright

Whether or not the selected artist elects to register the artwork for copyright, the artist will agree to grant to the City of Sarasota the non-exclusive right to photograph the artwork and to otherwise reproduce it on film, tape, in digital format or in any other reproductive media and to publish same with identification of the artist and if applicable, with identification of copyright.

Legal Agreement

City regulations require the selected artist to procure and maintain an insurance policy during the contract term with an insurance carrier approved and licensed by the Insurance Department of the State of Florida and that meets a minimum financial A.M. Best & Company rating of no less than B – with more than four employees. The artist will be fully insured per the terms and conditions as follows:

Workers Compensation Insurance on behalf of all employees who are to provide a service under the contract with limits of not less than $100,000 per employee per accident; $500,000 disease aggregate; and $100,000 employee per disease or proof of exemption waiver.

Commercial General Liability Insurance including but not limited to bodily injury, property damage, and personal injury, with limits of not less than One Million Dollars combined single unit per occurrence, Two Million Dollars per location aggregate plus property damage insurance in the minimum amount of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars covering all work performed.

Automobile Liability Insurance including, but not limited to bodily injury, property damage liability for all vehicles owned, hired, leased, and non-owned, with limits of not less than One Million Dollars combined single unit per occurrences covering all work performed.

If using hazardous materials, Hazardous Material Insurance with limits equal to 100% of the insurable completed agreement amount of such additions, or structures, on an agreement amount/replacement cost basis. Maximum deductible clause of $50,000 each claim.

The City of Sarasota, its elected officials, employees and agents shall be listed by endorsement as additional insureds, except for worker's compensation and professional liability. Further, other designated persons or entities may be required to be listed as additional insureds.

The artist, prior to providing any services, shall furnish proof of insurance to the City. The certificates of insurance shall state that the City will be notified in writing prior to cancellation, non-renewal, or any other modification of any policies required of the artist.

All submittals to this Call to Artists shall be retained by the City of Sarasota in accordance with Florida Public Records Laws.

The City of Sarasota reserves the right to reject any or all applications, proposals or finalists, and terminate or re-advertise this project without prior notice.

 BUDGET

 The City’s project budget is not to exceed $175,000.00 (one-hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars). This artwork budget will reflect all costs associated with the project, including but not limited to such items as:

·         design and site plan

·         engineering*

(including foundation design)

·         production

·         transport

·         installation

·         lighting

·         travel expenses

·         required insurance

It is anticipated that some of the associated artwork project costs such as electrical conduit and connections to the sculpture location and the artwork base platform (i.e., foundation) will be covered within a general construction budget separate from the maximum $175,000 allocated for this commission.  However, if unusual foundation needs are proposed by the artist, these costs must be accounted for within the proposed artist budget.  

Artist honorariums of $2,000.00 (two thousand dollars) will be paid to three selected artist finalists to a present site-specific maquette or other visual depictions.

 *The City of Sarasota will fund the construction of the artwork foundation. Engineered drawings of the foundation must be provided by the artist to the City for approval prior to construction. 

 TIMELINE

The below timeline is intended to provide applicants a loose framework for project phase expectations. The timeline, with exception to dates relating to the call-to-artists, are subject to change based on the approval process and needs of the overall project.

Cumulative from Start Date

*It is highly recommended to bookmark these dates prior to being selected. If you are shortlisted for this project, airfare will be at a premium during this time. Please reserve airfare as soon as you are able, to guarantee the best possible cost. Hotel information will be provided to selected artists upon notification.

PRE-APPLICATION WORKSHOP

 An optional online pre-application workshop will be held on Monday, August 30, 2021 at 2pm. Public art staff will review the call details, discuss the process for selection of artist, local and state review processes, design, fabrication, and installation, and answer any questions applicants may have.

 To register for the pre-application online meeting, please contact:

Mary Davis Wallace, Senior Planner | Public Art

marydavis.wallace@sarasotafl.gov  - office direct phone: 941.263.6349.

You will receive a zoom link by e mail to access the meeting.

Inquiries at any other time must be submitted in writing to the point of contact listed above.

BACKGROUND

The City of Sarasota is located on the Gulf coast of Florida approximately 60 miles south of Tampa, Florida. Known for its rich and diverse cultural history, the City seeks to procure a high-quality lasting and representative artwork which will serve to visually display the uniquities of Florida and Sarasota’s own narrative. The project location is on a highly traveled main roadway into the city which serves 58,000 full-time city residents and is also the county seat of Sarasota County - home to over 430,000 residents.

Sarasota’s vision is to be a world-class community and treasured destination, with enduring natural beauty, charm, and diversity. This vision has proved positive to sustain and foster a community thriving in arts and culture, architecture, and design. The public art collection dates to the 1920’s when circus magnate John Ringling began wintering in Sarasota with his wife, Mable, and moved the circus’ winter headquarters here in 1927. Art and artists soon followed, and today, Sarasota has over 80 public art destinations within the downtown core – and more to follow citywide.

For general information regarding the City’s public art program and images of completed works within the City's collection, please visit https://www.sarasotafl.gov/our-city/public-art.

COLLABORATION

The City seeks an artist who can effectively and efficiently communicate and collaborate with a variety of team members and stakeholders. The selected artist will have an astute understanding of Sarasota’s historical timeline, the role the arts has played in the city’s history as well as possess the ability to collaborate on developing a design for this unique, site-specific work of public art.

SELECTION PROCESS

 All applicants will be notified about the outcome of their submissions.  Please do not call or e-mail for an update on the status of the submission.

1.      The City of Sarasota Public Art Committee will review all submitted material and select three (3) finalists based on the ability to carry out the commission, keep the project within budget, and complete and install the work on schedule.

2.      The selected finalists will be paid $2,000 honorariums each to provide detailed concepts for consideration during a visit to Sarasota.

3.      The finalist presentation to the Public Art Committee will be held in person on January 25-27, 2022.  Finalists will be responsible for transportation, lodging, and food costs associated with the visit.

4.      The artists will work with the Public Art Committee and city staff to receive public input on design concepts for the artwork. The City anticipates holding one or more community meetings to receive public input. Using this public input, the finalists will formulate one or more design concepts to be considered for this commission.  The artists should create 3D images such as a maquette(s) based on the design concept(s) for consideration.

5.       At a Commission Workshop (which is a public meeting), the Public Art Committee will make a recommendation to the City Commission of the preferred artist and design concept for this commission. 

6.      The City Commission will then make the final determination of the preferred artist and design concept at a regular public meeting date. Once the City selection process is complete and a finalist is chosen, a contract will be signed and the finalized designed concept of the sculpture will be presented to the Public Art Committee, City Commission, and the Florida Department of Transportation for review and approval in accordance with FDOT’s application process (see below).

ADDITIONAL STATE OF FLORIDA APPROVALS

 This roundabout is in Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) right-of-way and must be approved by that Department.  Upon approval by the City Commission, the proposed artwork will be submitted to FDOT for review and approval.  FDOT’s process consists of two reviews with both reviews involving the local District Office and the Central Office.  First is a Concept Phase which involves submittal of conceptual drawings, site plans, and other documentation.  Second is a Final Phase which involves submittal of final documents, including site plans, a traffic control plan, structural plans, and other documents.  Please see excerpt from the FDOT Design Manual located in Appendix A of this document; specifically, Section 127.2.1 – Public Art (Stand-Alone) and Section 127.3 – Approval Process.  FDOT information about the roundabout is located at http://swflroads.com. 

SITE DESCRIPTION – US 41 and FRUITVILLE ROAD

General Vicinity

Sarasota Bay is less than 1,400 feet west of the Fruitville Road/US 41 intersection. 

Land uses at this roundabout location include Quay Sarasota (https://quaysarasota.com/) a mixed-use 14-acre waterfront development, an 18-story Embassy Suites hotel, and other smaller scale commercial and residential uses.

The artwork for this roundabout is funded by the developers of Quay Sarasota to meet their required public art contribution.

US 41

The US 41 corridor is a major north-south transportation route through the City of Sarasota with an annual average daily traffic count of approximately 36,000 vehicles near this location.  Land uses along US 41 in this general vicinity are varied and include multiple-family residential, commercial, municipal uses and parkland.  US 41 is a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) roadway which is also known as the Tamiami Trail and as State Road 45 (SR 45).  In 2003, the 70-mile corridor that runs throughout Sarasota and Manatee Counties was designated as a Florida Scenic Highway for its intrinsic resources. 

A planning initiative is currently underway for the 42-acre Civic Center Complex site which is located approximately 1,000 feet to the northwest of this roundabout.  This grassroots initiative is called The Bay Sarasota.  Information about this project is located on the website https://www.thebaysarasota.org/.

Fruitville Road

Fruitville Road is an east-west roadway with various segments owned and maintained by both the City of Sarasota and FDOT.  The roadway serves as a minor arterial road with an average annual daily traffic count of approximately 16,700 vehicles in this vicinity. 

Application Requirements

REQUIRED CONTENT AND EVALUATION CRITERIA (CAFÉ)

Statement of Qualifications

            Upload a statement of your qualifications for being selected to design and produce artwork for this commission describing how your previous artwork illustrates your ability to meet the selection and design criteria for this project, how you have the necessary experience to engage in community input, manage a similar budget, and how your artwork would enhance the City’s existing public art collection.

Professional References

Provide 3 or more professional references, preferably from commissions where the referral speaks to your qualifications for this specific project.  Please include the references’ contact information including telephone number and email address.

Previous Works of Art

Upload PDF or JPEG files displaying examples of previous works of art.  For each example, please provide an image, title, type of media, dimensions, commission amount, location, and year of completion.

Resume

Provide a brief current professional resume emphasizing art experience, public art collections and commissions, commission amounts, and experience at creating artwork with input from community groups, placemaking, budgeting, and project management.  Please be sure to include your contact information including telephone number and email address.

Eligibility Criteria

Professional artists residing in the United States who have successfully completed projects of similar scale and budget.