ANNOUNCEMENT 
Request for Submission of Qualifications for Public Art at Various Durham County Buildings (RFQ No. 22-016) 

The County of Durham, North Carolina, invites artists or artist teams to submit Qualifications for the design and installation of public artwork in, on, or around several Durham County Buildings.  This is a rolling call for multiple projects at various locations, and multiple artists and artist teams will be commissioned. 

Project Goals 
Create artwork that will artistically promote the specified location as a vibrant, modern environment and vital component of the downtown culture and surrounding neighborhood.  Commissioned artwork should be respectful of the values and mission of Durham County and its Public Art Program.  The work should be culturally responsive and make visible strides to engage with and connect to the public by activating and enhancing the facility’s grounds. Interested Candidates will seek to create an inviting civic statement that welcomes visitors, County employees, residents, and passersby. 

Project Description 
The County of Durham, North Carolina is seeking artists or artist teams (“Candidates”) to design and install permanent public artworks in collaboration with County departments and other organizations engaged in capital development projects across Durham County, North Carolina. Multiple artists will be commissioned for various project locations which includes but is not limited to Durham County Administration Building 1, New 300 E. Main Street Parking Deck, New 500 East Main Street Parking Deck, and the New Durham County Youth Home.   

Timeline 
This is a rolling Call for Artists.  Project timelines vary per location with some projects being commissioned immediately. Artist selections will begin in February 2022 for early projects and continue throughout 2022 for others. 

Definition 
Durham County defines Public Art as original visual art including, but not limited to, sculptures, murals, photographic renderings, mosaics, lighting, and electronic art installations installed on a permanent basis in spaces which are visible from public streets and pedestrian walkways, free of any admission fee, through a public process providing opportunity for community input. 

Project Background 
Artists and Artist teams will be selected from this collection of RFQ respondents when a project's requirements render it suitable. Selection will be based on the appropriateness of the artist's medium and experience relevant to specific project requirements.  

Cultural Equity 
The Durham County Public Art Program supports a full creative life for all, Durham County commits to championing public art policies and practices of cultural equity that empower a just, inclusive, equitable nation.   
Cultural equity embodies the values, policies, and practices that ensure that all people - including but not limited to those who have been historically underrepresented based on race/ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, citizenship status, or religion - are represented in the development of arts policy; the support of artists; the nurturing of accessible, thriving venues for expression; and the fair distribution of programmatic, financial, and informational resources. 

Durham’s History 
A booming County in North Carolina’s thriving Research Triangle, Durham began in 1864 as a small rail depot village. Tobacco drove the early economic development of Durham; the distinctive voice of the Piedmont Blues music grew to entertain workers, and the largest black-owned insurance company in the country opened its headquarters on Parrish Street in 1906. Drawing on this rich and diverse history, Durham has reimagined and repurposed its earlier tobacco and textile warehouses and prominent landmarks to create a vibrant downtown.  Southern Living Magazine wrote: "With a reverence for life’s everyday pleasures (we’re talking coffee, beer, pizza, and pie here), a passionate mix of chefs, farmers, brewers, bakers, and baristas have quietly transformed Durham into one of the hottest food destinations in the South. 
Part of what makes Bull City compelling is the confluence of old and new: Its foodie future is gradually wiping out its tobacco past, yet remnants of the town’s first industry provide a backdrop for its current scene. Both the American Tobacco Historic District and Brightleaf Square, two mixed-use developments brimming with restaurants, bars, and live music venues, are housed in former tobacco warehouses that date back to the 1800s and 1900s."  Four local Chef's recently became James Beard Foundation Award semi-finalists, and two national award-winning micro-breweries and craft distilleries have located downtown.  Since 2000, the County has experienced exponential growth with a total of $1.3 billion in investments.   

The East Main Street area has long been under-served, and the two parking deck/mixed use projects are the beginning of a concerted effort to create a distinct neighborhood just east of the downtown core, and to connect Main Street from East to West through downtown. This area is being planned to incorporate mixed uses, incomes and modes of transportation, and these parking garages are the first step. Public art will be commissioned for the inside of both decks.   

Application Requirements

Submission Requirements 
Application materials must be received via the submission portal on https://callforentry.com. Items required shall include the following: 
Artist Statement: Briefly describe your experience, your discipline(s), and your qualifications for completing artworks. Artist teams should explain their interest and qualifications collectively. 

Images: Submission should include visual representations of past artwork that demonstrate your qualifications for this project. Applicants must upload at least five (5) high-resolution images from at least three (3) different projects. Each project image should have an accompanying summary of the title, location, cost, materials/medium, and timeline associated with the piece. Artist teams’ images should include examples from each team member. 

Résumé:  Résumé for each artist/artist team member should include any public or private commissioning experience, and community engagement experience, if applicable. 

References: Each artist should provide three (3) professional references or recommendation letters with contact information for each reference. Community references will be accepted.  Artist teams may submit a total of three (3) references collectively. 

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must be professional artists or designers as stated in your resume 

• Candidates must be age 18 or older and are eligible regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender identification, military status, sexual orientation, marital status, or physical ability. 

• Candidates must eligible to work in the United States

• Preference will be given to local/regional artists