Norman Arts Council on behalf of The City of Norman and Norman Forward Percent for Art for the Young Family Athletic Center, is seeking an artist (or team of artists) to create a significant work of art for the Young Family Athletic Center to be located at 24th Avenue NW and Rock Creek Road, Norman, Oklahoma.

Norman is a growing, progressive city located 20 miles south of downtown Oklahoma City and is the third-largest city in Oklahoma. The citizens of Norman initiated NORMAN FORWARD, a proposal to renovate, expand, construct and fund Quality of Life projects, such as multiple recreational facilities, libraries, parks, athletic venues, public art, trails, swim complexes and other quality of life projects throughout Norman.  The initiative went to the City Council from community groups, stakeholders and Norman residents, who prepared an initial package using analysis and information from recreational planning professionals and research firms. In 2015, the City Council placed NORMAN FORWARD on a ballot that was overwhelmingly supported by Norman voters. For more information about Norman, please see http://www.normanok.gov/cm/norman-forwardand www.visitnorman.com.

Young Family Athletic Center

The Young Family Athletic Center is a new approximate 122,000 square foot facility built on a 12-acre site on the north side of Norman, OK. The Young Family Athletic Center furthers the citizen-initiated Norman Forward mission to fund and create quality of life projects for the community. This center was made possible in part by a generous $4 million donation from the Young Family Foundation.  

The Multi-Sport Gymnasium portion of the building, when completed, will each house eight basketball courts with 12 volleyball courts, which overlay the basketball courts. The regulation-size basketball court overlay two basketball courts and runs in the opposite direction.

The aquatic portion of the building will feature two pools: an 8-lane 25-meter competition pool with adequate spectator seating and a 4-lane 25-meter pool used as a warm-up pool during swim competitions. Men’s and Women’s Locker Rooms are located adjacent to the pools. When the pools are not being used for competitions, the citizens of Norman will have access to the pool for general use and swimming.

Norman Regional Health System is developing the approximate 25,000 square foot space between the natatorium and multi-sport areas of the building. This two-level space, NMotion, will serve as a sports and human performance center and physician clinics. Other YFAC amenities include concessions, a small retail space, administrative offices, tournament and team breakout rooms, public restrooms, and other standard support areas.

Promo Video:

https://youtu.be/ccZE-Vtebzs

The Artwork

The Selection Panel has determined that ideally the most effective artwork will be a monumental, exterior piece, but alternatively would consider artwork in the interior of the building.

The chosen artwork should express the qualities and spirit inherent in athletics such as kinetic energy and movement which are attributes of all the sports offered at the Young Family Athletic Center. The artwork should be very visible to all of the people who use the space, including Norman citizens, youth team athletes, parents, spectators, participants and their families from around the region who are there for events and tournaments, and staff.

All of the sports that take place at the YFAC involve a sense of play and recreation, paired simultaneously with determination and perseverance any of which the selected artwork may reflect.

The artwork in the multi-sport YFAC should also relate to the Norman community and its unique identity. The City of Norman makes exercise, health, and well-being a priority for all its citizens by providing numerous accessible parks, walking and biking trails, and sports fields across the City. The YFAC will be an important addition to Norman that will contribute greatly to the City maintaining its high standard of quality of life.

Artwork that would be located outside should complement the natural beauty of the site and the architecture of the building and be a gateway into the entrance of the facility.

Coming into the building visitors, staff, and users of the Young Family Athletic Center should be able to interact with the chosen artwork by observing it reacting to changes in light and time of day and, if it is outside, the artwork should also reflect changes in seasons or weather.

The Selection Panel is open to any media or material that is appropriate to the site as long as it is durable, safe, low maintenance and vandalism resistant.

Budget 

The total artist's fee for the project is $192,000.00. This amount must cover all associated costs including design, materials, fabrication, lighting, travel, insurance coverage, shipping, and installation.

Artist Eligibility

Open to professional artists with experience working on public art projects of this scale and working in creating site-specific works.

Timeline

• RFQ Deadline: January 5, 2022 12:00 pm (midnight)

 The following dates are subject to change:

• **Artists’ Information Session: 6:30 pm November 29, 2021
• Notify Artists:  January 30, 2022
• Finalists’ Site Visit: Approximately February 17, 2022
• Finalists’ Presentation of Proposals: Approximately April 10, 2022
• Selection of Artist: Approximately April 20, 2022
• Opening of Young Family Athletic Center:  Estimated April 2023

**The artists’ information session will be held at MainSITE Contemporary Art Gallery, 122 East Main Street, Norman, Oklahoma  73069. Attendance is recommended, but is not mandatory for submission of an application.

Any artist interested in participating in the information session via Zoom can email Debby Williams at debby@normanarts.org to request the login information.

Application Guidelines

All applications must be submitted via CaFÉ

Submissions for this project must contain the following materials:

• A one page maximum typed letter of interest outlining your qualifications for and interest in the project, as well as the general idea for your approach.  Please consider the following questions when developing your letter of interest:
  • Why do you want to work on this project
  • How would you approach this project?
  • What materials do you work with that would be appropriate for outdoor use?
  • Have you worked on similar projects? If not, what relevant experiences do you have
  • How does the project relate to your current work?
• Resume (not to exceed three pages)
• 10 to 15 digital high resolution images of previous work you feel would support your ability to carry out this project
• Annotated image list in desired priority of viewing that corresponds with the names of the digital files and includes the following information:
  • Artist’s name, Title of artwork, medium, size, date of artwork completion, location and project details (i.e. Budget commissioning agency, etc., if public art).
  • The list should be sorted in desired priority of viewing.
• A list of three references with whom you have worked on a public art project, including current telephone number and email address.

Questions or for more information, contact:

Debby Williams, Norman Arts Council, Public Art Manager

405.517.7251

debby@normanarts.org

Committee and Selection Criteria

The artist will be selected based on the materials submitted---please see the Application Guidelines above. Selection for this project will be made by a panel including stakeholders, design professionals, a City representative, a member of the Norman Public Art board, a member of the Norman Arts Council Board, and members of the arts community. The panel will be looking at the merit of the artist’s work, past experience at completing projects on time and within budget, and appropriateness of the proposed concept. The Panel will also consider artists who can demonstrate sensitivity to the site and surroundings. Artists must be able to commit and effectively work within the project timeline and collaborate with the administration of City of Norman Parks and Recreation Department and Norman Arts Council.

Selection Process

The Selection Panel will review applicants’ Request for Qualifications submissions and then select three finalists who will come to Norman for a mandatory site visit to meet with the Project Team and others. Finalists will be paid a $650.00 allowance to cover transportation, hotel, and per diem expenses for the site visit. After the site visit, they will be asked to create a site-specific design proposal that will include:

• a scale model, maquette, or computer generated design
• an itemized budget
• a project timeline
• project narrative
• maintenance plan

Finalists will each be awarded an honorarium of $1,000.00 for their proposal. Finalists will be required to present their proposals in-person to the Selection Panel. Artists will receive a $650.00 allowance for transportation, hotel, and per diem expenses for the proposal presentations. The Selection Panel will make the final decision on the artist awarded the project pending approval of the Public Arts Board, Norman Arts Council and Norman City Council.

Commissioning of artists is implemented without preference to racial or ethnic origins, sex, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disability or age.

The Norman Arts Council and the City of Norman reserve the right to modify this solicitation and to request additional information or proposals from any or all participating artists. The Norman Arts Council and the City of Norman also reserve the right to accept or reject, at any time prior to the commissioning of a work, any or all proposals when the acceptance, rejection, waiver or advertisement would be in the best interest of the project. In addition, they may solicit proposals from artists not responding to this call and reserve the right to select an artist outside of the pool of artists responding to this call.

Application Requirements

All applications must be submitted via CaFÉ

Submissions for this project must contain the following materials:

• A one page maximum typed letter of interest outlining your qualifications for and interest in the project, as well as the general idea for your approach.  Please consider the following questions when developing your letter of interest:
  • Why do you want to work on this project
  • How would you approach this project?
  • What materials do you work with that would be appropriate for outdoor use?
  • Have you worked on similar projects? If not, what relevant experiences do you have
  • How does the project relate to your current work?
• Resume (not to exceed three pages)
• 10 to 15 digital high resolution images of previous work you feel would support your ability to carry out this project
• Annotated image list in desired priority of viewing that corresponds with the names of the digital files and includes the following information:
  • Artist’s name, Title of artwork, medium, size, date of artwork completion, location and project details (i.e. Budget commissioning agency, etc., if public art).
  • The list should be sorted in desired priority of viewing.
• A list of three references with whom you have worked on a public art project, including current telephone number and email address

Eligibility Criteria

Open to professional artists with experience working on public art projects of this scale and working in creating site-specific works.