Additional site details will be provided to semifinalists.

Public Art Intent and Goals

The City of Kansas City, Missouri One Percent for Art program seeks to commission works of art that advance public understanding of visual art and enhance the quality of public places by selecting a qualified artist who can innovatively and thoughtfully design within the context of this project.

Project Background

The City of Kansas City, Missouri One Percent for Art program seeks to commission a professional visual artist, or artist team, to design art for the rehabilitation of Benton Boulevard bridge over Brush Creek.

Artistic elements may include lighting, entry features, or railing. All artistic elements must comply with the 2018 International Building Code.

The total budget available for this project is $100,000. The RFQ deadline is Sunday January 2, 2022, 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time Zone.

On April 4, 2017, Kansas City voters approved an infrastructure repair plan funded by General Obligation bonds, a plan known as GO KC. Residents voted on three ballot questions. Question #1 called for approving the issuance of $600 million in bonds over a 20-year period to repair streets, bridges and sidewalks. One of the major streets, bridges and sidewalks projects is the rehabilitation of the Benton Boulevard bridge over Brush Creek.

This bridge is located approximately 200 feet north of the intersection of Blue Parkway and Benton Boulevard.

Latitude: 039° 02’ 14.36”

Longitude: 094° 32’ 34.58”

The existing bridge is a three-span open spandrel arch bridge built around 1923. The bridge carries four lanes of Benton Boulevard, an urban arterial with average daily traffic of approximately 5,817 cars over Brush Creek. The arches, columns and floor beams have cracking, spalling and exposed reinforcing steel. The concrete under the leaking expansion joints is heavily deteriorated and needs rehabilitation.

The rehabilitation goal is to design and repair the concrete superstructure decay, provide updated ADA, bicycle, and pedestrian accommodations across the bridge, and tie those improved facilities into the surrounding network. Finally, the project will also reconstruct bridge aesthetics that have been lost through time and restore the architectural historic presence.

Budget

The public art budget for the Benton Boulevard bridge project is up to $100,000. Artistic elements may include lighting, entry features, or railing. All artistic elements must comply with the 2018 International Building Code.

Question and Answer Period

Questions related to this project for the KCMO Public Art Administrator or the Benton Boulevard Bridge Project Manager should be emailed to the Public Art Administrator at james.martin@kcmo.org by 5:00 p.m. CST Friday, December 10. Questions received by this deadline will be answered in writing on this CaFÉ Call for Artists listing via an RFQ addendum after the Artist Information Session described below. Questions may also be answered during the Artist Information Session described below if time allows.

ADDENDUM 12/17/2021: Q&A responses and Artist Information Session Recording

Q: Is the bridge on the National Register of Historic Places?

A: No.

Q: Is the bridge rehabilitation project receiving federal funding?

A: No.

Q: Can you post a recording of the Artist Information Session?

A: Yes, please see https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1S3QY2_o5z_xQVgI3NvGixAcDLzRmeI7e?usp=sharing

Artist Information Session

This artist information session was recorded. Please see link above under ADDENDUM.

A videoconference artist information session with the KCMO Public Art Administrator and the Benton Boulevard Bridge Project Manager will be held via videoconference 5:30 p.m. CST, Wednesday, December 15 via the following videoconference link:

Click here to join the meeting

Or call in (audio only)

+1 872-212-5076,,444205020#   United States, Chicago

Phone Conference ID: 444 205 020#

Evaluation Criteria

The selection of an artist or artist team shall be based on whose qualifications best meet the requirements contained in this Project Outline. In keeping with the standard One Percent for Art selection criteria, the Selection Panel will review and consider the following evaluation criteria:

Excellence: Works of art in the artist's portfolio are original, innovative, of exceptional quality and enduring value.

Relevant prior experience: The artist has created projects of a similar scale and budget and has experience coordinating with multiple stakeholders or is jointly submitting the qualifications of a collaborator that has created such projects and that has such experience.

Appropriateness to site and project: Works of art in the portfolio indicate that the artist is likely to be sensitive to the social, economic, cultural, historical and physical context of the site and the surrounding neighborhood, either existing or planned.

Durability: Works of art in the artist's portfolio utilize materials and processes likely to contribute to the longevity of public works of art, especially for projects that will be located outdoors, or is willing to adopt such practices by collaborating with a partner with relevant specialized expertise.

Selection Process

The Kansas City, Missouri Public Art Administrator will convene a selection panel to evaluate the submissions. Up to three semi-finalists will be selected and paid a $1,200 design fee to develop a proposal to present to the selection panel. The selection panel will review the semi-finalist proposals, budgets and qualifications (images of work, resume/CV, letter of interest, references) and select one artist, or artist team, and one alternate. The selected artist/artist team's proposal will be presented to the Municipal Art Commission for approval prior to development of a contract. All contracts may be subject to approval by City Council.

Contractual Process

The selected artist or artist team will enter into a contract with the City of Kansas City, Missouri.

Typical contract requirements may include, but are not limited to:

• acquiring a City of Kansas City, Missouri business license
• registering as a vendor with the City of Kansas City, Missouri
• ensuring that municipal revenue tax to the City of Kansas City, Missouri is current
• developing a budget to include all aspects of design, fabrication, transportation, installation and lighting, and that may include costs such as, but are not limited to:
  • permits
  • excavation, site remediation and landscaping
  • electrical work and lighting fixtures
  • approval by a licensed structural engineer
  • travel expenses
  • general liability insurance
  • commercial auto insurance
• contracts over $160,000 may be subject to City of Kansas City, Missouri DBE, MBE, WBE and SLBE guidelines

Requirements of the State of Missouri may include, but are not limited to:

• registering with the Missouri Secretary of State to conduct business in Missouri
• notarized affidavit of compliance with federal e-Verify requirements
• contracts over $75,000 must meet Missouri’s Prevailing Wage Law and require managing related documentation
• Worker’s Compensation and managing related documentation

Federal requirements may include, but are not limited to:

• W-9
• E-Verify

Semi-finalist and finalist artists seeking assistance with City of Kansas City, Missouri contract requirements should contact KC BizCare, https://bizcare.kcmo.gov/ or 816-513-2492. Further guidance and a documentation checklist are available at https://bizcare.kcmo.gov/article/publicart. For questions outside BizCare’s scope of services, artists may be referred to other resources. BizCare and other City employees and/or contractors are not authorized to give legal advice. Semi-finalist and finalist artists may find it advantageous to consult with an attorney while discussing contract terms with the City.

Tentative Schedule

Mid-November 2021: Call for Artists distributed

5:00 p.m. CST Friday, December 10—Written question and answer period deadline

5:30 p.m. CST, Wednesday, December 15—Artist information videoconference (link above)

11:59 p.m. Mountain Time January 2, 2022: Call for Artists submission deadline

January 2022: Call for Artists semifinalists selected

Early 2022: Bridge 30% design completed

March 2022: Semifinalists present proposals, finalist selected

Spring 2022: Artist contracting

Summer 2022: Artist coordinates design proposal with project team, refines design

Summer 2022: Artist procures materials, begins fabrication

August 2022: Bridge 100% design completed

September 2022: Bridge bids accepted from general contractors.

October 2022: Bridge construction begins

2023: Bridge construction continues, artist continues coordinating with project team and fabricating

Summer 2023: Artist coordinates art installation with project team

October 2023: Construction substantial completion, art installed

November 2023: Bridge dedicated and opened

Application Requirements

Application Requirements

1. Resume
2. Contact info for 3 references (letters are not required for Round 1 jurying)
3. Letter of Interest
4. Work samples

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility

Eligibility is limited to professional visual artist teams or artists at least 18 years of age based in the Kansas City Combined Statistical Area (CSA). The Kansas City CSA includes the Missouri counties of Andrew, Bates, Buchanan, Caldwell, Cass, Clay, Clinton, DeKalb, Jackson, Lafayette, Platte, Ray and the Kansas counties of Doniphan, Douglas, Franklin, Johnson, Leavenworth, Linn, Miami, Wyandotte. Artists based in the Kansas City area but not within one of the above counties can appeal their eligibility within their Letter of Interest. All eligibility appeals will be determined by a majority vote of the selection panel.

Artists who have completed a City of Kansas City, Missouri One Percent for Art commission within two years of their project’s final acceptance date are not eligible.

Full-time, permanent City of Kansas City, Missouri employees, project consultants and their employees and sub-consultants are ineligible.

Demonstrated experience working with diverse community stakeholders is desired.