City of Sugar Land, Texas
Request for Qualifications 

Applicants may submit up to 5 applications One work per application.

The City of Sugar Land, Texas requests artists or artist teams submit a statement of qualifications, letter of interest and other materials for three light-based sculptures to be displayed in the city of Sugar Land, Texas. The project is called Nectar Nights.

Total artwork budget for Nectar Nights is $165,000. The artist(s) receiving this commission will be paid $55,000 per sculpture. A single artist (or team) could be selected to create one, two or all three sculptures.

GOALS

Goals for this project include:  

• Drawing visitors to the city of Sugar Land from the Houston metro area and beyond,
• Boosting the social media presence for Sugar Land’s artwork,
• Increasing the visibility of Sugar Land destinations,
• Beautifying the city for residents to enjoy,
• Engaging area students with the artwork using lesson plans in a variety of subjects provided by the city to area schools.

THEME AND ARTWORK LOCATIONS

Nectar Nights is the overall theme of this project, with each sculpture responding to a particular subject matter. 

• Butterfly- Houston Museum of Natural Science- 13016 University Blvd.
• Hummingbird- Imperial Park, 7720 Highway 90A
• Flowers- Smart Financial Centre, 18111 Lexington Blvd.

CONSIDERATIONS

• Each design should reflect the specified theme and subject matter. Work does not have to be a strict representation of the subject matter but should be readily identifiable.
• Each sculpture must have a light feature.
• Work should display well during both daylight and evening.

MEDIUM

Artists working in any medium are eligible to apply. We are especially interested in innovative work for this project that is as unique as our community. 

LETTER OF INTEREST

Applicants should briefly describe their interest in the project, experience in the proposed medium, and include a description of how their work could be used to meet the goals of the program. Letters of Interest are limited to two (2) pages.

PROJECT BUDGET

The artist’s budget will include: all artist fees and costs associated with design, fabrication, travel, transportation to the site, site preparation, insurance, permits, installation, shipping and transportation of materials to the site, protective coating (if applicable), any equipment needed for installation, any applicable taxes, time spent in progress meetings, and any other costs incurred by the artist for this project. 

Artists will be required to participate in one Meet the Artist type event.

Artists reaching Phase Two of the competition will be asked to develop an all-inclusive itemized budget for each of the three sites as part of the proposal submission. 

DURATION AND DISPLAY

Work should be able to withstand the Houston climate, which includes severe weather. Intended display period is a minimum of five years, with a much longer display period preferred should the work remain in good condition. However, the work may be removed at any time at the discretion of the city of Sugar Land.

TWO-PHASED ARTIST SELECTION PROCESS

PHASE 1- RFQ
Applications will be juried by a panel comprised of local residents, artists and stakeholders. 

Entries will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Artistic Excellence: The artist’s body of work reflects artistic excellence, innovation, and originality as evidenced by quality of craftsmanship and mastery of skills and techniques; demonstrates professional approaches to processes and presentation; and/or communicates a unique vision or perspective. 

Professional Experience: The artist’s professional experience is adequate to meet the demands of the project, including a proven ability to meet project budgets, deadlines, and to perform work in a timely and professional manner. Public art experience is required. 

Experience working on a project of similar scale: Previous work that can specifically demonstrate the successful completion of projects that include partnering with stakeholders for the purpose of creating public art of this size/scale. Experience with public engagement.

The number of selected artists moving on to Phase 2 will depend on the quality of the proposals received. 

PHASE 2-RFP
Artists/Artist Teams selected to move on to Phase 2 will be asked to develop a detailed proposal for their proposed work. Artists will be paid a stipend of $1,500 upon submission of all required materials to include a detailed description of materials, maintenance plan and installation schedule. 

Applications will be juried by a selection panel and then reviewed by staff from city departments including economic development, engineering and planning.

More detailed instructions will be provided to Phase 2 artists at the time of notification; however, artists can expect for proposals to be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Artistic Excellence: The proposed work reflects artistic excellence, innovation, and originality as evidenced by quality of craftsmanship and mastery of skills and techniques; demonstrates professional approaches to processes and presentation; and/or communicates a unique vision or perspective. 

Safety/Suitability/Viability: Proposed project meets city safety guidelines, is suitable for the site, and artist has demonstrated ability to complete the project. 

Economic Impact: Potential project specifically addresses how it meets the program goals.

TIMELINE

January 24, 2022 Request for Qualifications (RFQ) issued

February 23, 2022 RFQs due at 11:59 p.m. MST 

March 23, 2022 Applications reviewed. Phase 2 artists notified. 

April 13, 2022 Request for Proposals (RFP) released for Phase 2 artists

May 12, 2022 Phase 2 proposals due by 11:59 p.m. MST

June 23, 2022 Proposals reviewed, contracts issue

July 1, 2022 Installation can begin

January 2023 Target project completion date

Note: Should changes to the timeline become necessary, artists will be notified in writing or, in the case of the RFQ, the information will be posted on CaFÉ. However, artists should assume all deadlines are firm. 

Application Requirements

REQUIREMENTS FOR SUBMISSION OF QUALIFICATIONS 

• Current CV/resume. Teams must submit one resume/CV per team member.
• Letter of Interest limited to two (2) pages. This must include the following:
  • A general description of your approach to your work
  • Experience in the proposed medium
  • Images of three (3) to five (5) previously completed works that demonstrate experience in designing, creating, and installing work in the artist’s proposed medium.
• Please include two (2) to three (3) views of each piece for a total of 15.
  • Do not collage multiple images into one image.
• Up to two (2) video or audio files may also be uploaded as work samples. Please limit these to no more than three (3) minutes in length. Panelists will be instructed to stop viewing/listening at the three (3) minute mark. Links must be listed as "Public" on major third-party hosting sites (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) so the selection panel can view your submission.
• Image identification list: An image identification list corresponding to the submitted images. Each image should include image number, artist’s name, title, year created, media, dimensions, location, project budget, commissioning agency, and collaborators (if applicable).
• A brief description of your intended proposed materials for site preparation (if applicable), the work itself, required maintenance and estimated life span.
• Optional: Artists may include up to three (3) selections of support materials such as reviews, news articles, or other related information.

Please note: incomplete applications may not be considered. 

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY

Artists 18 years of age or older are invited to submit an individual or collaborative artist application. Sugar Land city staff and their family members, as well as selection panel members and their families, are not eligible to apply.