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THIS CALL HAS CLOSED. |
| Budget: $86,000 |
| Activated: 01/12/2016 Deadline: 04/21/2016 |
| Call Summary The City of Austin Art in Public Places (AIPP) program of the Cultural Arts Division, Economic Development Department, seeks to commission two artists-in-residence to create permanent artwork for six fire stations and three emergency medical services stations. The artwork must reflect the mission of AFD and EMS to create safer communities through prevention, preparedness, and effective emergency response. AIPP seeks qualifications from professional visual artists, or artist teams, who live in the Austin metropolitan area. This includes Travis, Williamson, Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Burnet, and Blanco counties. The total budget available for these opportunities is $38,000 (AFD) and $48,000 (EMS). |
| Budget Description The funding for these projects is generated from 2% of the estimated construction budget for the addition of women’s locker rooms at six fire stations and the renovations of truck bays at three emergency medical services stations. The total award for an artist contract is $38,000 (AFD) and $48,000 (EMS) inclusive of design, fabrication and installation, including engineering and permitting fees, travel and shipping expenses, insurance and other project-related costs. Approximate Budget Breakdown: AFD Residency Period: $12,00 Fabrication and Installation Period: $26,000 Total: $38,000 EMS Residency Period: $10,000 Fabrication and Installation Period: $38,000 Total: $48,000 |
| Project Description In an effort to create a work of art that reflects AFD/EMS culture and commitment to community, the artists-in-residence will document the people and operations of six fire stations and three emergency medical services stations. The artists-in-residence will spend approximately 10-15 hours per week observing/documenting the activities of the stations over a 2-3 month period. At the end of the residency period, the artists will create a proposal for creating a series of 2-dimensional works to be sited on the interior or exterior walls of the stations and a separate production contract will be negotiated for fabrication and installation of the proposal. Three-dimensional works may be considered if budget and site constraints allow. The work will be permanent with an expected life-span of up to 20 years. The residency budgets include all expenses related to the residency period. During this time, the artist will observe and document the work of the City of Austin firefighters and emergency medical services staff. The artist will be expected to seek input from formal or informal focus groups or interviews of staff, create opportunities for design reviews or feedback-gathering from stakeholders, and formulate a proposal for integrating works of art within the available and appropriate facility space. The proposal must include a summary of residency work/findings, narrative description, images of the proposed artwork in situ, scope of work for the installation of the artwork, budget, schedule, and care/maintenance instructions. The artwork must not impede the stations’ operations, or pose safety risk or harm, and must be approved by the AFD/EMS and possibly other stakeholder groups before proceeding with the fabrication and installation. At the conclusion of the residency period and upon approval of the proposal, a separate contract will be negotiated with the artist to create and install the artwork. |
| Artwork Goals The Art in Public Places program seeks to commission works of art of redeeming quality that advance public understanding of visual art and enhance the aesthetic quality of public places through the selection of a qualified artist or artist team who can innovatively and thoughtfully design within the context of this project. The goal of the AFD/EMS Artist-in-Residence projects is to select an artist who will design artwork that: • is relevant to AFD/EMS’s role in how the station serves the community; • integrates with the building’s architecture and improves aesthetic surroundings; • is conceptually accessible to station staff and visitors; • is sensitive to how the community uses the station; • is easily maintained and; • contributes to the depth/breadth of the City of Austin’s public art collection. These public art opportunities are open to a wide range of ideas to be proposed by the selected artist, in consultation with the City staff and project stakeholders. The proposed artwork should be integrated into the available scope of construction, to the greatest extent possible, without impeding operation, safety and access. Artwork that meets these criteria should be sited in areas accessible to the public within the building envelope. A range of materials and conceptual approaches are welcome for this commission as long as the parameters and goals of the project are met. Possible opportunities will be discussed in more detail during a second Artist Information Meeting (the first Artist Information Meeting was held on February 4, 2016). |
| Artwork Location Description As with other City Departments, AFD values diversity in its workforce. There are currently 66 women firefighters. While many of the original fire stations were not equipped with facilities for women, the Austin Fire Department is retro-fitting fire stations to accommodate all firefighters. Within the scope of this construction project, the Austin Fire Department will add women’s locker and restroom facilities to fire stations 5, 7, 22, 24, 26 and 27. The artwork developed through this residency is to be located at these stations. The locations of the fire stations are as follows: • Station 5: 1201 Webberville Road, Austin TX, 78721. Council District 1 • Station 7: 201 Chicon Street, Austin TX, 78702. Council District 3 • Station 22: 5309 E. Riverside Drive, Austin, TX, 78741. Council District 3 • Station 24: 5811 Nuckols Crossing Road, Austin, TX, 78744. Council District 2 • Station 26: 6702 Wentworth Drive, Austin, TX, 78724. Council District 1 • Station 27: 5401 McCarty Ln, Austin, TX, 78749. Council District 8 As part of the 2012 bond package, three EMS stations will be renovated to expand the vehicle bays and crew quarters to meet increased demand for services. The renovations will also include upgrades to HVAC and exhaust systems. The artwork developed through this residency is to be located at these stations. The locations of the emergency medical services stations are as follow: • Station 2: 6601 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX, 78745. Council District 5 • Station 8: 5211 Balcones Drive, Austin, TX, 78731. Council District 10 • Station 11: 5401 McCarty Lane, Austin, TX, 78749. Council District 8 |
| Site History The Austin Fire Department serves a population of more than 840,000 within a 308 square mile area, in Austin, TX. 994 AFD firefighters respond from 45 fire stations to more than 85,000 calls a year—approximately 70% of those calls are medical in nature. Like most fire departments, AFD is responsible for providing a multitude of services. This includes operations and support services, aircraft firefighting and rescue, maintenance shops, medical operations, emergency prevention, arson investigations, professional standards, community outreach, safety, special operations, and educational services. Known as a leader in the fire service, AFD is on the cutting-edge of technology and training. Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services serves over 1,100 square miles, including all of Travis County and parts of Williamson and Hays Counties. Eighteen cities are included in this service area, including the City of Austin. In 2015, EMS responded to over 120,000 calls from 37 stations in this service area. As with AFD, EMS is responsible for providing a multitude of services including operations and support services, cadet training academy, emergency management preparedness for man-made and natural disasters, professional standards, special event services, emergency communications, community outreach, and educational services. EMS innovations are world recognized and play a key role in earning a nationally recognized accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services. |
| Eligibility A Request for Qualifications will be solicited from professional visual artists, or artist teams, who live in the Austin metropolitan area. This includes Travis, Williamson, Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Burnet, and Blanco counties. City of Austin employees and project consultants and their employees and sub-consultants are ineligible to apply. The selected artist will be subject to a background check prior to contract execution. A professional visual artist is defined as “a practitioner in the visual arts with an original self-conceptualized body of work, generally recognized by critics and peers as a professional possessing serious intent and ability.“ Artists who currently have one active contract with the Art in Public Places program or who have more than two commissioned permanent projects in the AIPP Collection are ineligible to apply. |
| Application Requirements |
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Resume: 4 page(s) maximum Work examples: 10 Letter of Interest: 600 word maximum Please express your interest in this project and describe your experience as it relates to this scope of work. References: 3 |
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Artists are allowed to apply in teams.
Artists applying as a team must split the allotted number of work examples between themselves. |
| Selection Information |
| Selection Process Applications must be received online via www.PublicArtist.org no later than 5:00 pm on April 21, 2016. For technical assistance with your application, please contact info@publicartist.org or 210-701-0775 (9:00 am – 5:00 pm). AIPP will convene a Selection Panel to evaluate the submissions. Artists may be selected directly from the submissions or through an interview process. If the Selection Panel opts for interviews, up to three finalists will be selected for each opportunity. The Selection Panel will review qualifications (images of work, resume, letter of interest, references), interview finalists (if applicable), and select one artist and one alternate for each opportunity. These recommendations will be presented to the Art in Public Places Panel and Arts Commission for approval. Artists will only need to submit one application to be considered for both opportunities. Or, an artist can indicate in their Letter of Interest which project they wish to be considered for. Selection Committee (Selection Panel + Project Advisors) A three member Selection Panel will be assembled that includes at least one visual artist. Project Advisors will be invited to participate in the process to provide assistance and expertise to the selection panel. The Project Advisors to the Selection Panel will include: » Andre Jordan, division chief, Austin Fire Department, City of Austin » Scott Lindsley, commander, Emergency Medical Services, City of Austin » Craig Russell, project manager, Public Works Department, City of Austin » Jade Walker, liaison, Art in Public Places Panel » Alejandro Wolniewitz, facilities planning manager, Austin Fire Department, City of Austin |
| Selection Criteria The selection of an artist, or artist team, shall be based on whose qualifications best meet the requirements contained in this Prospectus. In addition to the standard project selection criteria found on the City of Austin’s Art in Public Places website (http://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/aipp_selection_criteria.pdf), the Selection Panel will review and consider the following evaluation criteria: » artistic merit and technical expertise; » demonstrated ability to successfully execute public art projects, of a similar scope, on time and on budget; » expressed interest in creating artwork within this project’s site and context; » experience working collaboratively within a community context or in a residency setting. |
| Timeline March 22, 2016 Revised RFQ released April 6, 2016 at 12:00 pm Second Artist Information Meeting April 21, 2016 at 5:00 pm Extended RFQ Deadline May 2016 Application review and Selection of Artist + Alternate June 2016 Approval of artist and alternate by AIPP Panel and Arts Commission Early July 2016 AIPP Project Kick-off Meeting July - September 2016 Artist residencies Summer 2016 CIP Construction Begins October 2016 Proposals due; Mid Design presentations to AIPP Panel December 2016 Final Design presentations to AIPP Panel and Arts Commission TBD 2017 Artwork installed as required |
| Additional Resources |
| http://www.austintexas.gov/department/aipp-opportunities |
| Request for Qualifications (PDF) |
| Contact Information |
| Susan Lambe AIPP Program Administrator Austin TX United States susan.lambe@austintexas.gov 512.974.7852 |
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