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You will submit this application online using PublicArtist.org.
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| Budget: $987,400 |
| Activated: 02/12/2026 Deadline: 03/25/2026 |
| Call Summary The Texas Tech University System seeks to commission a Professional Visual Artist to create a site-specific artwork to be placed in the courtyard and/or to incorporate the formal west-side entrance of the Clinical Sciences Building and the Comprehensive Cancer Center (Fox Cancer Center). Public art will be installed at this location to serve as an interactive space for collaboration, rest, and hope for all who use the facility. The courtyard is approximately 52ft wide x 80ft long, with 75ft tall sidewalls, and includes a 670 sq ft set-aside area designed to hold a maximum weight of 4,000 lbs., designated for potential public art. |
| Budget Description All inclusive. The Project budget amount is inclusive of all costs associated with this Public Art project including, but not limited to, artist fees, other consultants’ and Subcontractors’ fees, insurance conforming to Texas Tech standards, engineering, materials, fabrication, transportation, installation (including any site modification), and post-installation documentation. |
| Project Description Original commission - see full RFQ online for additional project details, as well as any posted addenda to questions. https://www.txsmartbuy.gov/esbd/23-06_23-12_TTUHSC-EP_CSB-CCC_PublicArt_RFQ |
| Artwork Goals The Texas Tech University System seeks to commission a Professional Visual Artist to create a site-specific artwork to be placed in the courtyard and/or to incorporate the formal west-side entrance of the Clinical Sciences Building and the Comprehensive Cancer Center (Fox Cancer Center). Public art will be installed at this location to serve as an interactive space for collaboration, rest, and hope for all who use the facility. The courtyard is approximately 52ft wide x 80ft long, with 75ft tall sidewalls, and includes a 670 sq ft set-aside area designed to hold a maximum weight of 4,000 lbs., designated for potential public art. Ideal submissions and concepts will create a large sculptural work that reflects the mission of both the Clinical Sciences Building and the Comprehensive Cancer Center, supporting the significance of the healthcare, research, and innovations that will be offered to the region. Artists should focus on the purpose of the space and the hope that will be inspired by the care provided. Artists should consider environmental interactions with the sun, as well as the constructed environment that surrounds the courtyard. Due to the exterior location of the courtyard, artists should consider the possible elemental exposure from the surrounding environment. This art installation will be seen from multiple views within the building, serving as a beacon of hope, peace, and comfort. Artists will also consider the view of the work as one approaches the front entrance of the building and may incorporate it into their proposal. Submitting artists should consider themes of hope and tranquility that encourage repose. Artists can consider lavender as the universal color of cancer, and other cancer ribbon colors as inspiration. Other works on this campus include Helix Garden (2015), El Intercambio (2008) and Between Earth and Sky (2020). https://ttuspublicart.com/texas-techuniversity-health-sciences-center-el-paso/ Any concepts that may be considered polemic or political should be avoided. In order to be considered, proposed submissions must comply with the requirements outlined in this document. Objects that are mass-produced or of standard manufacture are not eligible for consideration. |
| Artwork Location Description Site-specific artwork to be located in El Paso, TX on the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso campus at the Clinical Sciences Building and Comprehensive Cancer Center. |
| Site History The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso has a 40-year long history of service to the community in education, research, and patient care. The fourth university under the Texas Tech University system, Texas Tech Health El Paso is located in the second largest bi-national metropolitan area on the U.S.-Mexico border. A population of 2.7 million makes up the Borderplex region. Due to its location, the university is positioned to lead the nation in border health initiatives making it an exciting place to learn, conduct research, and treat patients. Texas Tech Health Sciences Center El Paso’s reach includes 108 West Texas counties. It is comprised of four schools: the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing, the L. Frederick Francis Graduate School of Biomedical Science, and the Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine. Texas Tech University System Public Art Program The Texas Tech University System’s Public Art Program was initiated by the Board of Regents as an investment in the campus environment and an extension of Texas Tech’s educational mission. The Public Art Committee, with the Director for Public Art, commissions original public artworks of the highest quality, be they permanently sited, portable, or architecturally integrated. These works are funded using one percent (1%) of the estimated total cost of each new major capital project. Since 2001, the Public Art Program has commissioned or purchased artworks by some of today’s leading artists, including Deborah Butterfield, Terry Allen, Barbara Grygutis, Larry Kirkland, Bruce Munro, Jesús Moroles, James Surls, Albert Paley, and numerous others (ttuspublicart.com). Project Background Two transformational projects at TTUHSC El Paso are aligning to form a unique opportunity. The first project, the Clinical Sciences Building, will replace the current facility, which houses clinical practices including the Breast Care Center, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, Surgery, and more. Each Specialty will have exam and procedure rooms to support the TTUHSC El Paso School of Medicine, as well as additional support areas for clinical operations. The current Clinical Sciences Building handles more than 150,000 appointments annually (equivalent to 22% of El Paso's population). The second project, the Comprehensive Cancer Center (Fox Cancer Center) at the Texas Tech Health El Paso campus, is poised to become the first NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center serving the Borderplex. This center will enable patients to access world-class oncological treatment and care without having to leave El Paso, eliminating the need for long-distance travel. NCI-designated Cancer Centers dedicate significant resources to research, faculty, and facilities to advance innovations and are recognized for their leadership in laboratory and clinical research. The Fox Cancer Center is uniquely positioned to focus on health disparities affecting communities, particularly those faced by the multi-generational U.S. Hispanic population, which comprises 83% of El Paso residents but only 4% of participants in research and trials. Although it is a single building, each project will have its own identity within the facility. Within the building there are communal spaces for collective use to maximize collaboration between the two organizations. These two projects total nearly 357,000 gross square feet, rising five levels. Both projects will foster a comfortable, healing environment and will provide comprehensive, world-class healthcare to the Borderplex. Finalists will develop a design concept that reflects the standards and culture of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso specific to the Clinical Sciences Building and Comprehensive Cancer Center projects and will prepare presentation materials, drawings, a model, and related specifications in sufficient detail and in the format required to convey the design intent. |
| Eligibility All professional artists are eligible to apply. |
| Application Requirements |
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Resume: 2 page(s) maximum Work examples: 5 - 15 Artist Statement: 500 word maximum Letter of Interest: 500 word maximum Please describe your initial impressions of and projected approach to this public art project for the Clinical Sciences Building and Comprehensive Cancer Center. Specifically, please address your thoughts on location and medium and, if applicable, discuss any projects for which you used a similar approach (limit to 250-500 words). Feel free to also list any affiliation that you may have to TTU. 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 The Texas Tech System will select the Artist that best meets the requirements, based on the information contained in their response to the Request for Qualifications, any reference checks conducted, and the information presented during any interviews conducted as part of the selection process. |
| Selection Criteria Specifically, in the selection of finalists, TTUS will review and consider the following: 1. The conceptual basis for the Artist’s body of work as defined in the written statement. 2. The quality – technical and aesthetic – of the artist’s past work as represented in the image submissions. 3. The experience of the artist in successfully designing, fabricating, administering, and completing public art projects and/or custom architectural elements on time and in budget. 4. The artist’s training and education. 5. The quality and comprehensiveness of the submission package. After evaluating the artists’ submissions, Texas Tech will narrow the pool of applicants to approximately two to five finalists to develop a design and model for presentation to the University Public Art Committee in El Paso, Texas. Each finalist will be paid an honorarium for the development of their Design Proposal and to facilitate travel for the presentation. The model will not be returned to the artist if they are selected. The Design Proposals will be subject to review and acceptance by Texas Tech University System’s University Public Art Committee, the President of Texas Tech Health Sciences Center El Paso, and the Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System. |
| Timeline RFQ Posted: February 11, 2026 (https://www.txsmartbuy.gov/esbd/23-06_23-12_TTUHSC-EP_CSB-CCC_PublicArt_RFQ Written Inquiries Due: 5:00 PM CT, February 27, 2026 Responses to Inquiries Posted: 5:00 PM CT, March 6, 2026 Artist Submission Due: 3:00 PM CT, Wednesday, March 25, 2026 Finalist(s) Selected and Notified: May 2026 Finalist(s) Design Presentations: July/August 2026 Commission Awarded: Early Fall 2026 Project Completion: October 2028 Texas Tech reserves the right to modify this schedule as required. |
| Additional Resources |
| https://www.txsmartbuy.gov/esbd/23-06_23-12_TTUHSC-EP_CSB-CCC_PublicArt_RFQ |
| Full RFQ with Images and Sample TTUS Contract (PDF) |
| Contact Information |
| Emily Martinez Director of Public Art Box 42014 Lubbock Texas 79409 United States emilymaria.martinez@ttu.edu 8067422116 |
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