Applying to calls is ALWAYS FREE!
| Budget: $112,000 |
| Activated: 10/01/2026 Deadline: 10/29/2026 |
| Call Summary Help us create a welcoming, joyful environment that brings color and nature themes to this heavily frequented park, while creating a feeling of wonder, peace and belonging. The Public Art Program of the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture invite submissions from professional artists to design, fabricate and install outdoor public artwork. |
| Budget Description The budget includes but is not limited to artwork design, fabrication, materials, transport, installation, artist fees, engineering drawings, foundation construction, insurance, travel and contingency. |
| Artwork Goals The goal is to enhance the community’s experience at the park with contemporary art that conveys ideas from the community feedback and makes residents feel welcome and connected. Topics mentioned in our community survey are: • Welcome, inclusion, and a sense of belonging • Joy, brightness, and playfulness • Peace, calm, and contemplation • Pride and hope in the neighborhood • Inspiration and wonder - several noted a desire to “feel like a kid again” • Animals, butterflies, flowers, mushrooms, trees • Abstract approaches rather than literal depictions • Energy and activity, interactivity and movement, balanced against the park's role as a place to relax • The artwork should complement rather than compete with the existing pavilion’s modern geometric design. |
| Artwork Location Description Cotillion Park is a 6.6-acre neighborhood park, established in 1964. It sits in a long-established East Dallas neighborhood (subdivision dates to the 1950s with original mid-century homes; the land was farmland/ranch before that). Further up the road from the park, the area has been populated with modern, upscale housing and the private Dallas Athletic Club golf course. Residents describe the area as a diverse, working-class, multigenerational community with strong roots. Many respondents have lived nearby 20–30+ years. The neighborhood is also home to a growing number of young families "reenergizing" an older community. Feedback was submitted in both English and Spanish, reflecting the bilingual makeup of the area. |
| Site History The park is central to daily life: basketball courts (used nearly around the clock), tennis and pickleball, a baseball diamond, playground/swings, dog-walking, soccer, and a modern picnic pavilion with clean geometric lines and a signature spinning red disc design that residents specifically admire. The pavilion was designed by Elizabeth Baird and Mell Lawrence and is the winner of the 2013 AIA Small Project Award and the 2023 Texas Society of Architects Design and the 2012 AIA Austin Honor Award. |
| Eligibility All professional artists (BFA/MFA or equivalent fabrication/installation experience) with a demonstrated record of successful completion of artwork with similar budget, scope and scale are eligible to apply, except: • Artists currently under contract with the City of Dallas • Minors (persons under age 18) • Undergraduate students • Employees of the City of Dallas and their spouses, • Members of the Public Art Committee or Arts and Culture Advisory Commission, or any consultants under contract for any phase of these projects |
| Application Requirements |
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Biography Work examples: 1 - 6 Artist Statement: 400 word maximum Letter of Interest: 1200 word maximum Please add bio and artist statement to your letter of interest file 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 A panel comprised of arts professionals and community representatives will review qualified submissions. Three short-listed artists will be invited to create concept designs for site-specific art and paid a $1200 stipend to present their concept design to the selection panel. The stipend must cover all costs of site visits, meeting with community members, site research, creation of site-specific public art renderings and a virtual presentation of the proposed design. The three selected artists must show the concept for the sculpture, identify materials and demonstrate that all phases of the artwork can be completed within the commission budget. A draft budget needs to include costs for design development, final design, engineering, insurance, fabrication, foundation construction, installation, artist fee and contingency. An estimated maintenance plan and costs is required at that point. If selected, artist must be comfortable including a Community Engagement component, carry professional liability insurance and provide a detailed project budget. Selected artists will be required to sign a contract agreeing to the terms and conditions of the art program. |
| Selection Criteria • Artistic merit and professional qualifications • Innovative vision to enrich the Dallas Public Art Collection at world class standard • Appropriateness to the theme/scope of project • Not compete with existing pavilion design • Public safety • Durability and ease of maintenance • Community engagement • Variety of style, scale, media and artists |
| Timeline Deadline to apply: October 29, 2026 Selection Panel Nov-Jan Commission approvals: February 2027 Contracting: April 2027 Install: April 2028 |
| Additional Resources |
| existing pavilion (JPEG) |
| elevated area for potential art location (JPG) |
| existing benches in the park (JPEG) |
| Contact Information | Sabine Senft 1925 Elm Street Dallas TX 75201 United States SABINE.SENFT@DALLAS.GOV |
| Submission Instructions |
| Website Address https://www.codaworx.com/rfq/detail/public-art-callrfq-dallas-cotillion-park |
| Website Submission Instructions to apply you need to register for free and be signed in, then follow this link or search under open calls |
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