Rhode Island State Council On The Arts

R H O D E I S L A N D S T A T E C O U N C I L O N T H E A R T S

R E Q U E S T F O R Q U A L I F I C A T I O N S

P A U L W . C R O W L E Y M E T C E N T E R , E A S T B A Y C A M P U S

N E W P O R T , R H O D E I S L A N D

B U D G E T : $ 6 0 , 0 0 0

A P P L I C A T I O N D E A D L I N E : J A N U A R Y 1 5 , 2 0 1 4

Artwork for the Paul W. Crowley Met Center, East Bay Campus, Newport, Rhode Island will be commissioned by the Rhode Island State Council On the Arts, (RISCA), through Rhode Island’s Public Art Law, which mandates that 1% of all state capital construction and renovation funds be allocated to the purchase and maintenance of public art. Through this program the State recognizes that “public art creates a more humane environment: one of distinction, enjoyment, and pride for all citizens.”

About The Institution

Construction of the Paul W. Crowley Met Center East Bay Campus building began on April 6, 2013. The following is paraphrased from the school website:

Named after the late State Representative Paul W. Crowley, the Met’s East Bay Cam- pus is committed to continuing his legacy of demanding excellence in public education and supporting the growth of the Newport County community.

Representative Crowley was seen as a visionary and in that spirit this campus will maximize renewable energy sources available on site and minimize energy consumption with an airtight, well-insulated exterior envelope. The building is expected to take ad- vantage of the site’s access to solar, wind, and geothermal energies.

The staff and students of the Paul W. Crowley East Bay Met Campus are committed to the efficient use of the facility and to exploring innovative ways of using the building to teach and learn about sustainability, green technologies, and the environment. RIDE’s School Construction Program pursued a design-build approach and provides a model for school construction across the State and the region. A ribbon cutting is planned for January 2014.

Click here for more information on the Met Center: http://metcenter.org/.

About The Physical Plant

 The Met Center is designed to maximize educational excellence, (quiet sys- tems, folding partitions, airlocks that conserve heat), and to be as environmen- tally friendly as possible. In conjunction with the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), on behalf of the State of Rhode Island, the Met is building the first net zero State facility: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero- energy_building.

 Forward thinking design elements include a rubber seal around the building that keeps heat and cool air inside depending on the season, passive solar space, and geothermal walls underground.  The exterior terraces are designed to maintain solar heat so that students can study and play outside longer. This is not a “cells and bells” type school. Every level has a connection to the sun and the outdoors.  The views of Narragansett Bay are among the best in Rhode Island. At night, the building can be seen from land and sea.  Student designed wallpaper will be installed in the front vestibule on all three levels of the building.

Selection panelists attended a site visit in November 2013 and came away with the following:

Possible Concepts For Public Art

 “Inside/outside”  Community  Environment  Path, (and student path), (Note: no flooring projects can be considered.)  School as an idea generator  “One Student At A Time, Real World Learning”

Possible Sites

 Walls on 2nd floor  Stairwell Spaces: Note: the ocean view should not be blocked.  Atrium Space: Note: the ocean view should not be blocked  A “rhizomatic” approach: In other words, artists install different small pieces all over the school

Other Considerations

The selected artist(s) should be prepared to engage with the school community. The panel is interested in hearing proposals from fine artists, community artists and social practitioners.

The scope of the project will include all labor related to the artist’s installation, drawings, permitting and permit fees, equipment, supervision, testing services, RI engineer’s stamp, and all other costs incurred in the delivery of the finished installation.

The final commissioned work must comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act: http://www.ada.gov/.

Durability and sustainability of the Work is vital, thus designs with elaborate maintenance requirements should be avoided.

The design process must include representatives of the school and the surrounding community and must be responsive to their input. Submission Requirements:

Please note: This Request for Qualifications is the first step in the Met Center public art selection process. YOU ARE NOT BEING ASKED TO SUBMIT A SPECIFIC PROPOSAL. This is a Request For Qualifications, (RFQ), not a Request For Proposals, (RFP).

RISCA will conduct the Met Center Public Art application process online, with all materials submitted in digital format through CaFÉ (see below). There is no charge to the artist for applying or for submitting digital images. At this preliminary selection stage, we are requesting submissions from artists or artist teams consisting of six (6) images representing current work (completed within the past five years), resumes, and very brief descriptions of potential site-specific proposals.

If an artist wants to apply as an individual as well as part of a team, two separate CaFÉ profiles and two separate CaFÉ applications must be completed (i.e., one application submission for you and one for your team).

Applications consisting of six images, answers to designated questions, and resumes will be reviewed by the Met Center Public Art Selection Panel to assess the quality and appropriateness of the artist's work, interest in their brief proposal idea, and the artist’s ability to carry out a substantial public art commission. The RFQ process is mainly about the panel’s initial response to the artist’s images.

If selected as a finalist, artists will craft detailed proposals including an itemized budget, scale models and renderings, and an in-depth project description. For this they will each be paid an honorarium of $2,500. This stipend includes all travel expenses: hotel, transportation, mileage, etc., for both the site visit and the subsequent presentation meeting. Finalists will not be reimbursed separately for any travel costs.

No slides or hard copy materials will be accepted for this call. First time CaFÉ applicants must allow enough time to prepare their CaFÉ formatted digital images and electronic submission prior to the deadline. CaFÉ surveys have shown that it takes approximately 2-4 hours to prepare images and submit an online application, dependent on a variety of factors.

Each application must be submitted via the CaFÉ (tm) web site (www.callforentry.org) and must include:

1. A current resume for each artist. If you are applying as a team, include all team member resumes within one document.

2. Six digital images of relevant artwork. In the Description of Image, accompanying image annotation must list media, size, title, date of completion and a brief description of the artwork if necessary. Please do not present more than one view of artwork per image. If you wish to show a "detail", include it within the six (6) artwork images.

3. A written statement, not to exceed 2000 characters, that addresses the artist's/team's preliminary concept or potential approach for creating site- specific public art for the Paul W. Crowley Met Center as well a very brief idea of the proposed project budget, (in other words, indicate whether or not you think you will use the whole $60,000).

Estimated Timeline

January 15, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) Deadline for submissions Mid-February 2014: panel meeting for selection of semifinalists Mid-February: Artist notification February-March 2014: Finalist site visits April 2014: Finalist presentations to selection panel May 2014: Final approval by RISCA Council Tba: Contract signed Tba: Work installed and completed According to law, the final recommendation of the selection panel will be presented the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts who will have final approval of the selection.

Finalist’s site-specific proposals should convey artist’s ideas and plans through designs, renderings and/or scale models with a statement that describes the project's intent, proposed materials, fabrication and installation methods, and an itemized budget. Finalists are also asked to explain how their artwork will be sourced and fabricated. They will be supplied with plans, photographs, and specific information about the Paul W. Crowley Met Center building and its campus.

A site visit as well as a meeting with the architect and Met Center administrators will be scheduled for the finalists. An honorarium of $2,500 will be awarded to the finalists following presentation of their proposals. The proposals will remain the property of the artist. However, RISCA reserves the right to retain proposals for up to one year for display purposes and the right to reproduce final proposals for documentation and public information purposes.

The Public Art Selection Panel reserves the right to determine which proposal will be funded and the extent of funding. The panel also reserves the right to not accept any final proposal submitted. If the recommendations of the Public Art Selection Panel are approved by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, the selected artist/s will enter into contract with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts for the selected commission. The accepted artwork will be owned and maintained by the State of Rhode Island.

Selection Criteria

The panel will select the artist based on the following criteria:

1. Artistic Quality: Quality and suitability of the final proposal in relation to the project description, program goals and site descriptions. 2. Ability of the Artist’s Team: The artist's ability to carry out the commission, to keep the project within budget, and to complete and install the work on schedule.

3. Value: The quality and scope of the proposed completed work in relation to the commission and fees paid to the artist’s team.

4. Permanence and durability of materials for this heavily used public facility: It is the artist’s responsibility to ensure that all artwork meets safety standards, adheres to building codes and other state regulations. Artworks must be durable and require minimal maintenance.

5. Collaborative Spirit: Willingness of the artist to consult with the student population, school administrators, architects, landscape architects, civil engineers, general contractor and building staff (or designated representatives) to assure smooth integration of the artwork into the site and to make necessary adjustments in relation to building codes and other construction issues.

Artist Eligibility

This call is open to all artists. Applications may be submitted individually or in collaboration with others. The panel will not discriminate against any applicant artist on the basis of age, race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or physical challenges. Excluded from participation are RISCA Council members, staff and their family members as well as Public Art Selection Panel members and their families.

If you have questions about this RFQ, please email Elizabeth Keithline: [email protected]. If you require technical support for CAFÉ, please email [email protected]