Call for Artists: Rhode Island Office of the Medical Examiner

Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is seeking artwork for the new RI Office of State Medical Examiners in Cumberland, Rhode Island. Artwork will be commissioned by the Department of Capital Asset, Management and Maintenance on behalf of the RI Department of Health and 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. Budget: $35,000. Eligibility: Rhode Island residents only.

The State is renovating an existing building to house modernized operations of the RI Office of Medical Examiners. This Call seeks artwork for the interior only; exterior artwork is excluded. The facility will include a family room, vestibule, waiting room, and hallway that comprise the public-facing areas. The selection panel has identified that suitable artwork might be calming, peaceful, and soothing; create a sense of familiarity or connection, perhaps through Rhode Island or New England imagery; offer texture such as textiles, weaving, collage or quilting; or be sound-based. Both abstract and representational works will be considered. Artwork should generally avoid bright colors or generic floral imagery and must be fabricated and installed so it does not create a hazard or function as a weapon. The facility can best accommodate artworks on walls.

This is the first step in the public art selection process. Artists should submit six digital images and/or audio files representing current work (completed within the past ten years) and resumes via CaFÉ. No slides or hard copy materials will be accepted. There is no charge to apply. After review, the selection committee will invite three finalists to create site-specific proposals and will pay each finalist a $750 stipend. Application Deadline: November 13, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Estimated Timeline: Late December 2023 panel meeting and finalist notification; January 2024 finalist site visits; March 2024 finalist presentations; Spring 2024 final approval by RISCA Council and contract signing.