Canoa Ranch Pollinator Garden Public Art RFQ

In collaboration with Pima County, the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance (SAACA) is seeking a qualified Public Artist or Artist Team for commission through a Request for Qualifications application process (RFQ). This is a request for qualifications only; do not submit proposals for artwork at this time. Pima County's 1% for Public Art program, established in 1990, is dedicated to enhancing public spaces with meaningful artworks that reflect the county's unique character and cultural heritage.

The artwork will be installed at Historic Canoa Ranch, located at 5375 I-19 Frontage Rd, Green Valley, AZ 85614. The 4,800-acre site, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, preserves Indigenous, Spanish, and ranching heritage. The public art project will unite history, ecology, and conservation, creating artworks that honor the land's resilience and interconnected stories. The native pollinator art project aims to highlight the intricate relationships between native pollinators such as bees, butterflies, birds, and bats, and the native plants they pollinate. The art will be integrated into 3 distinct interpretive node areas within the pollinator garden: a Butterfly Node highlighting the North American Monarch and native wildflowers; a Bat and Moth Node highlighting nocturnal pollinator species; and a Wind Node highlighting wind-pollinated native grass species. Projects should avoid literal representations and explore conceptual means of representing pollinator-plant relationships. The artwork may integrate a variety of materials as long as construction and material characteristics can withstand outdoor climate extremes, including strong wind, dust, and exposed outdoor conditions.

The all-inclusive budget is $150,000 and must cover all costs related to design, materials, production, transportation, installation, permits, taxes, insurance, soil analysis, engineering, and mounting. The construction timeframe is anticipated to be 6 months, commencing in January 2025. The application deadline is April 11, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time. Work sample requirements: minimum 6 images, maximum 10 images; minimum 0 videos, maximum 5 videos; total samples minimum 6, maximum 15. The selected Artist/Artist Team will be contracted directly with Pima County and will work collaboratively with Pima County, SAACA, and a seven-person Public Art Panel to develop a conceptual design. Contact: [email protected].