City of Wichita Redbud Trail Public Art Commission - Woodlawn Ave. to Webb Rd.

Benesch and Landworks Studio, on behalf of the City of Wichita, invite professional artists and artist teams with a demonstrated history of completing durable, permanent public art projects to submit their qualifications for a public art commission on the Redbud Trail.

This project's artistic elements are funded through the Percent for Art Ordinance and the City of Wichita's Capital Improvement Plan. Opportunities have been identified for art to be integrated or installed as part of the next 3.5 miles of Redbud Trail improvements to be completed by the end of 2026. Redbud Trail is a 15-mile multi-modal trail located on an abandoned BNSF railway extending from Wichita through Andover and terminating in Augusta, KS. The portion of the trail for consideration starts at Woodlawn Avenue just north of Wichita Firehouse 14 and extends east across Rock Road and ends just east of K-96. Adjacent properties include residential lots within planned subdivisions, HOA-maintained green spaces, a middle school, undeveloped commercial, and commercial/retail stores. The trail is fairly wooded in some places, and the goal will be to keep a similar appearance. An elevated bicycle/pedestrian bridge is being designed for the trail over Rock Road as part of this project.

The total artwork commission budget is $300,000, inclusive of all costs and fees for the artist to execute the project from design through structural engineering, fabrication, site preparation, transportation, delivery to the site, and installation. The design team has developed three themes for exploration: Redbud Tree, Process/Motion, and Connectedness. Artwork opportunities include custom trail amenities such as shade structures, the Rock Road overpass with ramp/pedestrian bridge handrails and MSE wall form liners/murals, trail surface applications, and monuments/environmental art along trail segments, at intersections, and at pause points. Artwork should be vandal-resistant with graffiti removal treatments/coatings where appropriate. Artwork incorporating steel material must comply with Buy America and Build America criteria. The selected artist or artist team will work collaboratively with the city's design team, including engineers and landscape architects, and will be expected to participate in an in-person design charrette and provide regular updates through the fabrication and installation process. Submission requires 5-7 images of previous work. The submission deadline is May 15, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. MDT. Interviews for finalists are scheduled for May 30, 2024, with final artist selection on June 4, 2024.