Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind Public Art Commission

The Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind (CSDB) is seeking qualifications from artists and/or artist teams interested in creating site-specific, exterior public artwork(s) for the school in Colorado Springs, Colorado. CSDB is a state-funded school within the Colorado Department of Education dedicated to providing comprehensive educational services for children, birth to age 21, who are blind/visually impaired and/or deaf/hard of hearing.

The Art Selection Committee is commissioning an outdoor artwork or series of artworks for the exterior of Jones and Palmer Halls. Opportunities for exterior artwork locations include the new plaza area outside of Jones Hall and the new exterior gathering area outside Palmer Hall. Current public artworks on campus focus on campus history, students, and the continuum of education; CSDB would like this artwork to address the school's forward-thinking mentality and that its community is moving forward into the new century. Due to the school's unique population, CSDB is interested in how artists can creatively address the school's community with accessible artwork. Options include a large sculpture that is highly visible and tactile, as well as light, water, sound, and kinetic pieces. The Selection Committee will consider artistic excellence, accessibility, conceptual and thematic compatibility, technical competence, scale, material, form and content, resistance to wear and vandalism, and ease of maintenance.

The budget for this project is $94,000, covering all costs including artist design fee, structural engineering, insurance, materials, fabrication, transportation, installation, and project documentation. Selected semi-finalists will be invited to propose artwork and will receive an honorarium: $1,500 for out-of-state semi-finalists and $1,000 for in-state semi-finalists. All applicants must be legal residents of the United States with skills and experience commensurate with completing a major public art installation. The Program is open to all artists regardless of race, color, creed, gender, gender variance, national origin, age, religion, marital status, political opinion or affiliation, or mental or physical handicap. The Art Selection Committee reserves the right to give preference to artists residing in Colorado. Applicants must submit 4-8 digital images of previously completed artworks (and up to 1 video file), a resume, and a statement of interest (500 words or less) through the CaFÉ system. There is no application fee. The selection process includes a semi-finalist phase with in-person proposal presentations scheduled for April/May 2018.