Denver District 5 Police Substation and 911 Call Center Public Art Commission

The City of Denver's Public Art Program seeks to commission an artist or team of artists to create an original public artwork for the Denver District 5 Police Substation and new 911 Call Center located at 12025 E. 45th Ave. in the Montbello neighborhood. The selection panel has identified the exterior entry plaza for potential art opportunities and will select one artist or artist team for an allocated budget of approximately $250,000 USD.

The Montbello neighborhood lies north of I-70 and northeast of downtown Denver. It is Denver's largest neighborhood, and the District 5 Police Substation serves over 100,000 residents that are extremely diverse. The newly renovated police substation will include a community room, lobby and more welcoming entrance and plaza for the public. The new 43,000-square-foot 911 emergency communications center houses 53 call-takers and dispatchers with updated technology systems, training rooms and increased telephone and computer service storage.

The selection panel is invested in cultural diversity, local history and community representation, seeking artwork that reflects the rich cultures of the area and creates a space that is inclusive, accessible, and welcoming to all. The panel hopes to see artwork that reflects the diverse communities of Northeast Denver, which includes significant African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and African immigrant populations. Artworks could be created using diverse media including sculpture, light, sound and mosaic applications. Works that are engaging and help to tell the story of the critical, yet unseen work of the 911 emergency communications center are welcomed. All applicants must consider long-term conservation and maintenance, as projects are in the public realm and may be exposed to weather, physical stresses, and vandalism. Public art projects should be fabricated of highly durable, low-maintenance materials.

This project is open to artists nationally. Applicants may apply as a single artist or multi-person collaborative group. If applying as a team, submit one résumé for the team with no more than one page per team member. Applicants will submit six digital images, a résumé, and a statement of interest no longer than 2,000 characters via www.callforentry.org. The selection panel will choose three to five finalists who will create site-specific proposals and be interviewed in a virtual format. Artists will be paid an honorarium for this work. Based on the interview and proposal, an artist or artist team will be selected for this commission. The budget of $250,000 USD is inclusive of all costs including design fee, consultation fees, insurance, materials, fabrication, transportation, installation, and any other project costs. Prevailing wage requirements will apply for all work done on city property. Entry deadline: Monday, April 12, 2021, 11:59 p.m. MST. Finalist selection: May 2021. Selected artist or artist team notification: September 2021.