Downtown Market Plaza Public Art Request for Qualifications - Gateway/Entry Public Art

The City of Lee's Summit Cultural Commission seeks to commission a professional visual artist or artist team to create an outdoor, site-specific, or site-responsive art piece for the new Downtown Market Plaza's main entrance. The art piece will be located at the intersection of Third Street and Green Streets, serving as the primary entry point and gathering space on the facility's southern boundary. It will be highly visible to pedestrians and vehicular traffic and is anticipated to be a high-photographic area. The art piece may include illumination and visitors will be able to touch or interact with it. This piece is meant to serve as an iconic beacon and gateway installation for the Downtown Market Plaza development while maintaining views of the Market and Plaza features.

The Downtown Market Plaza development is a mixed-use project in the heart of downtown Lee's Summit, a southeastern suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, centered around a new farmer's market and event space, outdoor performance area, and creatively streetscaped pavilion. The project broke ground in October 2023 and is scheduled to open in late spring 2025. The total public art project budget is not to exceed $100,000, all-inclusive, covering design fees, travel, fabrication, supplies, material costs, delivery, approval by a Missouri-licensed engineer, lighting materials, installation, and related expenses.

This opportunity is open to professional visual artists and artist teams residing in the United States and at least 18 years of age. Applicants should possess understanding of or experience with outdoor installation considering Missouri's climate and ecosystem (high winds, hail, extreme hot and cold temperatures, humidity). Previous experience working in the public realm and with a public agency is preferred, as is experience involving community members in the visioning and creation of artwork. Submissions must include a letter of intent (up to 1 page), three professional references (up to 1 page), resume or biographical information (up to 3 pages), and work samples (up to 10 images and/or up to 6 audio and/or video files). Selected finalists will be notified by April 5, 2024, and three to five finalists will receive a $1,000 stipend to develop a concept proposal for presentation to the selection panel. The selected artist or artist team will be announced following final approval by the Lee's Summit Cultural Commission and City Council, with artwork installation anticipated for April/May 2025.