Greater Nashville Area Request for Bike Racks Designs

The Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission (Metro Arts) is soliciting proposals for bicycle rack designs scheduled for fabrication and installation in various locations throughout Nashville-Davidson County in 2016. Approximately 5 to 7 artist design proposals will be selected. Artists can submit a maximum of three design proposals. Possible bike rack locations include Edgehill Branch Public Library, Hadley Park Community Center, Looby Branch Public Library, North Nashville Branch Public Library, and First Tennessee Park Nashville Sounds Stadium. Metro Arts will determine the appropriate location for each design in consultation with the Metro contracted fabricator and the site manager/owner. Once designs are selected, a fabricator will build selected designs in consultation with selected artists and Metro Arts. Selected designs will be installed by Metro Arts and a Metro contractor in various locations throughout Nashville-Davidson County.

The project budget allocates $3,500 for the artist design fee, project-related travel, consultation throughout project fabrication and installation, plus other artist-related costs. Selected artists will be required to attend at least four meetings/events which include a meet & greet event with Metro Arts, at least two meetings with Metro Arts and the contracted fabricator, and the dedication event for the bike racks. Fabrication, installation and site preparation costs will be paid by Metro. Bike rack fabrication budgets typically range from $10,000-$20,000. If the fabrication cost of a selected design proposal exceeds $20,000, the artist will be asked to modify their design.

The public art project is open to professional artists and artist teams who reside within the Greater Nashville/Davidson County area, which includes the counties of Cannon, Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Hickman, Macon, Maury, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson and Wilson County. Metro Arts defines professional artist as someone at least 18 years of age with at least two years of visual art exhibition history or at least two years of commissioned visual or public art. Artist teams must consist of two or more professional artists working collaboratively or a collaborative team led by a professional artist. Exhibitions, commissions or public art created during or as part of an artist's undergraduate education shall not count towards these criteria.

Bike rack designs should carefully balance form with function. Designs must support the bicycle upright by its frame in a minimum of two places and enable the frame and one of the wheels to be secured with a lock. A portion of the rack must allow for a bicycle to be secured using a standard 4" U-lock, with additional design accommodations for 2" U-lock preferred but not mandatory. The rack must be capable of securing 2 to 6 standard adult-size bicycles, not exceed 12' in height or length, and be constructed of durable materials capable of withstanding permanent exposure to the elements. Locking points should be between 1' and 3' off the ground and located at points on the rack where the thickness is between 1" and 4". Design should allow for easy maneuvering of handlebars and pedals with no part of the bicycle or bike rack extending outside of a 6'x16' footprint. Artistic merit is the first and most important criteria. Designs should be context-sensitive to the city, neighborhood, street or immediate environment and give meaning to place by reflecting Nashville's history, culture, or natural features and assets.

Submissions must include an artist statement of no more than 1000 characters, up to 3 JPG images of the design on a white background with general dimensions and proposed materials, a current résumé not to exceed two pages, and references listing three people with whom you have worked on an exhibit or commission. All submissions must be received via www.callforentry.org by 12:00 a.m. Friday, April 10, 2015, MST. If submitting more than one design, each design requires a separate application. Direct all questions to Van Gill Maravalli, Public Art Project Coordinator, at [email protected] with "Bike Racks" in the subject line. Deadline for questions is March 31, 2015. Metro Arts will host an open office hour on March 11th from 12:00-1:00 p.m. and a live web session on March 24th from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Selection panel will meet May 14-21, 2015, with award notification and artist contracting in June/July 2015. Fabrication is scheduled for July 2015-July 2016, with installation and dedication in Spring/Summer 2016.