Honolulu MOCA Art in City Buildings for Thomas Square

The City and County of Honolulu Commission on Culture and the Arts seeks to commission an outdoor sculpture of King Kamehameha III for Thomas Square, located at 925 South Beretania Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96814. This Request for Qualifications is open to all artists or artist teams qualified to work for the City and County of Honolulu. The awarded budget for this project is $250,000.00, all-inclusive, covering artist fees, travel, fabrication, installation, documentation, signage, taxes, and insurance.

Thomas Square is a six and a half acre urban park with significant historical importance. On July 31, 1843, a formal ceremony restoring the Hawaiian Kingdom to King Kamehameha III occurred at this site. The square was officially established on January 22, 1850, and has been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places since 1972. King Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli) was born August 11, 1813, and ruled the Kingdom of Hawai'i from June 6, 1825 until his death on December 15, 1854, making him the longest reigning monarch of Hawai'i.

The artwork must be of outdoor durable material, preferably bronze, free standing, and located within the southern half of Thomas Square (King Street side). The artwork will be electrically lit by the City. Applicants must submit a letter of interest (not exceeding 4,000 characters), professional resume (not exceeding two pages), at least three professional references (not exceeding 2,000 characters), and up to six annotated images of their work. All applications must be submitted through the CallforEntry.org online system by 7:59 pm Hawaii Standard Time on October 2, 2016. Six finalists will be selected to develop proposals and present at a public meeting; all finalists receive a $1,000.00 honorarium. Final selection will be made by the Commission on Culture and the Arts in May 2017. All artists must be registered with the City's Vendor Self Service System and, if awarded, must be registered to do business in the State of Hawaii and compliant with the State of Hawaii Compliance Express system.