Public Art for Various Durham County Buildings

The County of Durham, North Carolina is seeking artists or artist teams to design and install permanent public artworks in collaboration with County departments and other organizations engaged in capital development projects across Durham County. Multiple artists will be commissioned for various project locations including Durham County Administration Building 1, the New 300 E. Main Street Parking Deck, the New 500 East Main Street Parking Deck, and the New Durham County Youth Home.

The East Main Street area has long been under-served, and the two parking deck/mixed-use projects are the beginning of a concerted effort to create a distinct neighborhood just east of the downtown core and to connect Main Street from East to West through downtown. This area is being planned to incorporate mixed uses, incomes, and modes of transportation. Public art will be commissioned for the inside of both decks.

Applicants must submit an artist statement describing experience, discipline(s), and qualifications; at least five high-resolution images from at least three different projects with accompanying summaries (title, location, cost, materials/medium, and timeline); a resumé including any public or private commissioning experience and community engagement experience; and three professional references or recommendation letters with contact information. Artist teams should explain their collective interest and qualifications, include examples from each team member, and may submit three references collectively. Applicants must upload 15-20 total work samples (images, audio, and/or video). This RFQ is open to artists eligible to work in the United States; preference will be given to artists from North Carolina and Durham County. Candidates must be professional artists or designers, age 18 or older, and eligible regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender identification, military status, sexual orientation, marital status, or physical ability. A site visit is scheduled for January 24, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. EST at Durham County Engineering Department & Environmental Services, 201 E. Main Street, 5th Floor; attendance is optional. Contact Sarah Martin at [email protected] if you plan to attend.