Railroad Drive Reconstruction Public Art Project

The City of El Paso Public Art Program is seeking an artist or artists to design and develop public art piece(s) within the Railroad Drive Reconstruction Project, located north of Purple Heart Memorial Highway. The project includes street reconstruction with new roadway pavement, bicycle trail, sidewalks, parkway improvements with street trees and landscaping, and dark sky compliant street lighting. The public art opportunity invites artists to create interactive or functional artwork that engages with the community in developing the concept and design.

The total project budget is $200,000 to include design, fabrication, and installation. This all-inclusive budget must cover design fees, travel expenses, all materials and fabrication costs, insurance costs, engineering expenses, shipping and transportation to the site, and installation. Artists will be selected through an open competition. Applications should include an artist statement, previous work examples, resume, and letter of interest. Work samples may include 1-6 images, 0-5 audio files, and 0-5 video files (minimum 1 total sample required).

The Artist Selection Panel will review all complete, eligible applications received by the deadline and select a finalist to proceed. The selected finalist will be placed under contract to collaborate with the City and stakeholders to generate artwork proposals, conduct site research, and prepare presentations. Design proposals will be reviewed by the Public Art Committee based on artistic merit, appropriateness in scale and form, feasibility of construction and installation, budget and timeline feasibility, and alignment with project goals. The anticipated project completion is Spring 2020.