Request for Qualifications (RFQ): City of El Paso Pre-Qualified Artist Pool 2009-2011

The City of El Paso Public Art Program seeks to establish a pre-qualified pool of artists and artist teams for consideration in upcoming public art projects. The pre-qualified list will remain in effect for two years once established and approved by the Public Art Committee and the Cultural Affairs Advisory Board. Funding for projects is provided by two percent (2%) of the Capital Improvement Program. Public art project budgets can range from $20,000.00 to $500,000.00, inclusive of design, artist fees, fabrication, installation, insurance provisions, and all other costs associated with the public artwork.

Applications must be submitted by Friday, August 14, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Standard Time) using the Call for Entry (CAFÉ) online application system. Applicants must submit a letter of interest, current resume outlining experience as a public artist, and six (6) images of completed past artworks with title, dimensions, medium, year of completion, location, three-sentence description, and budget amount. Images must be sized to 1920 pixels horizontal by 1920 pixels vertical in Baseline JPEG format, no more than 1.8 MB in file size. Artist teams must submit a resume for each member and may submit only six (6) images total. Three (3) professional references with names, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers are required for each applicant.

Any professional artist or artist team 18 years of age or older is eligible to apply. Current City of El Paso employees and Public Art Committee members may not apply. Selection criteria include aesthetic merit of past projects, experience and success in creating public artworks in collaboration with architects, design teams, and community members, and potential for consideration in a public art selection process. A panel of artists and art professionals will review applications, with final selections recommended by the City of El Paso's Public Art Committee. Artists selected for the pool will be notified prior to being placed into consideration for specific projects. For questions, contact Patricia Dalbin at (915) 541-4894 or [email protected], or Marisol Lopez at (915) 541-4257 or [email protected].