RFP #169 Minnesota Veterans Home, Minneapolis - Public Art Commission

The Minnesota State Arts Board, on behalf of the Minnesota Department of Administration and the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, requests proposals from working professional artists or artist-led teams for permanent, site-specific public artwork at the Minnesota Veterans Home, Minneapolis. This is a two-phase RFP process. Artist qualifications will be evaluated during the first phase, and finalists will receive a $5,000 stipend to develop a proposal during the second phase.

The Minnesota Veterans Home, Minneapolis, founded in 1887, is located on a 53-acre wooded campus overlooking the Mississippi River. The facility contains 291 skilled nursing beds and 50 domiciliary beds. The campus is currently undergoing a $116.4 million multiphase improvement, with Building 22 serving as the site for new public art. The site is located near Minnehaha Falls and is known for its natural beauty. As a designated site on the National Register of Historic Places, artwork must conform to the Secretary of Interior Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and associated Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes.

The artwork should promote healing and support the organization's mission of serving those who have served, focusing on life at the home rather than being a war memorial. It should complement the unique natural beauty of the campus landscape, encourage viewer interaction and engagement with consideration for accessibility and the physical and mental health needs of residents, contribute to contemporary art dialogue, and enrich Minnesota's public art collection. Proposed artwork must be durable, low maintenance, permanent, suitable for interior or exterior display with exposure to extreme environmental conditions, safe for children and adults, safe for individuals with light and/or sound sensitivities, and ADA compliant. An all-inclusive budget of $155,415 is available for the project, covering design fee, labor, consultants, travel, transportation, materials, site preparation, installation, storage, documentation, studio overhead, insurance, taxes, and contingency.

Working professional artists residing in the United States are eligible to apply. Responders must be at least 18 years of age and provide evidence of successfully completing public art projects comparable in scope and nature to this solicitation. Submissions must include 10-18 images and up to 2 videos (10-20 total samples). Proposals must be received online via the CaFÉ system no later than 11:59 P.M. (MT), June 29, 2017. Questions regarding the RFP should be directed to Ben Owen, Percent for Art program officer, at [email protected] by 4:30 PM (CT), June 20, 2017.