RFP for Public Art at Wade Municipal Stadium

The Minnesota State Arts Board, on behalf of the Minnesota Historical Society, requests proposals from professional public artists or artist-led teams for permanent, site-specific public artwork at Wade Municipal Stadium in Duluth, Minnesota. This is a two-phase RFP process. Artist qualifications will be evaluated during the first phase, and finalists will receive a $750 stipend to develop a proposal for the project during the second phase.

Wade Municipal Stadium is located in West Duluth and serves as the home field of the Duluth Huskies of the Northwoods League, a summer collegiate league. The stadium also functions as a public outdoor events venue and substitute home base for local colleges and high schools. A recent restoration and historic preservation project secured the perimeter walls, converted the field to artificial turf, and provided upgraded lighting and a new scoreboard.

Artists or artist-led teams at all stages of their careers residing in Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada are eligible to apply. Responders must be at least 18 years of age. An all-inclusive budget of $39,150 is available for this project, representing all professional services and deliverables related to the artwork. Up to three artists are anticipated to be selected. The artist(s) should take a broad approach to exploring the culture of baseball, focusing on themes of competition, achievement, renewal, and celebration of the human spirit as expressed through athletics. The artwork will be located in areas of the facility freely accessible to the public on a regular basis.

Two spaces have been identified for artwork placement, above two steel gates along the third baseline wall. Each space is approximately 5 feet high x 15 feet wide x 3 feet deep. Proposed artwork must be durable, low maintenance, permanent, suitable for exterior display with exposure to extreme environmental conditions, safe for both children and adults, and ADA compliant. Artwork must be designed and installed within the weight and wind load limits of the area above the gates. At the selected artist's expense, the artwork may require reports and/or certification by licensed structural, lighting, electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic engineers and review by a professional fine art conservator.

Work sample requirements: 10-18 images and 0-2 videos (10-18 total samples). Proposals must be submitted online through the CaFÉ system no later than 11:59 P.M. (MST), Thursday, January 12, 2017. Duplicate, incomplete, or late submissions will not be considered. All costs incurred in responding to this RFP will be borne by the responder. For questions or clarification, contact Ben Owen, Percent for Art program officer, at [email protected].