RTD N Line Commerce City Station Public Art Commission

The City of Commerce City and Commerce City Cultural Council seek to commission a site-specific work of public art for the North Metro Rail Line Station at 72nd Avenue in Commerce City, Colorado. This new commuter rail station will be the first stop on the N Line after a long elevated portion of rail, offering views of the Flatirons, Rockies, downtown skyline, and industrial areas of the north metro region.

The artwork should celebrate Commerce City's history and bright future, reflecting the area's evolution from Cheyenne and Arapahoe lands to agricultural areas in the 1920s, industrial development beginning in 1930, and current transformation into a thriving city with new residential and mixed-use development. The neighborhood is diverse and the artwork should celebrate all aspects of the community. The Selection Panel has suggested sculptural elements for the inner section of a traffic circle on the north side of the station or attached to a seat wall below the train plaza. Kinetic artwork and color are encouraged. All artwork must be constructed of durable materials (stone, steel, bronze, or other durable metals preferred) to withstand climbing, touching, weather, and temperature changes.

The project budget is $58,000 USD, inclusive of all costs including artist design fee, structural engineering, insurance, materials, fabrication, transportation, installation, site modifications, travel, per diem, project documentation, and contingency. Applicants must be legal U.S. residents residing full-time in Colorado with skills and experience commensurate with successfully completing a public art installation. Applications must include six digital images of previously completed artworks, a current résumé, and a statement of interest of 250 words or less. Applicants must also answer whether they reside in Colorado full-time, have completed at least one public art commission for a municipality or state agency, and whether the fall 2020 completion timeline presents a problem. Semi-finalists will be invited to present proposals to the selection panel, with a finalist recommended to the Cultural Council and City Council for approval. The tentative schedule includes application deadline February 14, 2020; committee review and semi-finalist selection the week of February 17; semi-finalist proposals presented in March; recommendations presented in April; artist contracts executed in April; rail line opening summer 2020; and artwork installation summer/fall 2020.