Utah Public Art - School for the Deaf and Blind - Salt Lake City

Request for qualifications from artists and/or artist teams interested in creating site-specific artwork(s) for the new Utah School for the Deaf and Blind facility in Salt Lake City. The 50,000 square foot facility at 1655 E. 3300 South will serve as both a hub for the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind (USDB) and the local deaf and blind communities. By day, the building will function with a full-time pre-school, clinical/therapeutic facilities, and administration space. By night and weekend, it will host community events such as junior high performances, high school basketball games, elementary aged life skills programs, and executive board meetings.

The new facility will contain a full-size gymnasium with indoor/outdoor performing arts capability, orientation and mobility areas, indoor clubhouses for physical and occupational therapy training, multi-functional kitchen for vocational and life skills training, early childhood classrooms customized for sensory disabilities, a Snoezelen room (sensory/light room), enclosed courtyard with children's playground and sensory/exploration gardens, video conferencing rooms, board room, and storage. Site features include sensory gardens, tactile playgrounds, new parking areas, van drop-off areas, miniature amphitheater, new pedestrian connections to the existing building, turf play field, and reconfigured existing playground structures.

The art selection committee is searching for artists who will honor and incorporate the mission of the schools in their vision for the project. Proposed works should acknowledge and celebrate the diverse communities of Deaf, Blind, and Deaf-Blind children and their families, and contribute to the beauty and unique themes of life and education. Artists should consider the scale of the building and be thoughtful about the spatial experience and the size and needs of the various students. Submissions should include 1-6 images. Entry deadline: April 25, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. MDT. Contact: [email protected].