Utah State Developmental Center Comprehensive Therapy Building - Public Art Commission

The Utah Public Art Program, in association with the Division of Facilities Construction & Management and the Department of Health & Human Services, is seeking artists interested in creating site-specific exterior artwork for the Comprehensive Therapy Building at the Utah State Developmental Center in American Fork, Utah. This project is open to artists and artist teams residing in the Intermountain West United States, including Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Utah artists will be given additional weight in the selection process.

The Comprehensive Therapy Building will consolidate therapy services currently spread across campus, including Physical Therapy, Hydrotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Life Skills Center, Recreation, Audiology, Speech, Autism Treatment, and Resident Medical Services. The Art Selection Committee has identified the East Exterior Entrance as the location for public artwork and seeks visually engaging work that may be interactive, sensory, or tactile. Artwork must consider the sensitivity and vulnerability of residents and be designed with safety standards and ligature resistance in mind. The committee hopes the selected artist will honor the interests of clients, employees, architecture, and the site.

A budget of $166,000 is available for all related expenses including artist fees, fabrication, structure/base, insurance, shipping, travel, lighting, installation, and documentation. The selection process begins with preliminary material review, followed by semi-finalist notification on July 26, 2023. Semi-finalists will present full proposals on October 5, 2023, and will receive an honorarium applied toward the final commission. Project substantial completion is expected Fall 2025. Applications must be submitted online via CallForEntry and include a Letter of Interest, up to 10 images and/or 1 video file of previous work, and a CV or resume. The application deadline is July 14, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. MDT. For questions, contact Hannah Barrett at [email protected] or 801-245-7271.