Utah State University Mehdi Heravi Global Teaching and Learning Center

Utah State University in partnership with the Utah Division of Facilities Construction and Management and the Utah Arts & Museums' Public Art Program requests qualifications from artists and/or artist teams interested in creating site-specific artwork(s) for the new Mehdi Heravi Global Teaching & Learning Center at Utah State University in Logan, Utah.

The Mehdi Heravi Global Teaching and Learning Center is designed to create real-world understanding for language and culture students through interaction. The center will include eight cultural hubs (one for each language: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish), a technology suite, catering kitchen with adjacent event space, student breakroom, reflection room, secure bike storage, shower facilities, study nooks, faculty and staff offices, meeting/conference rooms, language-testing rooms, two large language labs, and a small café. The Art Selection Committee intends to commission a public artwork that will reflect the interests of this diverse, developing community. The artwork should be accessible to the public and enhance both the student and employee experience of the space.

Proposed work should reflect and complement the visioning principles of Empathy, Understanding, Compassion, Connection, and Peace, and celebrate shared humanity in individual cultural variation. The Committee has identified several areas suitable for artistic interpretation: the air space above the main entry into the building, the east courtyard between Ray B. West and the Mehdi Heravi Global Teaching and Learning Center, and the west end of the building nearest to Old Main. A budget of $115,000 is available for all related expenses including artist fees, engineering, fabrication, insurance, shipping, travel, installation, documentation, and other costs. Complete application packages must be received by October 14, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. MDT. Semi-finalists will be asked to present a full proposal on December 8, 2022, and all semi-finalists will be awarded an honorarium to help defray proposal development costs.