Weber State University Noorda Engineering Building - Public Art Commission

Request for qualifications from interested artists or artist teams to create site-specific artwork(s) for the new Weber State Noorda Engineering, Applied Science & Technology Building in Ogden, UT.

The Noorda Engineering Building, situated on the north end of the Weber State University Ogden campus, will serve as the new home for the College of Engineering, Applied Science and Technology (EAST). The building will house academic classrooms and labs for the departments of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, the School of Computing and Sales, as well as science and engineering classrooms and administrative spaces for NUAMES (Northern Utah Academy for Math, Engineering and Science). The building features multiple levels with varied access points, a three-story student forum space, outdoor engineering yard, and plaza areas. Engineering is integral to the building's design, with exposed building systems, structural bracing, and mechanical/electrical rooms visible to the public.

A successful proposal should convey and/or demonstrate principles of engineering and/or science and might include a sustainability component. Examples include basic machines (pulleys, incline planes, gears), kinetic work, demonstrations of scientific principles, real-time digital representations of building functions, interactive work with science or engineering content, or work that uses the building's form and/or site in a meaningful way. Proposed work should reflect and complement the engineering and applied science instruction and research mission of the building. The Committee has identified several suitable areas including the forum space, building entrances at Level 1, building entrance plazas (at Levels 0, 1, and 2), the north plaza, the exterior south wall of the High Bay building, and the building entrance at Level 0. The forum space is slated to have one or more high-end digital screens that could present digital art. The possibility of an outdoor in-ground labyrinth pattern has also been discussed.

Project budget is up to $410,000 for all related expenses including artist fees, fabrication, framing, insurance, shipping, travel, installation, and documentation. The Selection Committee may commission more than one artist. Eligible applicants are resident US citizens or legal resident artists/artist teams. Utah artists are strongly encouraged to apply. Art Selection Committee members, staff and Board of Utah Arts & Museums, and VCBO Architects are not eligible. Required materials include a letter of interest (5000 character maximum), visual support materials (up to ten still images and/or up to six moving image files for a total of 10 samples maximum), and CV/Resume (up to three pages). Submission deadline: April 10, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. MDT.