Bronx Artists: Apply For A $200K Public Art Commission


The city has issued a Request For Expression of Interest (RFEI) for a $200,000 public art commission for The Bronx’s new 40th Precinct scheduled to be completed by 2020.

Those interested in applying should do so no later than March 31st. Also, The Bronx Culture Collective will be holding an orientation session this Tuesday, March 14th @ 6pm (see above flier for details).

To RSVP for the orientation session, please email epagan@nosquedamos.org

About the commission:

Open Call: NYC Percent for Art for NYPD 40th Precinct Community Room

Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI)

Permanent Public Art Commission

Budget: $200,000

Deadline: 3/31/17

Open to All Professional Artists

PUBLIC ART COMMISSION

The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) Percent for Art Program, in conjunction with the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) is issuing this Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) to engage an artist or artist team (Artist) to create a permanent public artwork for the community room of the new 40th Police Precinct Station House at East 149th Street and St. Ann’s Avenue in the Bronx.

Commissioned by the New York City Percent for Art program, the selected artist will create a permanent artwork within the interior of the new 40th Precinct Station House’s community room. The project team is seeking proposals that include a creative process of social engagement that activates the community room and results in a permanent artwork.

Artists are encouraged to consider some or all of the following goals for the 40th Precinct community room public art project:

  • Supports NYPD goals for community engagement
  • Responds to the unique character and history of the South Bronx
  • Invites social interaction and shared experience
  • Distinguishes the community room as a special space within the building
  • Resonates with people of diverse backgrounds, both police and civilian
  • Is durable and requires little or no maintenance

PROJECT BACKGROUND

The new 40th Precinct Station House is a ground-up 43,000 SF facility designed by Bjarke Ingels Group Architects (BIG) and will replace an existing station house currently located at 138th St and Alexander Ave. Located in the southern part of the Melrose neighborhood in the South Bronx, the new 40th Precinct Station House will serve the complex programmatic requirements of the NYPD.

The community room is a dedicated space for community use, an innovative component of the new 40th Precinct Station House and is the first of its kind to be included in a NYPD capital project. The “community room” space is designed to be flexible and multi-purpose, with information kiosks and an area for classes or civic gatherings. The goals for this new space are to provide a useful resource to the local community, create opportunities for police and community members to engage in a new way, connect the new station house to neighborhood, and support community policing initiatives.

The surrounding neighborhood is primarily residential. The population is majority Hispanic and many residents are low-income, with roughly 20% of the population at or below the poverty line. East 149th Street, where the building entrance is located, is a major thoroughfare, connecting the 40th Precinct with the nearby Hub area and a large swath of retail.

The site is bounded by E. 149th Street to the south, St. Anns Avenue to the east, and Westchester Avenue to the north. An unused railroad right of way borders a majority of the site with the Horizon Juvenile Center and an auto supply store to the west. A de-mapped portion of 150th Street divides two paved parking lots, with the north side of the street defined by a concrete wall overlooking the railroad cut.

SUBMISSION AND SELECTION PROCESS

This competition is organized in two phases.

Phase One is a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) in which artists may respond with samples of past work and supplementary materials. The City, in partnership with a committee of local arts and design professionals, will select atleast 3 artists as finalists to proceed to Phase Two of the selection process.

During Phase Two, the Department of Cultural Affairs will organize a design charrette or interview with each finalist and a group of project stakeholders. The artist selected to receive the commission will be chosen from among the Phase Two finalists and will have a total budget of $200,000 to realize a public art project at the 40th Precinct in partnership with the City of New York. Each finalist that participates in Phase Two, but is not selected for the commission, will receive a $500 honorarium.

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

This RFEI is open to all professional artists or artist teams. Preferred artist qualifications include:

  • Experience producing site-specific, socially-engaged, and/or public artworks
  • Ability to successfully work with diverse communities and stakeholders in a creative process
  • Demonstrated knowledge of the project area and local community
  • Availability to complete the project within the given schedule

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

All artists interested in being considered must apply through the online program at:

https://nyculture.submittable.com/submit

Submissions will only be accepted using this online application program. Submissions must be completed by midnight on March 31, 2017.

Interested artists must submit the following application materials online as described below:

1. Statement of Interest (500 words max)

Provide a narrative description of how your art practice and process of collaboration can be translated to this project and how you might approach this project.

2. Artist’s Statement (250 words max)

Provide a narrative description of your work past work and current practice, including reference to submitted work samples, as relevant.

3. Resume or CV

Provide a current resume or CV, highlighting artistic excellence, any teaching experience, community engagement work, and/or experience working with multiple stakeholders.

4. References

Provide the name, phone number and email addresses of two (2) professional references that have experience working with you as a partner or client on a creative project. Please indicate your relationship to each reference.

5. Work Samples

Provide up to 10 digital images of recent works and/or up to 3 links to video or audio with maximum lengths of 5 minutes. For literary projects, submit samples no longer than 5-10 pages of scripts, poetry, prose or other relevant materials.

6. Work Sample List

Provide a list of submitted work, including title, date, materials and dimensions, locations, and/or running times. Include 1-2 sentence descriptions as needed.

PROJECT SCHEDULE

All Artists submitting to this open call must be available during 2017 to attend meetings in New

York City with the project team, as necessary.

Date                                    Project Milestone

FEB  2017                           RFEI Released

MARCH 31, 2017                RFEI Submission deadline

APRIL 2017                         Notification of Finalists

MAY 2017                           Finalist Interviews

JUNE – SEPT 2017             Conceptual Design Development

SEPT 2017                          Bronx Community Board 1 Presentation

OCT 2017                           PDC Conceptual Design Review

2018                                    PDC Preliminary Design Review

2019                                    Fabrication of Artwork

2020                                   Installation of Artwork

PROJECT BUDGET AND CONTRACT

The project budget is not to exceed two-hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) and must include all project costs, including but not limited to the following: artist’s fees, design services, community engagement, site preparation, engineering, fabrication, travel, transportation of the work to the site, insurance, permits, installation, documentation of the artwork, and contingency.

The selected artist will enter into a design-build contract with Bjarke Ingels Group Architects and will receive payments from the art allocation as outlined in the contract, and in compliance with New York City procurement and payment requirements.

QUESTIONS

Please direct all inquiries regarding this open call to percent@culture.nyc.gov

TO SUBMIT:

https://nyculture.submittable.com/submit

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Ed García Conde

Ed García Conde is a life-long Bronxite who spends his time documenting the people, places, and things that make the borough a special place in the hopes of dispelling the negative stereotypes associated with The Bronx. His writings are often cited by mainstream media and is often consulted for his expertise on the borough's rich history.