CALL FOR ARTISTS REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS – Brandon Library

July 30, 2024

CALL FOR ARTISTS

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY is inviting interested artists to provide responses to this REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for an exterior artwork/sculpture for the Brandon Library Replacement located in Hillsborough County, Florida.

INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS

PROJECT TITLE:  PUBLIC ART PROJECT FOR THE BRANDON LIBRARY REPLACEMENT

PROJECT GOAL:  TO PROVIDE AN EXTERIOR SCULPTURE /ARTWORK FOR THE NEW BRANDON LIBRARY

LOCATION: 304 W. LUMSDEN ROAD, BRANDON, FL 33611, near the intersection of W. Lumsden Road and S. Parsons Avenue.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:  MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2024, AT 5:00 PM

DELIVER PROPOSAL BY E-MAIL TO:  PublicArt@hcfl.gov

PHYSICAL ADDRESS OF PROGRAM: DEPARTMENT OF CAPITAL PROGRAMS, PUBLIC ART PROGRAM, COUNTY CENTER, 22^ND FLOOR, 601 E. KENNEDY BLVD., TAMPA, FL  33602

1.0       PROJECT INFORMATION:

• Hillsborough County (County) is interested in receiving submissions from artists demonstrating their ability to provide a completely realized landmark sculpture at the Brandon Replacement Library now under design. The new library will be in central Brandon, an unincorporated suburb of Tampa located within Hillsborough County.  The County requests an exterior sculpture that creates a reverent tribute to a woman or women who have made a significant contribution in service to the community in education, arts and sciences, library services, health care, and/or the armed services.  The sculpture(s) will capture the essence of the dedication and resilience embodied by this woman or these women.  It shall include a plinth or base appropriately scaled for the artwork. Any sculpture(s) shall be at least life-sized. Consideration will be given to figural or abstract interpretations.
• The piece should require very low maintenance. It is preferable to have the artwork viewable from all directions. The sculpture must be six to twelve (6-12) feet high, not including the base/pedestal. The artwork is anticipated to located in a small plaza created in front of the covered drop-off at the library’s main entrance. For information relating to the location of the library itself and the artwork on the library site, see Exhibit A.
• The selected artist(s) will be responsible for the design, fabrication, and installation of the permanent artwork and its base/pedestal, including foundation structural design and related permitting.
• The selected artist will be responsible for a lighting design for night-time visibility and will provide the fixtures required by the design.
• The project will have several stakeholders including the Hillsborough County Department of Library Services, the Public Art Committee, various other County Departments, and other interested community organizations and individuals.
• The artwork will become part of the County’s permanent public art collection. Artists are required to submit qualifications, and encouraged to provide illustrations (images, renderings), and a brief statement describing an initial concept or idea for this project.  It is hoped that a full range of art media suitable for an outdoor environment will be represented.
• Three finalists will be selected to provide site specific proposals. Each selected finalist will be paid an honorarium of up to $750.00 (seven hundred and fifty dollars). Site Specific Proposals must include a site-specific maquette and/or other visual depictions of the proposed artwork.
• Design Criteria for Eventual Site-Specific Proposals:

1. The artwork will be located at the main entrance of the new library to be located at 304 W. Lumsden Road; the approximate location shown in Exhibit A.
2. The County requests free standing outdoor sculpture that creates a reverent tribute to a woman or women who have made a significant contribution in service to the community in education, arts and sciences, library services, health care, and/or the armed services. The sculpture(s) will capture the essence of the dedication and resilience embodied by this woman or these women. Proposals should consider the neoclassical architectural style and the site of the Brandon Public Library. The sculpture(s) shall include a plinth or base appropriately scaled for the artwork. Any sculpture(s) shall be at least life-sized. Consideration will be given to figural or abstract interpretations.
3. Artwork to be designed for minimal maintenance.
4. Artwork to be an original design (not reproduced).
5. Artwork should be structurally sound and meet applicable standards of the Florida Building Code for the foundation, wind loading, etc. The final design will need to be engineered and stamped/signed by a registered Florida professional engineer.
6. The artwork must have appropriate lighting for night-time visibility. Lighting fixtures to be provided    by Artist.
7. All materials used must meet the demands of Hillsborough County’s local climate.
8. The artwork must be devoid of advertising, including charitable, fraternal, religious, or political signs, symbols, logos, banners or any other such device.
9. The artwork must have an anti-graffiti coating or be of an inherently cleanable material.

• The artwork is to include an identification plaque.
• The artist must provide a two-year warranty on materials and craftsmanship.

2.0       SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS:

2.1       Artists who wish to be considered for this project must submit the materials described below electronically.  Ensure that all files sent electronically have been scanned by up-to-date virus scanning software.  Files with detected viruses will be destroyed and will not be considered.  All images and documents must be accessible in the MS Windows environment. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

The following documents are required:

• A current professional resume of no more than two (2) pages for each submitting artist.
• A list of exterior sculpture/artwork installations completed in the last 5 years. Please include owner contact information.
• A maximum of 8 digital images of completed exterior sculpture/artwork. The images shall be in .JPG format. Any masking or borders should be black, not white.  Image files must be properly labeled each with artist’s last name and a number (1-8) assigned per image list. (e.g.: smith_1.jpg, smith_2.jpg).  Artist’s name should NOT appear on the image. The first five artworks presented should be those that are most related to this call.  Provide close-ups or multiple viewpoints of large or complex artworks.
• An Image ID sheet explaining the content and context of each image.
• The following documents are optional:
• A written description of proposed artwork for this project including the title, type of media, dimensions, and up to 8 images/graphics to convey the design intent of the proposed artwork.
• Scans of publications, reviews or other items that may assist the County in evaluation of the artist’s capabilities. (No more than 3 items of this type should be included in the submission.)
• Instructions for electronic submission:

2.3.1     Submissions may be made by e-mail to: Publicart@hcfl.gov.  Large files may be zipped.

2.3.2     As an alternative to email submission, a USB flash drive may be mailed to the address below:

Dan Myers, Public Art Staff

Capital Programs

22^nd Fl, County Center

P.O. Box 1110

Tampa, Florida 33601

2.4       Additional Information and Instructions

2.4.1     Proposals will be reviewed by a Site Advisory Committee and the County’s Public Art        Committee.

2.4.2     The intent of the review is to short list a group of up to three artists to provide more specific proposals for the artwork.  The County intends to contract with only one artist or artist group to fulfill the requirements of this project.

2.4.3     Hillsborough County does not guarantee that any commissions will result from this call.

3.0      BUDGET, SCHEDULE, AND SELECTION PROCESS:

3.1      Budget for the Project:  $120,000.

• Estimated Schedule:

September 23, 2024- Call for Artist submission deadline

First Quarter 2025- Artists are selected to provide a site-specific proposal.

Second to Third Quarter 2025- Review and ranking of artists’ proposals

Third to Fourth Quarter 2025- Artists notified of rankings and an Agreement is negotiated with      top-ranked proposer.

Third to Fourth Quarter 2026 – Target date for installation

3.3       Selection Process:

3.3.1     For this project, a Site Advisory Committee composed of members of the public, Department of Library Services staff, the County project manager, and members of the Public Art Committee will initially review and rank the artists.  The Site Advisory Committee’s rankings will be considered by the Public Art Committee for final rankings and the selection of up to four artists to be short-listed.  Short-listed artists will be given further information on the project.  Using this information, each artist will develop a site-specific proposal.  Artists may use models, drawings, computer-generated imagery, and material samples to communicate their intentions. They must include in their proposals a working budget.

3.3.2     The site-specific proposals will be initially reviewed and ranked by the Site Advisory Committee.  The Site Advisory Committee’s rankings will be considered by the Public Art Committee as they make final rankings.

3.3.3     An Agreement will be negotiated with the top-ranked artist.  The Agreement will require the artist to provide the complete artwork and meet all related costs such as travel, materials, fabrication, transportation, insurance, and installation of the work within a mutually agreed time period and for a fixed fee. Progress payments are made over the course of the contract in accordance with a mutually agreed upon schedule. Compliance with financial arrangements between the artist and his/her subcontractors is the responsibility of the artist.

3.3.4     If an agreement cannot be successfully negotiated in a timely manner with the top-ranked artist(s), the County has the option to negotiate with the artist(s) next in order of ranking.

3.3.5    The negotiated agreement will be approved the Board of County Commissioners.

4.0       REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION/CLARIFICATION:

4.1       Any artist requesting additional information, interpretation, and/or clarifications relating to this Call shall make a written request addressed to:

Dan Myers, Public Art Staff, 22^nd Floor

P.O. Box 1110

Tampa, Florida 33601

e-mail: Publicart@hcfl.gov

4.2       If it is deemed necessary, an addendum to this Call for Artists may be issued through the Hillsborough County Art Council webpage at:

Opportunities – Hillsborough Arts Council

5.0       RISK:

5.1       Persons responding to this Call do so at their sole expense and risk.  The County reserves the right to change or cancel this Call at any time.

5.2       No proposer is guaranteed the award of an Agreement or any work as a result of being selected for this project.

5.3       Any changes made to this Call shall be made by means of a written addendum. It shall be the responsibility of the Artist to assure that all addenda have been received prior to submitting a proposal.

6.0        PUBLIC RECORDS ACT:

6.1       Pursuant to Florida Statutes, sealed responses to this Call to Artists are exempt from the public inspection requirements of the Public Records Act until such time as the announcement of a decision based on the proposals or within 30 days after proposal receipt date, whichever is earlier.

EXHIBIT A

LIBRARY LOCATION

Parcel at N.W. corner of Parsons Avenue and Lumsden Road

 General Site Plan

With Art Location  

 Detail Site Plan

Principal (South) Elevation

Southwest Elevation

END OF DOCUMENT