City of Clive Public Arts Program
Call to Artists – The Harbach Center Bay Doors Mural Project
Clive, Iowa

About this Opportunity

The City of Clive is redesigning Linnan Park, a popular neighborhood green space, which sits alongside our community center – the Harbach Center. As part of this park revitalization, we are issuing a call to artists to select an artist/artist team paint a mural on the large bay doors that are part of The Harbach Center.

This facility is located on Harbach Blvd., with the bay doors to be painted facing out to Linnan Park. The doors are 16 fee tall and 14 feet wide (each door is made of eight 2-foot tall sections that stack), for a total of 224 square feet.

The City is seeking a piece of public art to enhance this facility that should:  Be a cohesive piece across the three doors;
Celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of the Linnan Park neighborhood; Inspire people from the park to visit the Harbach Center facility;

Tie into the design elements of the Linnan Park redesign.
(details found here: https://www.cityofclive.com/project_detail_T51_R835.php)

Project Budget

The preliminary budget for this project is $20,000. The budget will include all costs associated with the project including, but not limited to: artist design fees, travel, materials, fabrication costs, documentation, transportation, creation, maintenance, and honorariums.

Selection and Project Criteria

This is an open call for artists who meet the eligibility requirements. Artist’s submission materials will be reviewed by the Harbach Center Mural Design Group. If necessary, interviews may be conducted with selected artists or artist teams.

Upon selection of an artist or artist team, whether based solely upon submission materials or upon interviews, one artist/artist team will be commissioned to develop, design and paint a permanent mural on the Harbach Center Bay doors.

A selection committee will evaluate the artist’s proposals and narrow the proposals down to three finalists. Each finalist will receive a stipend of $600 to further refine their proposal before a final interview to determine the selected artist.

The selection committee (The Harbach Center Mural Design Group) will be composed of the following individuals:

Mayor or City Councilmember
Park, Recreation and Public Art Board Members (2)
Library Manager or designee
Recreation Manager or designee
City Manager  Leisure Services Director
Selection of finalists will be based on the following:

Proposed concept for work of art for the space
Quality of letter of interest
Quality of work samples
Background and prior work experience including community engagement
Demonstration of project understanding and ability to meet project schedule. Consideration of project criteria in conceptual design proposal. The artist’s concept, final proposal, and ultimately the final artwork will need to meet certain criteria.
Artwork should:

Celebrate the diversity and vibrancy of the Harbach neighborhood
Tie-in to the redesign of Linnan Park Be colorful and eye-catching; high-impact and engaging Be suitable for the outdoors during any weather. Be low maintenance and durable. Be aesthetically and photographically pleasing both up close for visitors to the facility and for those visiting Linnan Park
Be appealing both day and night and during all seasons
Eligibility

Project:  Artists must work with the community for the creation of the project. Artists will provide a plan on how to involve the community in their work.
Artist or artist team:

Must have completed 2 commissioned indoor or outdoor public works of art of at least $20,000 in value. Must show an understanding of the community in the Harbach neighborhood of the City of Clive; special consideration will be given to those artists who show familiarity with the site and the City of Clive as a whole (no travel costs will be covered for any preselection site visits).  Special consideration will be given to proposals from underrepresented artists, Iowa artists, and those that explore themes of diversity. Must be able to participate in a virtual interview, if needed.

Timeline

Application Deadline: April 18, 2025
Finalists Announced: May 16, 2025
Finalist Presentations: June 27, 2025
Project Completion Deadline: December 31, 2025
Required Submission Materials

In digital format only.

Provide the following in a single PDF document (work sample JPEGs can be sent as separate files):

Contact information for artist / artist team members
One-page letter describing interest in project and approach to design; please include statements addressing eligibility criteria, community engagement, and project criteria
One-page biographical information or resume for lead artist(s) (include one paragraph for each team member if artist-led team)
Three references (contact information only) for recently completed projects of similar scope

Work samples: include 3-5 work samples showing projects completed within the last 5 years with up to 3 digital images of each project. Save all standard JPEG images and label each with applicant’s full name and number in sequence with list of work samples. One-page document listing all work samples. Please provide a brief description and budget for each. No more than 3 pages showing artist’s initial concept for the Harbach Center Bay Doors Mural Project that may include sketches, images, and text.

Please submit all materials via email to Tiffany Belieu, Administrative Assistant at [email protected] . Include “Harbach Center Bay Doors Mural Project” in the subject line. All materials must be received by 4:30 p.m. CST on Monday, April 18, 2025

No submissions will be accepted after this time. Receipt of submission will be acknowledged via email.

Questions regarding this Call for Artists can be directed to

Tiffany Belieu, Administrative Assistant at [email protected] or 515-223-5246.

Harbach Center and Bay Door and Harbach Center Images
The doors are 16 fee tall and 14 feet wide (each door is made of eight 2-foot tall sections that stack), for a total of 224 square feet.