The City of Durham invites professional artists or artist teams to submit qualifications to design, fabricate, and install a signature, permanent piece of public art at Morreene Road Park in Durham, North Carolina. Full proposals are not required at this time; please submit only those materials described in the submission requirements section. The selected artist will work in collaboration with the City of Durham’s Public Art Program administrator, Morreene Road Park Project Manager, and Durham Parks and Recreation Department.

Issue Date: January 25, 2019

Deadline for Submissions: February 28, 2019 by 11:59PM EST

Project Budget: $3,500

PROJECT BACKGROUND
The City of Durham is currently renovating the athletic courts at Morreene Road Park, found at 1102 Morreene Road, Durham, North Carolina. Improvements to the park will include a full reconstruction of the tennis courts, removal of old asphalt around the playground, and the addition of new ADA accessible pedestrian pathways. Renovations are expected to be completed by April 2019.

Morreene Road Park offers a variety of public art installation opportunities. Applicants are encouraged to consider interactive installations such as sculptures, ground-plane murals, or creative seating elements. The installation(s) may be installed along the pathways, near the play structure, or in the parking lot of the park. Additionally, applicants are strongly encouraged to consider the park’s dedication to accessible play space. To honor Morreene Road Parks’s history, the Selection Committee will prioritize artists or artist teams with disabilities.

ABOUT MORREENE ROAD PARK
Named after the historic “Morreene Dairy” which used to stand nearby, Morreene Road Park is home to baseball and softball fields, basketball courts, picnic shelters, and tennis courts. The park is also the site of Durham, NC’s first purpose-built ADA accessible play structure. Morreene Road Park is a diverse, active space which invites folks of all ages, abilities, and from all across Durham to come out and Play More.

ELIGIBILITY
This request for qualifications is open to all individuals or teams age 18 or older who live or work in the Triangle-area as defined by the following counties (Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Johnston, Orange, Person, and Wake) and are eligible to work in the United States. Candidates are eligible regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender identification, military status, sexual orientation, marital status, or physical ability.

SCOPE OF WORK
Artist(s) are expected to create a work of permanent art inspired by one or all of the following themes: Inclusivity, Diversity, Community, Activism, Creativity, Entrepreneurial Spirit, and Progress. The City of Durham defines permanent art as visual art including, but not limited to, sculptures, murals, photographic renderings, mosaics, lighting and electronic art installations installed on a permanent basis in spaces which are visible from public streets and pedestrian walkways, free of any admission fee, through a public process providing opportunity for community input.

The selected artist or artist team will be required to perform the following services:
Leading an engagement process to solicit community input in one or more sessions, prior to submission of design concept(s).
Collaborating with the City and project stakeholders on the final design
Overseeing the fabrication and installation of the public art piece
Submission of a reasonable maintenance plan to ensure proper conservation of the piece

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Statement of interest: Briefly describe your interest in this project, and your qualifications for completing the work. Artist teams should explain their interest and qualifications collectively.
Work samples: Submission should include visual representations of past artwork that demonstrate your qualifications for this project. Applicants must upload a total of 10 images that represent up to 5 previously completed projects. Each sample should have an accompanying summary of the title, location, cost, materials/media, and timeline associated with that piece. Videos will count as one of the 10 images, and should be submitted as a PDF link. Artist teams’ work sample submissions should include examples from each team member.
Résumés: Résumés for each artist/ artist team member should include any public or private commissioning experience, and community engagement experience, if applicable.
References: Each artist should provide at least one and up to three (3) professional references or recommendation letters with contact information for each reference. Artist teams may submit a total of 3 references collectively.