Budget: $100,000
Application deadline: 11:59PM ET, Friday, March 29, 2024
The City of Bloomington, in partnership with the Bloomington Arts Commission, seeks an artist or artistic team working in Indiana or adjacent states to create a signature artwork at Hopewell Commons, a community-oriented area composed of green space, areas for active and passive enjoyment, and arts programming. The city invites proposals for unique, durable, low-maintenance site-specific artwork of any media that will activate Hopewell Commons as a welcoming, inclusive space that reflects the history of the area and facilitates a sense of community and connectedness for the residents and visitors in the developing neighborhood.
Hopewell Background: In 1905, Bloomington’s Local Council of Women bought a 10-room red brick house that would become Bloomington’s first hospital. Local activists and volunteers supported the hospital with canned goods, garden produce, fundraisers, and even raised chickens to help feed patients. The house, located on a portion of the acreage that became Bloomington Hospital and later IU Health Bloomington Hospital, once belonged to Isaac Hopewell. The property came to be known by that name, linking “Hopewell” to the site for generations to come. Serving as part of Bloomington’s hospital for nearly six decades, Hopewell House was eventually razed in the summer of 1963. The legacy of Hopewell House – residents taking action to care for each other – continues to inspire the many individuals working to ensure that the new neighborhood remains a place of compassion, good health, and care.
On January 3, 2018, the City of Bloomington and IU Health announced that they had signed a letter of intent to transfer the hospital property and other nearby parcels to the City for its development in the community’s interest. After extensive work with Bloomington residents, community stakeholders, and an expert group of consultants, the City released the Hopewell Master Plan to develop the site as a new neighborhood that includes accessible housing, storefronts for small businesses, and green spaces for active and passive enjoyment and cultural programming.
The Hopewell neighborhood vision:
Bloomington must diversify and expand opportunities for all. Hopewell should be an inclusive neighborhood where people from all walks of life and all ages, incomes, abilities and backgrounds can thrive.
Bloomington must create sustainable neighborhoods to advance toward a zero-carbon future. Hopewell should exhibit best practices in sustainable redevelopment, as a blueprint for a more equitable, livable, and resilient Bloomington.
Bloomington must continue to be a place of beauty and excellent design for all. Hopewell should be an inspiring neighborhood of excellent design and public and private amenities.
Hopewell Commons will be the first phase of the neighborhood to be developed. Subsequent phases of the development will continue into 2028. The Hopewell development poses an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop an innovative neighborhood. Hopewell Commons and the artwork ultimately created in this area will be central to this vision.
Hopewell Commons Artwork Details: The City of Bloomington seeks a unique, durable, low-maintenance site-specific 3D artwork of any media. The work may manifest in one or multiple locations across Hopewell Commons. A map including all potential art locations and electrical access points and images of the Commons design is included below.
The budget for the project is $100,000 and must include all costs: artist fees, fabrication, insurance, shipping, transportation and documentation of the work, etc. Funding for this project comes from the City of Bloomington’s 1% for the Arts Ordinance, which states that certain city capital projects shall include an amount not less than one percent of the city's contribution to the estimated construction costs of the project for public art.
Artist Eligibility: All professional visual artists, designers, and architects, 18 and over, are invited to submit proposals. Artists new to the public art process and artists from minority and underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply. One of the City's objectives for the One Percent for the Arts Program is to encourage artists new to the public art process to consider this opportunity (see information about CDFI loans and fabrication services, below). City of Bloomington employees, Bloomington Arts Commissioners or committee members, project consultants and their employees and sub-consultants are not eligible to apply.
Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Financing: Artists who wish to respond but lack the capital for up-front expenses may be eligible to receive a CDFI business loan. If desired, the City will assist the selected artist/team to pursue funding through a CDFI.
Fabrication Services: Artists, designers, and architects from all levels of public art experience are encouraged to contact the following vendors. Each has shown interest in working with artists who respond to the City of Bloomington’s public art projects.
Bo-Mar Industries- adaml@bomarind.com
Clutch Fabrication and Design- Josh@clutchfab.com
Huddleston Design- huddlestonandrew90@gmail.com
Ignition Arts, LLC- tasker@ignitionarts.com
LaMantia Studio- mrjoelamantia@gmail.com
Weber Group, Inc.- samweber@webergroupinc.com
Artist Selection Criteria
Applicants must demonstrate the following qualifications and qualities:
Successful, creative, innovative work on comparable projects or potential to accomplish new work to be accomplished in the public sphere
Excellent communication skills
Ability to understand a locale’s sense of place, and design in a context-sensitive manner
Openness to working collaboratively with project team members
Selection Process:
A selection panel, including members of the Bloomington Arts Commission, the City of Bloomington’s Parks and Recreation and Engineering Departments, and members of the public, will review applications and choose up to 5 finalists to submit proposed designs for the project. Finalists will receive an honorarium of $1500 to create their designs. Finalists wishing to travel to Bloomington to visit the Hopewell Commons site will receive a travel stipend not to exceed $500. The honorarium and travel stipend amounts are not included in the overall project budget of $100,000.
Finalists will also be invited to participate in an interview with the selection panel and may be asked to update their designs based on the review panel’s feedback. The selected artist/artist team will be contracted to complete the design and may be asked to make further revisions based on selection panel and community feedback. The artwork will be installed in coordination with City staff.
Each application will be evaluated in accordance with the artistic quality, project goals, and process outlined above. The Selection Panel strongly encourages artists new to the public art process and artists from minority and underrepresented communities to apply.
Anticipated Project Timeline
Monday, March 4- Friday, March 29, 2024: Call for qualifications open
Friday, April 12, 2024: Finalists notified
Friday, May 17: Finalist design proposals due
Monday, May 20 - Friday, May 27: Public feedback period
Tuesday, May 28 - Friday, May 31: Finalist interviews
Friday, June 7, 2024: Artist/artist group selected
Summer 2024: Artist/artist group and City of Bloomington work together to finalize installation design.
Fall 2024: Begin installation
Proposal Submission Requirements: Applicants are expected to submit the following materials for review.
Professional Resume or Curriculum Vitae (2 pages maximum)
Outline your experience as an artist. In the case of a team application, include resumes for each team member. As an abbreviated resume or curriculum vitae, this should be no more than 2 pages. Please submit either a resume or CV, but not both.
Examples of previous work (up to 3 projects), including the following details for each:
Project images
Provide a set of up to 5 images of the project
If artist team, submit a set of up to 5 images of the project of the lead artist
Project overview
Provide a brief summary of the project including overall concept, dates, and location
Answers to the following questions:
What role did you play in the project?
What was the budget for the project, and was it completed within budget?
Did you collaborate with any stakeholders in the project’s final concept/design?
Was there a community engagement component?
Submissions must be received by 11:59 PM EST on Friday, March 29.
For more information, please contact: Holly Warren, Assistant Director for the Arts, Economic and Sustainable Development, City of Bloomington, holly.warren@bloomington.in.gov.
PRIOR TO APPLYING:
● You must register for a Survey Apply account here. See instructions here.
Request for Artist Qualifications: Hopewell Art Installation
Budget: $100,000
Application deadline: 11:59PM ET, Friday, March 29, 2024
The City of Bloomington, in partnership with the Bloomington Arts Commission, seeks an artist or artistic team working in Indiana or adjacent states to create a signature artwork at Hopewell Commons, a community-oriented area composed of green space, areas for active and passive enjoyment, and arts programming. The city invites proposals for unique, durable, low-maintenance site-specific artwork of any media that will activate Hopewell Commons as a welcoming, inclusive space that reflects the history of the area and facilitates a sense of community and connectedness for the residents and visitors in the developing neighborhood.
Hopewell Background: In 1905, Bloomington’s Local Council of Women bought a 10-room red brick house that would become Bloomington’s first hospital. Local activists and volunteers supported the hospital with canned goods, garden produce, fundraisers, and even raised chickens to help feed patients. The house, located on a portion of the acreage that became Bloomington Hospital and later IU Health Bloomington Hospital, once belonged to Isaac Hopewell. The property came to be known by that name, linking “Hopewell” to the site for generations to come. Serving as part of Bloomington’s hospital for nearly six decades, Hopewell House was eventually razed in the summer of 1963. The legacy of Hopewell House – residents taking action to care for each other – continues to inspire the many individuals working to ensure that the new neighborhood remains a place of compassion, good health, and care.
On January 3, 2018, the City of Bloomington and IU Health announced that they had signed a letter of intent to transfer the hospital property and other nearby parcels to the City for its development in the community’s interest. After extensive work with Bloomington residents, community stakeholders, and an expert group of consultants, the City released the Hopewell Master Plan to develop the site as a new neighborhood that includes accessible housing, storefronts for small businesses, and green spaces for active and passive enjoyment and cultural programming.
The Hopewell neighborhood vision:
Bloomington must diversify and expand opportunities for all. Hopewell should be an inclusive neighborhood where people from all walks of life and all ages, incomes, abilities and backgrounds can thrive.
Bloomington must create sustainable neighborhoods to advance toward a zero-carbon future. Hopewell should exhibit best practices in sustainable redevelopment, as a blueprint for a more equitable, livable, and resilient Bloomington.
Bloomington must continue to be a place of beauty and excellent design for all. Hopewell should be an inspiring neighborhood of excellent design and public and private amenities.
Hopewell Commons will be the first phase of the neighborhood to be developed. Subsequent phases of the development will continue into 2028. The Hopewell development poses an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop an innovative neighborhood. Hopewell Commons and the artwork ultimately created in this area will be central to this vision.
Hopewell Commons Artwork Details: The City of Bloomington seeks a unique, durable, low-maintenance site-specific 3D artwork of any media. The work may manifest in one or multiple locations across Hopewell Commons. A map including all potential art locations and electrical access points and images of the Commons design is included below.
The budget for the project is $100,000 and must include all costs: artist fees, fabrication, insurance, shipping, transportation and documentation of the work, etc. Funding for this project comes from the City of Bloomington’s 1% for the Arts Ordinance, which states that certain city capital projects shall include an amount not less than one percent of the city's contribution to the estimated construction costs of the project for public art.
Artist Eligibility: All professional visual artists, designers, and architects, 18 and over, are invited to submit proposals. Artists new to the public art process and artists from minority and underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply. One of the City's objectives for the One Percent for the Arts Program is to encourage artists new to the public art process to consider this opportunity (see information about CDFI loans and fabrication services, below). City of Bloomington employees, Bloomington Arts Commissioners or committee members, project consultants and their employees and sub-consultants are not eligible to apply.
Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Financing: Artists who wish to respond but lack the capital for up-front expenses may be eligible to receive a CDFI business loan. If desired, the City will assist the selected artist/team to pursue funding through a CDFI.
Fabrication Services: Artists, designers, and architects from all levels of public art experience are encouraged to contact the following vendors. Each has shown interest in working with artists who respond to the City of Bloomington’s public art projects.
Bo-Mar Industries- adaml@bomarind.com
Clutch Fabrication and Design- Josh@clutchfab.com
Huddleston Design- huddlestonandrew90@gmail.com
Ignition Arts, LLC- tasker@ignitionarts.com
LaMantia Studio- mrjoelamantia@gmail.com
Weber Group, Inc.- samweber@webergroupinc.com
Artist Selection Criteria
Applicants must demonstrate the following qualifications and qualities:
Successful, creative, innovative work on comparable projects or potential to accomplish new work to be accomplished in the public sphere
Excellent communication skills
Ability to understand a locale’s sense of place, and design in a context-sensitive manner
Openness to working collaboratively with project team members
Selection Process:
A selection panel, including members of the Bloomington Arts Commission, the City of Bloomington’s Parks and Recreation and Engineering Departments, and members of the public, will review applications and choose up to 5 finalists to submit proposed designs for the project. Finalists will receive an honorarium of $1500 to create their designs. Finalists wishing to travel to Bloomington to visit the Hopewell Commons site will receive a travel stipend not to exceed $500. The honorarium and travel stipend amounts are not included in the overall project budget of $100,000.
Finalists will also be invited to participate in an interview with the selection panel and may be asked to update their designs based on the review panel’s feedback. The selected artist/artist team will be contracted to complete the design and may be asked to make further revisions based on selection panel and community feedback. The artwork will be installed in coordination with City staff.
Each application will be evaluated in accordance with the artistic quality, project goals, and process outlined above. The Selection Panel strongly encourages artists new to the public art process and artists from minority and underrepresented communities to apply.
Anticipated Project Timeline
Monday, March 4- Friday, March 29, 2024: Call for qualifications open
Friday, April 12, 2024: Finalists notified
Friday, May 17: Finalist design proposals due
Monday, May 20 - Friday, May 27: Public feedback period
Tuesday, May 28 - Friday, May 31: Finalist interviews
Friday, June 7, 2024: Artist/artist group selected
Summer 2024: Artist/artist group and City of Bloomington work together to finalize installation design.
Fall 2024: Begin installation
Proposal Submission Requirements: Applicants are expected to submit the following materials for review.
Professional Resume or Curriculum Vitae (2 pages maximum)
Outline your experience as an artist. In the case of a team application, include resumes for each team member. As an abbreviated resume or curriculum vitae, this should be no more than 2 pages. Please submit either a resume or CV, but not both.
Examples of previous work (up to 3 projects), including the following details for each:
Project images
Provide a set of up to 5 images of the project
If artist team, submit a set of up to 5 images of the project of the lead artist
Project overview
Provide a brief summary of the project including overall concept, dates, and location
Answers to the following questions:
What role did you play in the project?
What was the budget for the project, and was it completed within budget?
Did you collaborate with any stakeholders in the project’s final concept/design?
Was there a community engagement component?
Submissions must be received by 11:59 PM EST on Friday, March 29.
For more information, please contact: Holly Warren, Assistant Director for the Arts, Economic and Sustainable Development, City of Bloomington, holly.warren@bloomington.in.gov.
PRIOR TO APPLYING:
● You must register for a Survey Apply account here. See instructions here.