City of Memphis | UrbanArt Commission
HICKORY HILL BUS SHELTER ARTISTIC ENHANCEMENTS | CALL TO ARTISTS
Release Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022
Budget: $65,000 (includes three finalist honoraria of $500 each)
Deadline: Tuesday, August 2, 2022 at 11:59pm
Eligibility: Any artist living and working within the Memphis metropolitan area. Artists are invited to submit collaborative work if desired, but may only submit one proposal per project opportunity. While there is no limit to the number of calls an artist may apply to at once, UAC strongly encourages artists to consider both the time and scale of each call.
Information Session: Wednesday July 6 @ 5:30pm, RSVP now.
click aquí para leer esta convocatoria a artistas en español!
BACKGROUND
About Hickory Hill:
In the 1950s, Hickory Hill was a rural community just southeast of Memphis, with some paved roads and less than 1,000 homes were available in the area. Today, Hickory Hill is bounded on the north by where Bill Morris Parkway (385) meets Kirby, and the community of Fox Meadows (or Winchester Road), on the east by Riverdale Road, on the south by Holmes Road and Shelby Drive, and on the west by Mendenhall Road and/or the community of Parkway Village. Hickory Hill has a unique cultural character with residents having a die hard spirit and a loyal heart to see the neighborhood thrive. In spite of the drastic economic and societal changes, Hickory Hill remains a hard working, family focused and creative community. Ninety-two percent of Hickory Hill residents are minority (82.2% African American and 9.8% Hispanic). Many of Hickory Hill’s residents not only hold down a 9 to 5 but are also small business owners and entrepreneurs with an array of talents ranging from culinary arts and fashion, to cosmetology, acting and more. Hickory Hill is also the home of some of the most influential faith-based organizations in the city: World Overcomers, Greater Community Temple COGIC and New Direction Christian Church.
About Gestalt Community Schools:
Focusing on education and community development, Gestalt’s network of five K-12 college-preparatory charter schools which serve over 2,300 students have been a driving force in Hickory Hill. Targeting low-income communities with failing schools, Gestalt catalyzes grassroots leadership to revitalize neighborhoods, create high performing schools, and tackle out-of-school challenges. Over the last decade, Gestalt has launched 5 successful schools and built a unique approach to urban community engagement and strategic partnerships addressing every aspect of a thriving community: education, community revitalization, economic development, housing, health and wellness, financial empowerment, and social-emotional support. Gestalt is leading neighborhood revitalization of Hickory Hill via three projects: Eden Square, Mendenhall Mall, and the most recent acquisition: the former Malco Majestic Property . Eden Square includes the redevelopment of 43 acres in Hickory Hill once home to a blighted, crime-ridden abandoned apartment complex. In Phase 1 and 2, Gestalt built a permanent home for Power Center Academy (PCA) Middle and a Performing Arts Center, and Habitat for Humanity has built 9 homes and will complete 23 additional homes for PCA families and low-income seniors adjacent to PCA Middle. Mendenhall Mall is an abandoned property transformed with the launch of PCA High in 2014 and construction of a new school for PCA Elementary (opened July 2019). Gestalt plans to develop the former Malco site into a new facility for the PCA K-8 school among other amenities such as an urban farm, fine arts’ and sports’ facilities, and more affordable housing. Gestalt partners are adding social service agencies, a financial institution, a health and wellness center, and retailers on the property to serve students, families, and the entire community.
About UAC:
The UrbanArt Commission (UAC) works to create opportunities for artists and neighborhoods to connect and shape spaces through public art. Since 2002, UAC has managed the City of Memphis’s Percent-For-Art Program, which allocates funds annually to develop public art in connection to capital improvement projects. UAC also facilitates public art projects throughout the city working with various partners and clients to support artists and new experiences with art.
SITE SPECIFICS
UAC and The City of Memphis, in partnership with Gestalt Schools, are seeking an artist to create artistic enhancements to four Tolar bus shelters: 2 bus stops at Winchester/Mendenhall & 2 bus stops Winchester/Hickory Hill. The sites chosen are those that have been identified by MATA and residents as high traffic/major transit spots. The Hickory Hill neighborhood has expressed a strong desire to refresh and enhance these shelters in their community. Artists’ designs may not alter or weaken the shelter’s structural integrity.
MATA Bus measurements and specs.
Note: The actual structure of the Tolar Bus Shelter is to not be modified. It may be enhanced with artistic elements and features.
Enhancements may not impede on ADA accessibility. “In order to make sure shelters are accessible, the concrete pad supporting the shelter should be flush with the surrounding sidewalk. In addition, seating within the shelter should not extend the full length, but a clear zone for wheelchairs of at least 30” x 48” must be maintained.”
UAC will assist with access to a structural engineer to assist the artist.
SCOPE OF WORK
UAC and The City of Memphis, in partnership with Gestalt Community Schools, are seeking an artist to create artistic enhancements to four Tolar Bus Shelters that speak to Gestalt’s definition of a thriving community: education, community revitalization, economic development, housing, health and wellness, financial empowerment, and social-emotional support.
The selection committee and Hickory Hill residents have expressed interest in artistic enhancements that:
(please note: the need for maintenance should also be low.)
Maintain visibility of approaching buses while providing protection from the elements
Pay tribute to the name of the community using the words: “Hickory Hill”
Represent the diversity by featuring residents’ faces, families and cultures
Celebrate Hickory Hill’s regrowth and community pillars
Reflect the spirit of Hickory Hill which has been identified as vibrant and lively
Compliment and consider nearby existing public art
Enhance the experience of waiting for the bus more enjoyable/practical
(Memphis’ weather is harsh, sideways rain, blistering heat etc.)
The commissioned artist/s will be selected based on the strength of their qualifications submitted, ability to adhere to deadlines and work within the stated budget. Applicants are expected to have or collaborate/subcontract with appropriate vendors to meet the necessary technical capabilities to design and install such projects, including providing maintenance instructions. The artist(s) will work with the UAC Program Managers to coordinate community engagement efforts. This engagement should help inform the final design. The finished project must require little to no regular maintenance. Final artwork should complement the characteristics and neighborhood identity of the site. The artist/s selected shall be expected to collaborate closely with site engineers, landscape architects, and any necessary party for the successful installation of the project, including residents. NOTE: Commissioned artists are permitted to work with outside contractors to fabricate the actual work of art.
PROJECT EXPECTATIONS
A selection committee organized by UAC will review submitted portfolios, and will invite three finalists to submit site-specific design proposals. All finalists will receive a stipend of $500 for their designs. The selected artist will be expected to work closely with the Selection Committee and UAC to execute the proposed artistic enhancements.
SELECTION COMMITTEE
Yetta Lewis: Gestalt Community Schools: UAC’s Neighborhood Partner
John Lancaster: MATA Chief Development Officer: MATA Representative
Tijuana Kimble : Hickory Hill Resident
Alex Uhlmann: City of Memphis: Bikeway and Pedestrian Program Coordinator
Dr. Alexis Gwinn Miller: Power Center CDC Director: Community Stakeholder
Danielle Sierra: UAC Artist Representative
Kristian Taylor: Power Center Academy Art Teacher
Alex Weaver: Haizlip Studio: Architect/Engineer Representative
Jacquelyn Johnson: Agape Child & Family Services, Site Coordinator : Neighborhood Stakeholder (nonvoting)
John Truong: BD&C Project Manager: City Engineering Representative (nonvoting)
Adrianna Moore: Community Engagement Administrator - Parks’ Representative (nonvoting)
*Neighborhood Vote: Collected public votes will serve as one additional selection committee member vote for the final selected artist
PROJECT BUDGET
Total project budget is $65,000, including artist honoraria - up to three finalists will receive a $500 honorarium for a site-specific proposal. Design budget $15,875; Fabrication/installation budget $47,625 all-inclusive.
PROJECT TIMELINE
Tuesday, June 21, 2022: RFQ released
Wednesday, July 6th, 2022: UAC Virtual Information Session
Tuesday, August 2, 2022 at 11:59pm: RFQ deadline
Tuesday, August 16, 2022: Notify finalists of RFP invitation
Tuesday, September 27, 2022: RFP deadline
Fall 2023: Completion celebration
APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Please submit the following materials online:
Completed application form
A typed letter explaining your interest in the project and your general approach/concept to its design and production. Please do not submit design proposals at this point.
Up to 20 images of past work including title of work, date, medium, budget and project partners, if any.
Resume or CV, not to exceed 2 pages.
List of three professional references, including current phone and email.
To apply to an open Request for Qualifications (RFQ) or Request for Proposals (RFP), go to uacmem.org/calls-to-artists. Follow the Hickory Hill Bus Shelter Enhancements link to view more details.
Clicking on the Submit button will redirect you to our Submittable page, which contains all of our current open opportunities. Click the Submit button next to the opportunity that you wish to apply for, or if you are already within an opportunity, scroll down to the Create your account / Have an account? Sign in form.
If you already have a Submittable account, click the Have an account? Sign in tab to sign in to your account.
If you don’t have an account, you must create one to apply. Create your free account by filling out the Create your account form. Fill in all information and click the Create Account and Continue button to continue with the submission process.
From there, you will be able to complete and submit your application. You can now use this account login when submitting to all future UAC opportunities. Once you have submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation email that confirms receipt of your full application.
For more information about this project, please contact:
Richard Echols | Program Manager
901.881.8205 | richard@uacmem.org
This RFQ can be found on www.uacmem.org/calls-to-artists
INFORMATION SESSIONS
UAC will host a virtual information session for interested artists on Wednesday July 6th, 2022 at 5:30pm. The virtual session will be recorded and a link made available to applicants who are unable to attend during that time. Interested artists who have not completed a public art project previously or not completed a project of this scale are strongly encouraged to reach out to the UAC team in advance of submitting their application. Artists may also schedule a meeting with UAC staff to review their application and portfolio. Appointments are available until 1 week prior to the close of the call to artists. See project contact information in the above section.
DISCLAIMERS
UAC is committed to equity and inclusion in our work. People of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, differently-abled and neurodiverse persons, indigenous peoples, youth, seniors, and women are strongly encouraged to apply.
Applicants will be notified as to the status of their application. Commissioning of artists by UAC and the pursuit of all UAC activities are implemented without preference to racial or ethnic origins, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disability, or age.
UAC reserves the right to modify this solicitation and to request additional information from participating artists.
UAC reserves the right to accept or reject, at any time prior to the commissioning of a work, any or all proposals when the acceptance, rejection, waiver or advertisement would be in the best interest of the project.
The UAC team will be responsible for all correspondence and communication by and between applicants and members of selection panels. Discussion regarding these projects by and between any applicant and any member of a selection panel outside of regularly scheduled meetings during the selection process may be grounds for the disqualification of the applicant. Such determination shall be at the discretion of UAC.
