Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Ohio Artists

The Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Conservancy) in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and Arts Organization in Residence Museum of Creative Human Art (MOCHA) request qualifications from individual artists or groups of artists who are interested in creating a public, outdoor mural. The mural will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Cuyahoga Valley National Park by envisioning its next 50 years. The mural theme is “A Wild Urban Refuge, Reimagined”. Artists might explore the question, “What would a future look like where humans, native plants, and wildlife thrive together in a healthy, balanced environment?”

Rather than submit proposals for specific project ideas, this RFQ seeks artists’ qualifications and general thoughts about this opportunity. The artists selected as finalists through this RFQ process will work with the Conservancy staff and a selection committee made up of a variety of community stakeholders to develop their specific innovative, original art concepts.

Eligibility

This RFQ is open to artists, aged 18 and over, who live in Ohio.

Project Site/ Specifications

Cuyahoga Valley National Park welcomes 2.9 million visitors annually and is one of the top 10 most visited national parks in the country. The mural site is located within the central hub of the national park, the Boston Mill Road Bridge, and is visible from the Boston Mill Visitor Center, pedestrian bridges, hiking trails, and when paddling along the Cuyahoga River. The mural site – which runs along the former parking lot connecting to the towpath trail - will serve as a visually appealing “welcome” to park visitors who now see graffiti on the bridge. The dimensions for the mural are: approximately 15' high x 25' long.

See images of the proposed site on page 3. If you wish to visit the site, we suggest you go to the Boston Mill Visitor Center at 6947 Riverview Road, Peninsula, Ohio 44264. You can view the site from inside the building or from the outdoor May Barn that overlooks the Cuyahoga River.

Budget

The budget for this project is $12,000. The budget is all-inclusive and required to cover all public art related expenses, including, but not limited to, design, artist fee, materials, engineering, fabrication, and installation.

Submission Requirements

Artists are required to submit a 1-2 page narrative describing their qualifications and explaining why they would be interested in working on this project. Artists should indicate what approaches they would take in creating this mural, and make note of how they would integrate the Conservancy goals into developing their design:

• commitment to environmental justice
• commemorating the 50^th anniversary
• envisioning a “wild, urban refuge”
• serving as a welcome to the park

Additionally, artists are required to submit, in electronic format:

• up-to-date CV or resume;
• up to 10 images depicting completed relevant work in JPEG or PNG format (none of the images may contain self-identifying information), suitable for inclusion in a PPT or PDF presentation; and
• annotated image list for the images provided, including location, commissioning agency, materials, and total project budget. Artists should note what their role was in producing the works depicted if a team effort.

Submission deadline

Submissions must be received by Monday, May 6, 2024, 5:00 PM EST. Entries should be submitted electronically to Pamela Fine at pfine@janussmallassociates.com.

Timeline:

• Early March – RFQ released
• Monday, May 6, 5:00 PM – Submissions due
• Mid-May – Selection committee to meet to choose artists (“finalists”) to be asked to submit full proposals
• Mid-late May – All artists notified whether or not they have been selected to be finalists; please note: each artist/group of artists selected as finalists will receive an honorarium to create final proposal
• Early July – Finalists to submit full proposals
• Mid-late July – Mural artist/group of artists selected based on full proposals
• Early August – Contract issued to selected artist/group of artists
• August through November – Artists to create and install their project