Noblesville seeks sculptors and fabricators!

29 Aug Noblesville seeks sculptors and fabricators!

The City of Noblesville seeks an artist, artisan or creative company to design and fabricate safe, sturdy and visually delightful shade structures for use in the alleys around the downtown square. These structures are part of a larger project to activate spaces for pedestrian use in the downtown core and will add vibrancy to Noblesville’s Cultural Arts District. This project is funded by an Our Town grant, which requires specific reporting standards for the City and the selected artist. The City will select an applicant who demonstrates not only the ability to create safe and useful structures, but structures that are whimsical, unique and that will serve as a long-lasting iconic asset in downtown Noblesville.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION
Sunday, September 27^th, 2020 at 11:59 p.m.

ELIGIBILITY:
To be eligible to submit for this opportunity, artists must:

• Be able to meet all of the project requirements (see below)
• Be age 18 or over
• Be willing to meet all contractual obligations and adhere to a strict budget and timeline
• Carry personal liability insurance for the duration of the project (Noblesville Creates can provide a referral to an insurance provider if needed)

THIS PROJECT WILL REQUIRE:

• Developing designs for colorful, artistic collapsible and/or moveable shade structures (details in Resources below) to provide shade for an area at least 13 feet wide by 30 feet long.
• Fabricating and installing/delivering the shade structures in a timely fashion.
• Coordinating with the City of Noblesville, a panel of community members identified by the city, and Noblesville Creates to develop an approved design
• Coordinating with the City of Noblesville for the installation and/or delivery of the shade structures

PROJECT BUDGET:
This project will carry a commission fee of $10,000 for design, fabrication and installation of the shade structures. This fee is to cover all of the artists’ compensation and anticipated expenses, including (but not limited to) design fees, steel, fabric, installation hardware, any other materials required for fabrication and installation, production and labor. Payment will be made in two installments: 1/2 will be paid to the artist at the beginning of the project, with the remaining 1/2 to be paid upon completion of the project. Please note that these payments can take up to 30 days to arrive.

RESOURCES:

These shade structures are specifically needed for the East Alley off of the courthouse square in Downtown Noblesville. This alley must be available for deliveries and other utility access during business hours on weekdays, but is regularly closed for community engagement, events, and outdoor dining on evenings and weekends.  Therefore, shade structures must be easily able to collapse or be removed from the alley efficiently by city staff.  

Applicants for this project are invited to propose shade structures that incorporate any of the following design features:

• Permanent footings or poles can be installed along the edges of the alley to which shade structure elements may be attached.  These poles or structures will be no less than 12’ apart in order to ensure clear access for delivery vehicles.
• Shade structures can collapse and be stored along the sides of the alleys, between or along other structural elements on the sides of the alley. Ideally, these structures would be designed to add color and interest to the alley when collapsed, as well as when deployed.
• Instead of being ‘stored’ along the sides of the alley when not in use, shade structures could be designed with their own portable support system so that they could be completely cleared from the alley when not in use and potentially deployed elsewhere, if needed.  This could include weighted bases or the use of anchor holes in the alley to connect the shade structures. Any such systems must be designed for easy use by City staff, but must include safety measures that prevent others from collapsing or removing them without permission.  
• Shade structures could also be built above the minimum height for delivery trucks, which is 14’. In this case, the structure could be permanent, but will need to meet all structural engineering standards to withstand wind, rain, snow, and other outdoor structural demands.
• Any design can incorporate lighting elements. Electrical hookup is available.

Photos of the East Alley, as well as elevation drawings, are available upon request.

SELECTION PROCESS:

Artists must submit their qualifications to Aili McGill (amcgill@noblesvillecreates.org) by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, August 31^st, 2020. Representatives from the City of Noblesville, the Noblesville Arts Council, local businesses and Noblesville Creates will review submitted qualifications and select up to three finalists to interview further.

Note: While this is the intended selection process, in the event of an insufficient number of qualified applicants, Noblesville Creates reserves the right to invite an artist to propose, or to directly select an artist and also reserves the right to cancel the opportunity entirely at any point and for any reason. 

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Finalists will be selected based upon the following criteria:

Technical Ability: Artist’s submission indicates professionalism, skill with materials and techniques, and indicates the capacity to meet the requirements of this project

Artistic Quality: Artist’s past work is appropriate to its context, innovative, creative and stylistically distinctive 

PROJECT TIMELINE:

This timeline represents the project as it now appears. Changes may be necessary as the project progresses.

• Release Request for Qualifications: August 27, 2020
• Deadline for qualification submissions: September 27, 2020 
• Selection Committee Review: Sep 27-Oct 2, 2020
• Selection of final candidate: No later than Oct 5, 2020
• Design and Fabrication:  Oct 5 through Nov 30, 2020
• Installation: As soon as weather allows – weather and other site requirements may necessitate the delay of installation until spring, 2021.
• Dedication and Kick-Off Party: The First Friday after installation

HOW TO APPLY:

Artists must submit the following information to Aili McGill, Director, Noblesville Creates amcgill@noblesvillecreates.org (please note: submission materials will not be returned to applicants).

• Application: Please fill out the form at the bottom of this page completely and return it (including your proposed budget) with the other items listed below.
• Resume: Please include a copy of your artistic resume
• Cover Letter: Please include a statement about your interest in this project, as well as any personal or professional connection you have to Noblesville and how that connection influences your interest in this project. Please also include a statement about how your previous work experience qualifies you for this opportunity.
• Concept Description or Sketch: Please include a statement or sketch that describes how you would approach this project, including which approach you would take for accommodating vehicular access. The selection committee will not consider this a finalized design, simply a guide to help us understand how you would apply your previous experience and style to this project.
• Examples of previous artwork: Submit 2-10 digital images in .jpg or .pdf format of past work. Please limit the file size of each image to 2MB or less. If possible, include images of at least 1 previous project that is appropriate to the conditions of this brief.
• Image information sheet: Submit a sheet with the following information about each submitted project: title, date completed, client/neighborhood/site name, total artwork budget, and a brief (1-2 sentences) description of the project or piece at is relates to this project. Include a directory of which image titles you have submitted are associated with each project (ex: for an artist named Smith: PROJECT x: Images Smith 1, Smith 2, Smith 3; PROJECT Y: Smith 4, Smith 5, Smith 6). Submit this sheet in .doc, .docx or .pdf format.

DELIVERY OF SUBMISSIONS: 
Submissions may be emailed to amcgill@noblesvillecreates.org shared via Dropbox, or hand-delivered to Aili McGill at Noblesville Creates located at the below address. 

Mailed or delivered submissions must be loaded on a single usb drive. CDs, DVDs, or printed items cannot be accepted. USB drives must arrive at Noblesville Creates no later than 11:59 pm on Friday, September 27, 2020. A Dropbox share request must be time-stamped by 11:59 pm on Friday, September 27, 2020 – all items must be included in the shared folder by that time. Any item that is time-stamped as being uploaded after 11:59 pm will be disqualified from consideration. 

The Delivery Address is: 
ATTN: Aili McGill 
Noblesville Creates 
107 S. 8th Street
Noblesville, IN 46060 

QUESTIONS? 
Contact: Aili McGill, Director, Noblesville Creates: amcgill@noblesvillecreates.org or 317-452-3690