AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

Project Summary
The City of Manhattan Beach seeks to commission a significant piece of Public Art to acknowledge the City's first 100 years. The artwork(s) will be sited in a prominent location or locations in the City. The opportunity is open to all professional artists.
ARTIST COMMISSION: Not to exceed $130,000
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: Responses must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. PST on Friday, August 3, 2012
Overview
Manhattan Beach is situated 19 miles southwest of Los Angeles on the southerly end of the Santa Monica Bay. Manhattan Beach is an urban beach community that attracts a variety of visitors from all over the world. The City was incorporated in December 1912, and has a storied history that will be celebrated throughout 2012.
Scope of Work
The City of Manhattan Beach seeks to commission an artist or group of artists to develop a site-specific art project to commemorate the City's Centennial. The location of the project will be determined in conjunction with the chosen artist(s). The City Council and its Cultural Arts Commission have approved the following vision statement for the Centennial Art Project:
The Centennial Art Project is to create an exceptional visual experience for locals and visitors, celebrating the City's past and inspiring future generations. The project also aims to foster community dialogues reflecting the dynamics of art, audience, and context.
The Centennial Art Project should:
Foster community discussion; Celebrate our unique community and culture; Engage and inspire the mind and senses; and Anchor a key community place.
The selected artist(s) should be able to work with architectural plans and have an interest in working cooperatively with design professionals, city staff, and community members. Artists
should have experience working within the public process, in public settings, as well as a proven ability to fabricate their own work and/or work with fabricators and installers.
Budget
The selected artist will receive a commission of up to $130,000, inclusive of all costs, including but not limited to design, travel, accommodations, project materials, fabrication, installation of artwork, and documentation of the work(s), pursuant to a contract that will be finalized after selection of the artist.
Eligibility
The opportunity is open to established professional artists. Artist teams are eligible to apply, including teams of artist from multiple disciplines.
How to Apply:
Artists and artist teams interested in the project should submit ONE copy of each of the following:
1. LETTER of INTEREST, no more than two pages in length, explaining the artist's or artist team's interest in the project. If the Letter of Interest is on behalf of a team, please identify the lead artist and indicate if the individuals and/or organizations have previously collaborated and the nature of the association.
2. RELEVANT EXPERIENCE OR A CURRENT RESUME: If submitting as a team, a separate resume should be submitted for each team member.
3. Up to 16 ARTWORK IMAGES of the artist's work or the work of the artist team. Digital images must be sent on a CD and be a minimum 600x800 jpg or tif; each image's file name should include the artist's name and a reference number. If the proposed team has not previously collaborated, the lead artist may submit a maximum of 10 images and each team member may include a maximum of 5 images each. Power Point presentations are not admissible.
In lieu of slides or digital images, the artist or artist team may submit a 3-MINUTE DVD of the artist's work or the work of the artist team, if relevant experience is more accurately depicted in this manner. Video images must be in DVD format, and only the first 3 minutes will be considered.
4. ANNOTATED IMAGE LIST or VIDEO DESCRIPTION with the artist's name and a brief description of each image including its title, date, medium, size, location, and cost.
5. REFERENCES of at least three professionals (commissioning agency or organization, design or arts professional, architect, landscape architect, engineer, etc.) who have an intimate knowledge of the artist's work and working method. Include complete address,
telephone numbers, and email for each individual. If an organization is serving as a professional reference, please identify a contact name. References provided as part of this application will be contacted prior to artist interviews.
The materials submitted as part of the application will not be returned, unless requested specifically in writing. Self-addressed stamped envelope(s), which are appropriately sized and sufficiently stamped for the return of application materials, must be included with the application.
Submissions of materials in response to this Request for Qualifications shall be addressed as follows:
City of Manhattan Beach
Parks & Recreation Department
Public Art Program
1400 Highland Ave.
City of Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Attn: Megumi Sando Moisen
Selection Process
The Art in Public Places Committee (APPC), comprised of the Cultural Arts Commission and community members, will review all submissions. All members of the public are invited to participate in the public meetings held during this process. The selection process will occur in three phases:
1. The APPC will review all applications and select up to five (5) finalists. The finalists shall be awarded a total of $20,000 – to be divided equally among the finalists – to allow them to develop conceptual designs for the Centennial Artwork.
2. After receipt of the finalists' conceptual designs, the APPC will conduct interviews with the finalists and hold a meeting for finalists to present their conceptual designs to the public. Thereafter, the APPC will rank the finalists and make a recommendation of award to the City Council.
3. Upon receiving the APPC's recommendation, the City Council will evaluate the finalists' conceptual designs and determine whether to award the project to one of the finalists or finalist teams.
Pre-Contractual Expenses
The City will not pay or reimburse pre-contractual expenses incurred by any person submitting in response to this RFQ.
Criteria for Selecting Finalists
Finalists will be selected on the following criteria:
Strength of past artwork(s) with an emphasis on artwork in the public setting. Experience fabricating and installing permanent artwork on time and on budget.
Timeline
Submission Deadline: August 3rd, 2012
Selection of Finalists: Mid-August, 2012
City Tour for Finalists: September 2012 (TBA)
Conceptual Design Submission Deadline (finalists): November 2, 2012
Finalists' presentation to the Cultural Arts Commission: November 13, 2012
City Council Design Approval (Project awarded): December 2012
Artwork Installation: Mid 2013
Acceptance of Submissions
The City reserves the right to withdraw this RFQ at any time without prior notice, and the City makes no representations that any contract will be awarded to any person, entity, or group of persons responding to this RFQ. The City Council specifically reserves the right not to award any contract to the finalists or finalist teams, including the finalist recommended by the APPC.
The City reserves the right to postpone for its own convenience the date for receipt of the responses to this RFQ and to modify the schedule. The City also reserves the right to accept or reject any and all submittals, or any item or part thereof, or to waive any informalities or irregularities in submittals.
Notification of Results
The artist(s) selected will be notified by e-mail or a letter at the conclusion of the interviews and panel deliberations.
Additional Information
If you have any questions or need any additional information, contact the City's Cultural Arts Division at 310-802-5440 or infocac@citymb.info .

from LA Culture Net