Call for Artists

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

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The Arts Council of White Lake – Nuveen Center (ACWL-Nuveen), the City of Whitehall, and CatchMark Technologies are seeking an experienced community-based Michigan artist (or artist team) for the design and installation of a large public mural to be created on CatchMark Technologies’ east exterior wall in downtown Whitehall, Michigan. The prominent Colby Street Pocket Park Mural, visible to pedestrians, drivers and passengers, will be located in a former alleyway that is being redeveloped into a mixed-use communal space. The new park will feature ornamental paving, barrier free tables and seating, lighting, accent landscaping, and an ADA restroom. This downtown hub will be used for community-wide social gatherings, as a live music venue, and a gathering spot for residents and tourists to the White Lake area. 

 

The new 480 square foot mural will be the first of its kind in scale and scope in downtown Whitehall. Therefore, the sponsoring partners feel it is important to give the community a voice in this project. The ACWL-Nuveen has been soliciting feedback from multi-generational White Lake area residents via a questionnaire and drawings. Up to three artists will be selected from this RFQ and they will be asked to develop mural proposals. The ACWL-Nuveen will share results from the public surveys with the finalists to help inspire their proposal design.

 

MEASUREMENTS

The east facing cement block wall measures 40’ wide and 12’ high. The mural must utilize the entire wall, with space for donor acknowledgment. Photos are attached at the end of the document.

 

COMMISSION FOR PROJECT

$22,000 – This amount will be used by the artist to cover all fees and expenses associated with the project, e.g., materials, equipment, labor, permits, insurance, travel, installation, and written and photographic documentation of the completed project. Funds for the commission will be garnered from the City of Whitehall, grants, and donations from private citizens, businesses, and local civic organizations.

 

Up to 3 finalists may be selected from this RFQ. The artists or artist teams will be asked to submit a design proposal and presentation and will be compensated $300 for their time.

 

MURAL OBJECTIVES

• This mural will become a must-see destination in the White Lake area, Muskegon County, and West Michigan.

  

• This mural will provide an opportunity for our community to experience the dynamics of public art from conception to creation. The Artist must be willing to research the area, talk with residents, and design a mural that resonates with the community and gives visitors a sense of what makes the White Lake area so unique to the west coast of Michigan.

 

TO CONSIDER

• The Artist must have proven large-scale mural experience with proficient knowledge of best design practices and competency with proper wall preparation, paint mediums, and other necessary installation materials to ensure the long-term durability of the mural.

 

• The Artist must host a minimum of one community engagement session in an easily accessible, public facility, before finalizing their mural design. The Artist will also agree to display their proposal materials in the ACWL-Nuveen exhibit space and conduct a public presentation at an agreed upon date coinciding with the mural installation.

 

• The selected Artist must be willing to work with the ACWL-Nuveen, the City of Whitehall, and CatchMark Technologies to modify the design or materials based on review and building specifications.

 

• The Artist shall comply with all federal and state laws, county and municipal codes, ordinances, rules and regulations that in any manner affect the services to be provided.

 

• The selected Artist shall procure or otherwise provide proof of commercial general liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence), property damage ($1,000,000 per occurrence), bodily injury ($1,000,000 per occurrence) and automobile liability ($500,000 combined single limit), naming the City of Whitehall, Lakeshore Property Partners, LLC (CatchMark Technologies), and the Arts Council of White Lake, together with its officers, agents, employees and engineers as additional primary insureds prior to commencing mural installation and shall maintain such insurance until completion of the mural.

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TIMELINE

• Questions about project and application shall be submitted via email to Director Erin Peyer - nuveen@artswhitelake.org no later than November 1.

 

• Application deadline for RFQ – November 8 at 5:00pm.

 

• Mid-November 2024 - Mural Selection Committee meets to select finalists.

 

• Late-November 2024 - Selected finalists will be notified as well as all applicants.

 

• January 15, 2025 - Finalist’s design proposals due.

 

• January 31, 2025 - Final artist or artist team is selected by Mural Selection Committee. All other finalists will be notified of their status and the awardee will be announced on social media.

 

• September 30, 2025: Mural Completed *This timeline will be agreed upon with the building owners and the artist and is weather pending.

 

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Please review the following application requirements and submit the following HERE

 

• Letter of interest – use this letter to introduce yourself to the committee. Tell us about your previous community-based mural experience – how have you engaged communities and what is your approach to tackling large scale outdoor murals?

 

• Resume – to include your website and social media links.

 

• Submit a minimum of 6 and no more than 12 digital images of previous public murals. Files should be labeled with the artwork title.

 

• A corresponding numbered image key of each image must also be submitted including artist’s name, artwork title, dimension/size, media, and date of creation.

 

• Contact information for 2 professional references who can speak to your ability to design and install large scale murals in a timely and skilled manner, and your ability to engage with the community. 

 

• Optional: artists may submit a video of previous work (not required).

 

TO APPLY

Upload application materials HERE

Application deadline is November 8, 2024, at 5:00pm.

 

SELECTION CRITERIA

• Award selection will be based on the Mural Selection Committee's determination of the artistic merit of the applicants’ previous completed mural projects, the aesthetic appeal, the Artist’s ability to deliver the mural on time, and Artist's experience with similar scale projects. The applicants’ proven community engagement experience will also be a factor in the selection process.

 

• Following the proposal deadline, the selection committee will collaboratively review, analyze, and rank all submittals based on the evaluative criteria as stated above. The selection committee may invite up to 3 finalists to submit designs for the Colby Street Pocket Park Mural. All finalists will receive the community mural questionnaire results conducted by ACWL-Nuveen to help inspire the design. Details about mural design proposal/presentation requirements will be shared with the finalists.

 

• The selection committee reserves the right to request additional information from the proposers. The selection committee may take all actions deemed necessary to investigate the qualifications of each proposer. The selection committee reserves the right to qualify or disqualify proposers because of a lack of similar project experience and/or any other information obtained from its investigation. 

 

• The selection committee reserves the right to reject all proposals. The selection committee also reserves the right to waive technical defects in the proposals and to accept the proposal which, in the judgment of the selection committee, best serves the project goals.

 

• The Artist selected for this project will be required to sign a contract with the ACWL– Nuveen which will include a wall agreement with CatchMark Technologies.

 

WHITE LAKE AREA RESOURCES

Arts Council of White Lake: https://www.artswhitelake.org/

White Lake Area Chamber and Visitors Bureau: https://www.whitelake.org/

City of Whitehall: https://cityofwhitehall.org/

CatchMark Technologies: https://catchmarkit.com/