Campus Arts Initiative and eight partners from across Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses are partnering to develop temporary works of public art, one at each partner’s site.  The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) is one of the country's largest public university systems and Pennsylvania's sole land-grant institution. Penn State's community includes 100,000 students across 24 campuses and 17,000 faculty and staff dedicated to making a positive impact on communities around the world. 

The projects will result from collaboration between eight artists and the host sites they are partnered with. The exact vision, form, location, installation duration, and materials for the project will be determined by the artist in collaboration with their university partner.

We are seeking visual artists or teams that include a visual artist and there are no residency requirements for this opportunity. Professional and emerging artists who are new to the field of public art are encouraged to apply.

ELIGIBILITY AND CRITERIA

We are seeking visual artists or teams that include a visual artist. There are no residency requirements for this opportunity, but applicants should be aware that the program requires site visits and in-person collaboration with partners. Professional and emerging artists who are new to the field of public art and/or have experience working with students are encouraged to apply. Faculty and students of Penn State University are eligible to apply.

Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. 

Applications will be reviewed on the following criteria:

• Aesthetic quality of previous work
• Experience working collaboratively
• Experience working in the public realm or with communities in interdisciplinary settings
• Quality and completeness of application materials

ABOUT

The participating partner sites are:

• Center for Performing Arts at Penn State (University Park)
• LGBTQA Student Resource Center (University Park)
• Penn State Abington 
• Penn State Beaver
• Penn State College of Engineering (University Park)
• Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
• Penn State Lehigh Valley
• Penn State Materials Research Institute (University Park)

These partners will serve on the selection panel, along with representatives from Campus Arts and additional arts professionals. Once each organization is partnered with an artist, the artist will work with stakeholders at the host site to develop a proposal for the design and implementation of a temporary public art project/intervention. The resulting works will be catalysts for community and student engagement, making the arts central to the Penn State experience.

Temporary artworks are expected to be present at the site, on loan, for up to one year. Please note that the purpose of this program is to provide an opportunity for partners and artists to collaborate on developing new ideas for temporary artworks. It is not a funding stream to implement existing plans or concepts for specific works of art. 

The selected artists will enter into a contractual agreement with the university and their partner site. This program is supported by a grant through Penn State’s Strategic Planning Seed Grant.

BUDGET

Each artwork has a budget of $7,000. Artists will be asked to generate a budget within this framework that includes an artist’s fee, materials and fabrication costs, site visits, project management, and installation and deinstallation of the work. Artists are required to furnish proof of general liability insurance before funds are dispersed. Projects will be considered on loan from the artist for a period of up to one year. Please note that at least two site visits (one initial visit and one during installation) are required.

Partners will select artists with guidance from Campus Arts. Depending on the scale and scope of the proposed collaborations, additional resources may be sought on a case by case basis.

SELECTION PROCESS

Campus Arts will facilitate the artist selection process. Qualifications submitted through this RFQ will be reviewed by a selection committee. A limited number of artists will be invited for an interview. Only one artist or artist team will be chosen for each partner site.

During the interview process, artists will discuss their past work, their ability to work on the project, their interest in this particular project, and their experience collaborating with communities. The artists who are asked to interview for the project will not be asked to develop a model or proposal.

Artists may interview with multiple partners, but can only be selected for one project. 

HOW TO APPLY

Applications will only be accepted electronically through Submittable here: https://hub-robesongallery.submittable.com/submit.

TIMELINE

February 14, 2019 – RFQ deadline @ 11:59 p.m., E.S.T.

February 21, 2019 – Jury review and selection

March 2019 – Selected artists notified

Fall 2019 – Project completion/installation

CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have questions about this RFQ, please contact Tamryn McDermott, Campus Arts Associate at 814-865-0775 or by email at tlm6018@psu.edu.