REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

 

Qualifications are requested from artist and/or artist teams interested in creating site-specific public artworks for the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo for an addition to the Robert Lee Hawkins Forensic Institute building. This opportunity is only open to artists who are residents of Colorado.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTAL: August 31, 2018

TOTAL ART BUDGET: $25,000

NAME OF INSTITUION: Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo

 

ABOUT CMHIP

Colorado Mental Health Institute Pueblo (CMHIP) provides inpatient behavioral health services for adults, adolescents and geriatric patients. CMHIP is a forensic hospital that serves individuals with pending criminal charges who require evaluations of competency, individuals who have been found by a court to be incompetent to proceed (restoration treatment) and individuals found to be not guilty by reason of insanity. Patients' families, friends and loved ones are encouraged to visit and maintain relationships with patients while hospitalized. CMHIP is located in southern Colorado on a 300-acre campus. The facility is one of Pueblo's largest employers, offering career opportunities in many multi-disciplinary professions, including nursing, psychology, social work and medicine. CMHIP is accredited through the Joint Commission.

 

The patient care units in the Robert Lee Hawkins Forensic Institute building provide major organizing elements by forming “neighborhoods” for groups of patients.  Each patient housing unit has its own quiet living area for passive activities, a day room for group activities, group therapy and counseling rooms, and an outdoor courtyard.  The residential units are located along a central treatment mall, which connects housing units to the major treatment programs and services through a clerestoried central circulation spine. The project is an addition to the building that will add another patient housing unit with 22 beds, an additional day room, a quiet living area and another outdoor courtyard. One section of the new wing will be a high security unit. This 6-bed unit will be designed to serve the highest-security patients.

 

BUDGET: $25,000. The contract amount is inclusive of all costs associated with the project including, but not limited to, the artist’s design fee, other consultation fees such as structural engineering, insurance, materials, fabrication, transportation and installation, including any building or site modification required, travel to and from the site, per diem expense, project documentation, contingency to cover unexpected expense and any other costs of any kind. Selected semi-finalists will be invited to propose artwork based on the below criteria.  Semi-finalist artists will receive $1,000 as an honorarium for the creation of a design proposal.

 

OPPORTUNTITIES FOR ART

CMHIP is a place for hope, recovery, healing, inspiration, and comfort.  Art will be an integral part of the lives of the patients and staff.  Many of the staff work at the institute every day and patients live at the facility for long and short periods of time. Artwork should be soothing and therapeutic in nature and create a nurturing environment where patients feel grounded - cool tones and natural themes work well. Realistic artwork at a realistic scale is better received by patients, rather than works in an abstract style. Since colors, patterns, materials, reflectivity, etc. can have a profound impact on a patient’s and an employee’s perception of his or her environment, their use in the artwork must reflect a sensitivity to this issue as well as the need for safety and security within a secure facility. The artists must also consider the security of the artwork and whether the artwork could potentially be dangerous to the staff and mental health patients who may harm themselves or others, therefore the durability and safety of the proposed materials is an important factor that the committee will consider.

 

Day room – The wings of each unit are grouped radially around a day room and will have an entry and nurses/hub station. The day room will have high ceilings, clerestory lighting, and soft acoustics and is where patients spend most of their time. The upper walls in the room best lend themselves to two-dimensional wall art.

 

Quiet Living Space – This room will be part of the high security, 6-bed unit in the addition. The walls of this room are also available for artwork, which should be made of durable materials and two dimensional, as safety is the utmost concern. As this room will be utilized by the highest risk patients, the committee feels that artwork will be beneficial and hope that the artwork can be therapeutic and soothing to these patients.

 

The Selection Committee will consider the following:

• Artistic excellence
• Conceptual and thematic compatibility – appropriateness for the CMHIP community
• Safety of materials

• Resistance to general wear, vandalism, or theft; ease of maintenance, minimal and low cost maintenance

 

This opportunity is open only to artists who are residents of Colorado. Artists who live in Pueblo, Colorado are highly encourage to apply.

 

APPLICATION PROCESS

All applications for this project are being accepted through CaFÉ™ (www.callforentry.org ). No hard copy submissions will be accepted. The applicant will be asked to submit six to eight digital images of art (see below for more information), a resume, and a brief statement of interest. There is no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system. Applications must be submitted through CaFÉ™ to be considered.

 

Digital Images. In order to be considered for this project, the applicant must electronically submit through the CaFÉ™ system at least six (6) and up to eight (8) digital images of previously completed artworks.

 

Instructions on how to use CaFÉ™ and format images can be found at www.callforentry.org/image_prep.phtml.  Assistance in using the CaFÉ™ system is available during regular business hours by calling 303­629­1166, 1­888­562­7232 or e­mail cafe@westaf.org.

 

Resume: Submit a current résumé, via CaFÉ™, that outlines your professional accomplishments as an artist.

 

Statement of Interest: A statement of interest in 750 words or less must be submitted via CaFÉ™.  It should briefly outline interest in the specific opportunity and applicable experience.

 

COLORADO ART IN PUBLIC PLACES PROGRAM

In 1977, the Colorado General Assembly passed the Art in Public Places Act requiring that 1% of the construction costs of new or renovated state-owned buildings be used to acquire works of art for permanent installation at the project site. Colorado Creative Industries is responsible for implementation of the law. All works of art commissioned pursuant to this request are owned by the State of Colorado via the Colorado Department of Human Services and the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo. De-accession of the public art, if necessary, will follow the policies and procedures established by Colorado Creative Industries.

 

ELIGIBILITY

All applicants must be legal residents of Colorado. The artists or artist teams must have the skills and experience commensurate with the responsibility of successfully completing a major public art installation.  The Program is open to all artists regardless of race, color, creed, gender, gender variance, national origin, age, religion, marital status, political opinion or affiliation, or mental or physical handicap.  The Art Selection Committee and Colorado Creative Industries reserve the right to reject any or all applications, proposals, applicants, or projects, and to modify or terminate the application process or the selection process for any reason and without prior notice.

 

SELECTION PROCESS AND SCHEDULE

The Art Selection Committee will review all complete submittals. A short list of semi­finalists will be invited to prepare and present a final proposal in person. Final selection(s) will be made from the semi­finalists’ proposals. The approximate schedule is as follows:

 

Deadline for entry (via CaFÉ™ system): August 31, 2018, 11:59 pm MST

Semi-finalists notified: October 2018

Semi-finalists presentations to the committee: November/December 2018

Finalists notified: November/December 2018

Construction on addition: begins February 2019

 

QUESTIONS

If you require more information or clarification, please contact Ruth Bruno, Public Art Program Manager, at 303­892-3813 or ruth.bruno@state.co.us.