Calling All Artists: Public Art Opportunity RFQ
Public Art Opportunity: Donor Recognition Banners RFQ
We are seeking artists to design, coordinate, and manage a project involving Donor Recognition Banners. We encourage artists and designers to submit qualifications to be considered as a vendor for a permanent hanging banner installation to recognize our major donors in our new multi-use community venue. The colorful banners will hang from the ceiling to enliven the newly renovated space while honoring the supporters who helped make the new venue a reality. Â Read further or download a pdf with additional details.
BUDGET
Lotus has a budget of $16,500 for this project, which must cover all associated expenses including design, fabrication, materials, labor, and installation. Lotus shall retain the right to update or recreate the selected banner designs as needed (e.g. to honor new donors), as well as to reproduce them for its nonprofit uses such as brochures, publicity and marketing materials, and website publication.
BACKGROUND
Lotus produces a major five-day festival, the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival, in Bloomington, Indiana, each year. Annual programming also encompasses live performances, arts educa- tion, and outreach throughout the year in schools and commu- nity spaces. In 2018, Lotus will complete a capital campaign to renovate a decommissioned firehouse. The organization could not have developed this new multi-use art and performance space without many generous donors, who Lotus now wishes to honor in this newly renovated community space.
Why banners? Vibrant banners have been associated with Lotus almost from the beginning. Tall orange banners mark Lotus event sites and are recognizable symbols of the organization throughout the area. Multicolored banners are a key element of the décor at Lotus events, such as the Edible Lotus fundraising dinner, the Lotus Blossoms Bazaar, individual stages at the festival, and in festival parades. Banners also reflect the buoyant spirit and artistry that are part of the Lotus aesthetic.
On the practical side, donor banners will be easy to rearrange in the new space, if needed; they will be flexible, both in number and in design, to accommodate variations (e.g., one banner might have four or five $2,500 donors’ names, while another might have a single $10,000 name); and they will help dampen sound at events and live performances. Hanging banners also will leave valuable wall space clear for temporary uses such as art displays.
SITE
Lotus’s recently acquired headquarters is a former neighbor- hood firehouse located at 105 S. Rogers Street in Bloomington, Indiana. The entire first floor is being converted into a multi-use art and performance space. The banners will hang from the ceiling in the main area and, with rare exceptions, will always be on display. Artists interested in the commissioned banner project are invited to view the space, which is currently under construction, by making an appointment with the Lotus staff.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
•Please send a pdf to media@lotusfest.org no later than February 25, 2018. Please include
• a brief letter of interest
• resume
• a list of 4-5 samples of your work*
• 3-5 references, including former clients or production companies with whom you have worked in the past
•Please refrain from sending files over 1MB; instead, include a link to a shared drive like Box, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.
•Because this project requires that the selected artists be able to work with a printer or fabricator to produce the final product, particular consideration will be given to those who describe a specific project where they did so. This can be done in the cover letter or as a separate statement.
SELECTION PROCESS
- A committee will review all submissions from artists responding to this RFQ.
- From among all submissions, Lotus will select up to five designers to present design concepts; each of these finalists will receive a $500 stipend.
- Lotus will then choose up to three of these concepts for full design and production.
- Each of the selected designers will receive a $1,000 design stipend, plus an additional $500 consulting fee in exchange for working with the banner fabricator(s) and overseeing final production.
- The consulting component is an essential part of the project; Lotus will rely on the designer to ensure the quality of the completed banners.
PROJECT TIMELINE
02/25/18 Â Submission deadline for interested artists
03/10/18 Notification of finalists
03/12-16/18 Finalists meet with selection committee
04/10/18 Submission deadline for finished concepts
04/22/18 Notification of winning artists
05/22/18 Deadline for finished designs
05/23/18 – 07/30/18 Production period
08-01-18 Â Project installation
