FINALWPA Call for Artists 4 4 16V2 (PDF)

WESTVILLE PUBLIC ART
CALL FOR ARTISTS

Made possible
with the support
of the City of New
Haven Mayor’s
Community Arts
Grants Program

YEAR 2016
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL & REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
Westville Village Renaissance Alliance (WVRA) requests qualifications and proposals from artists for the
design and implementation of Westville Public Art (WPA) projects. These projects are part of the ongoing
revitalization of New Haven’s historic Westville Village, the most culturally diverse and eclectic business
district and neighborhood in the city.
This Call for Artists marks the first public art projects commissioned by WVRA. We will be commissioning
artists to present and develop concepts and oversee production and installation of artworks, which
simultaneously meet the following Project Goals:
• To generate interest in and awareness of public art in Westville Village.
• To improve the overall aesthetic of the proposed locations and the Village overall.
• To build on the growing trend of original and effective public art displays in the Village.
This project is made possible with the support of the City of New Haven Mayor’s Community Arts Grant
and the State of CT Department of Community & Economic Development.
The initiative’s total budget is $8,000 and we are seeking to develop 5-7 public art projects with these
funds. This project is made possible with the support of the City of New Haven Mayor’s Community Arts
Grant and the State of CT Department of Community & Economic Development.

AVAILABLE SITES
All sites are located in the Westville Village Main Street District in New Haven, CT 06515. Artists may submit
proposals for up to and no more than two (2) sites.

#1: West Wall on Blake Street
Located on the north end of an east-facing retaining wall for Westville Village’s public
parking lot, over 7,000 vehicles pass by each day. At least eight vehicles wait for each
light to turn green, creating a captive audience 160 times/day. NOTE: Artwork at this
location rotates to new artists/projects on a roughly six-month rotating basis.
Surface: Plywood
Dimensions: 12’ across by 6’ tall.

#2: Whalley Ave Bridge over West River (Inset Panels)
This State DOT-owned bridge dates to 1921 and spans the West River, which was
central to Westville Village’s history as an industrial center during the 19th and 20th
centuries. Over 26,000 vehicles/day cross this bridge on their way to downtown
New Haven, Southern CT State University and other points east and west. There is
great interest from WVRA, the West River Watershed Coalition, and many others for
greater awareness of the river’s presence in our midst. Projects exploring this theme
will be given priority consideration.
Surface: Concrete
Dimensions: 20 inset panels, each 6’ x 15” tall

#3: Blake Street Bridge over West River (Inset Panels)
This City-owned bridge in the shadow of West Rock spans the West River,
which was central to Westville Village’s history as an industrial center
during the 19th and 20th centuries. Over 8,000 vehicles/day cross this
bridge on their way to and from Southern CT State University and other
points north and south. There is great interest from WVRA, the West River
Watershed Coalition, and many others for greater awareness of the river’s
presence in our midst. Projects exploring this theme will be given priority
consideration.
Surface: Concrete
Dimensions: 7 inset panels, each 14” square

#4: Delaney’s Lot Back Walls
This two-part, highly-visible wall in the heart of the Village turns a corner
on the back side of a property that until August 2014 housed Delaney’s, a
thriving restaurant and bar that burned to the ground. A big piece of the
neighborhood’s soul was lost on this site and there is a great desire to
see new life sprout here. The community has a nostalgic fondness for this
property.
Surface: Concrete
Dimensions: L
 ong (east-facing) side is 66’ long x 20”-48” tall;
Short (north-facing) side is 40’ long x 36”-48” tall

#5: North Wall on Valley Street
The largest of the available sites, this retaining wall stretches below the
Village’s public parking lot and faces an active privately-owned parking lot.
Over 9,000 vehicles/day pass by on their way to the Wilbur Cross Pkwy,
Southern CT State University and other points west and north.
Surface: Concrete
Dimensions: 142’ across x 8’(average) tall

#6: Beecher Park/Mitchell Library Garden Wall
Originally built as part of a community art project and recently resurfaced, this wall frames a garden within Beecher Park and Mitchell
Library at the west end of the Village. Over 20,000 vehicles/day pass this
site on Whalley Avenue heading into and out of the Village.
Surface: Painted Stucco
Full Dimension: 29’ 5’ across x 31” tall;
Dimensions of Panels: 5’ x 31” (short side panels) + 9’ 5” x 31” (long center
panel)

#7: Backside of Bella’s Cafe
Located on the backside of Bella’s Café and visible from both the
Delaney’s lot and Webster Bank parking lot, this prominent wall can be
seen by over 10,000 vehicles and pedestrians/day.
Surface: Cinderblock
Dimensions: 28’ across x 14’ 6” tall

PROJECT BUDGETS & PAYMENT
Artists will provide a line-item budget inclusive of the artist fee, materials, and other associated costs to
produce the project. Budgets should not exceed the amount listed above for each Site. Upon approval,
artists will be paid 30% of their total approved budget; the remaining 70% will be paid upon completion of
the project and subsequent release of public grant funds to WVRA. 1099s will be sent to the IRS and the
artist for tax year 2016 where artist fees surpass $600.

IMPORTANT DATES
• Application Deadline: April 11, 2016
• Artist Selection & Notification: by April 22, 2016
• Project Completion: by June 10, 2016

HOW TO APPLY
Complete proposals should be submitted electronically via a zipped file to WVRA’s DropBox account by
April 11, 2016, 11:59pm EST. Each proposal should include:
• Cover Sheet with contact information and project site you are applying for.
• Artist CV, including any relevant past experience with public art or similar projects.
• Images of at least three (3) works that the artist has previously produced and which is representative of
her/his work. Images should be at least 72 dpi and no larger than 1500 x 1500 pixels. Additional imagery/
drawings/sketches are acceptable.
• Project Description – please briefly describe (300 words or less) the vision for your chosen site, how it
will be implemented, i.e. site prep, anticipated materials, community involvement or collaboration if any
(not required), scalability, phasing, etc.
• Budget – Please provide a simple line-item budget listing costs for materials, equipment rental (if any),
and artist’s fee (if any). Funds cannot be used for travel, accommodations or equipment purchases.
Images and documents should be uploaded to the WVRA Dropbox account at https://www.dropbox.com/
request/m0nsX0QHDAlgqNU3bHo1. Maximum upload should not exceed 20MB or 12 pages, whichever
comes first. Please organize your images and documents into a zipped file clearly marked with your name
and Site #, e.g. “ArtistNameSite#4.zip”

ARTIST SELECTION PROCESS & CRITERIA
Proposals will be reviewed by members of the Westville Public Art Selection Committee, who will score
proposals on the following criteria:
• Submission of a complete application prior to the April 11, 11:59pm deadline.
• Artwork examples submitted represent the artist’s own original creative work.
• The artist’s work reflects artistic excellence, innovation and originality, as evidenced by a unique vision
or perspective.
• The artist’s experience is adequate to meet the demands of the project.
• Qualifying activities would include some combination of the following: past mural experience; a portfolio
of work; and/or evidence of sustained activity as an artist.
• The artist’s work is in keeping with the intended outcome of the program, to serve as a deterrent to illegal
tagging.

ARTIST SELECTION TIMELINE
All applicants will be notified if their proposal(s) has been accepted WPA by Friday, April 22, 2016.

IMPLEMENTATION
1) Once an artist is selected for a site, she or he will work with the WPA Selection Committee and property
owner to select their final image. The artist will then submit the final design for approval.

2) Each selected artist will then collaborate with the committee and building owner to implement the
proposed design onto the location.

CONFIDENTIALITY
The WPA Selection Committee asks that all details regarding the projects remain confidential until an
announcement is made to the public. A formal press release will be distributed once all of the artists have
been selected. Responses to this RFP/RFQ signifies confidentiality between the organizers and the artists
involved in this process.

QUESTIONS?
For questions regarding the program and this RFQ/P, please contact project manager Noé Jimenez, by
email at noe.jimenez@westvillect.org or by phone at (203) 285-8539.

ADDITIONAL POLICIES
All Rights Reserved by WVRA. WVRA reserves the right to not accept any applications, to not accept
any artist recommended by the Selection Committee, to initiate an alternate selection process, and/or to
reissue the RFQ/P for additional pre-qualified artist candidates.
WPA projects are temporary and ephemeral in nature. WVRA and the WPA program are not responsible
for maintaining murals. The artists selected and approved by WPA will be asked to enter into an agreement
with WVRA for the entire duration of the project.