RFQ: Colorado State University Pueblo, Technology Building

 Qualifications are requested from artists interested in creating an exterior artwork for the Technology, Education & Engineering Building at Colorado State University Pueblo. The budget for this opportunity is $87,500 and the deadline for submission is December 13, 2024. 

Qualifications are requested from artists interested in creating an exterior artwork for the Technology, Education & Engineering Building at Colorado State University Pueblo. The budget for this opportunity is $87,500 and the deadline for submission is December 13, 2024. 

ABOUT COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY PUEBLO & THE TECHNOLOGY, EDUCATION & ENGINEERING BUILDING

Colorado State University Pueblo (CSU Pueblo) is committed to excellence, setting the standard for regional comprehensive universities in teaching, research, and service by providing leadership and access for its region while maintaining its commitment to diversity.

CSU Pueblo is a comprehensive state university with an enrollment of about 4,000 students, including nearly 100 international students.  CSU Pueblo is a Hispanic Serving Institution, meaning at least 25% of the students are Hispanic.  Fully accredited and part of the Colorado State University System, CSU Pueblo provides relevant professional coursework, superior instruction with a small professor-to-student ratio, and state-of-the-art technology for an ever-changing global economy. Invaluable hands-on experiences prepare CSU-Pueblo graduates for the demands of the modern world.

CSU Pueblo's campus of more than 275 acres, crowns the north end of Pueblo, a historically and culturally rich city of more than 100,000 located in the colorful Pikes Peak region of Southern Colorado. Pueblo is situated on the Front Range, within convenient driving distance of both Denver and Colorado Springs. CSU Pueblo offers twenty-seven undergraduate programs in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, the Hasan School of Business, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Health and Education and the School of Nursing. CSU Pueblo’s Vision 2028 is to establish the institution as the people's university of the Southwest United States by 2028.

The Technology Building was originally built in 1979 to match the Brutalist Architectural style of other buildings on campus. In 2024,  the first phase of a renovation project for the building was completed. This renovation phase updated the building to make it more open, light, comfortable, and innovative. The re-design allows for flexible, collaborative spaces that showcase the programs within the building. The design goals for the building are utilizing the building as a teaching tool, the display of programs and projects, student collaboration and an indoor/outdoor connection. The design team opened up the central core of the building as much as possible to provide abundant space for student study, collaboration, and lounge spaces, with the goal to create a more open, welcoming facility with academic programs on display. This wedge-shaped core area is the heart of the building where all the diverse academic programs can intermingle. The building houses the following programs - Department of Engineering, Civil Engineering Technology and Construction Management, School of Education, and Transportation. In order to fully encompass the scope of the programs within the building, it was recently renamed the Technology, Education & Engineering Building.

This project is the second phase of this renovation and will renovate the north wing of the building. The goals of this renovation are the same as with phase one, which is to create a more activated space and feel more welcoming. This wing will feature spaces for the engineering and construction programs, a machine shop, technology space, metal fabrication labs, a foundry, and other practical lab spaces. 

BUDGET: $87,500

All costs associated with the public artwork, including, but not limited to, artist fee, insurance, materials, fabrication, transportation, installation, building or site modifications, including lighting, travel to and from the site, per diem expenses, project documentation, contingency to cover unexpected expenses and any other costs related to the project are covered by the budget. 

 OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC ART

The Public Art Selection Committee is looking to commission artwork for one to four (1-4) exterior walls on the outside of the Technology, Education & Engineering Building. The building has four square-shaped large walls that are part of its facade. Two of these walls face the courtyard and an internal campus area, while the other two face the parking lot where many students will enter the building. The committee is interested in a large-scale mural or murals on one or more of these walls to add color to the existing monochromatic look of the building and campus as a whole. At this time, artworks are not limited to particular materials, as long as they are applied to the exterior wall or walls.

The committee would like this exterior artwork(s) to provide an identity for the building on campus. Thematically, they would like artworks that connect to the programs within the building, as well as the broader impact of industry and technology on the Pueblo community. The committee would be very excited to see an artwork that references Pueblo’s rich local history with industry in some way.

The dimension of each wall is 29’-4” W x 27’-6” H.  The wall surface is existing stucco and not planned to be changed with this project. Please refer to the additional photos and plans at the bottom of the full RFQ document for more information.

The Selection Committee will consider the following:

• Artistic excellence
• Scale, material, form and content
• Resistance to general wear, vandalism, or theft
• Ease of maintenance, minimal and low-cost maintenance

The call is open to artists who are residents of Colorado.

SELECTION PROCESS AND SCHEDULE

The Art Selection Committee will review all complete and eligible submittals. A short list of semifinalists will be invited to prepare and present a final proposal in person and be paid an honorarium of $1,000. Final selection(s) will be made from the semifinalists’ proposals. The schedule is as follows:

December 13, 2024, 11:59 pm MST – Deadline for receipt of submission via CaFÉ™ system

January 2025 – Selection committee meets to select semifinalists

February / March 2025 – Artist presentations (in person) to the Art Selection Committee

QUESTIONS

If you require more information or clarification, please contact Ruth Wilson at 303-880-6671 or ruth.wilson@state.co.us.

ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION

About CSU Pueblo

About Vision 2028

Steelworks Center of the West - history of industry

Pueblo History & Heritage
 

All applications for this project are being accepted through the online platform, CaFÉ™ (www.callforentry.org). No hard copy or emailed submissions will be accepted. The applicant will be asked to submit digital images of art, a resume, and a brief statement of interest. There is no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system. Assistance in using the CaFÉ™ system is available during regular business hours by calling 303-629-1166, 1-888-562-7232, or email cafe@westaf.org.

 Digital Images. In order to be considered for this project, the applicant must electronically submit, via the CaFÉ™ system, no less than six (6) and no more than eight (8) digital images of previously completed artworks. 

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

 Statement of Interest: A statement of interest of 250 words or less must be submitted via CaFÉ™. It should briefly outline the interest in the specific opportunity. 
 

All applicants must be residents of Colorado.  Exceptions will be made for artists living outside of Colorado if they are affiliated with a tribe with ties to the land that is currently Colorado. If you live outside of Colorado and fall under this exception, please contact Ruth Wilson (ruth.wilson@state.co.us) prior to applying to ensure awareness of your application 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.