RFQ: Department of Revenue, Collocation and Consolidation to Auraria Campus

Qualifications are requested from artists interested in creating an exterior mural for the Department of Revenue’s new location on Auraria Campus. The total funding available is $23,000. The deadline for submission is July 11, 2025.

Project Description - About the Department of Revenue’s Collocation and Consolidation to Auraria 

The Department of Revenue (DOR) provides services to the people of Colorado through the Colorado Lottery, Division of Motor Vehicles, Marijuana Enforcement Division, Specialized Business Group (Tobacco, Racing, Gaming, Firearms, and Liquor and Tobacco Enforcement), and Taxation Division. Through this project, DOR will relocate part of its operations to the Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC),  consolidating the Lottery, Division of Motor Vehicles, and Taxpayer Services into a centralized downtown location on Auraria Campus. 

This project involves the construction buildout of approximately 12,000 square feet of office space within the existing core and shell space of the AHEC 5th Street Garage. This new regional facility will house DMV-Drivers License services,  TAX-Taxpayer services,  Lottery Claims office,  and Cashier and Tax remittance office.

The Auraria Campus is a dynamic and vibrant higher education community located in the heart of downtown Denver. The 150-acre campus is shared by three separate and distinct institutions of higher learning: Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and University of Colorado Denver. By relocating to this centralized campus in downtown, DOR services will be more easily accessible by public transportation as well as by driving access off of convenient thoroughfares.

Budget: $23,000

All costs associated with the commissioned public artworks, including, but not limited to, artist fee, insurance, materials, fabrication, transportation, installation, 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 committee is looking to commission a mural for a wall within the parking garage of this new facility on Auraria campus. The wall will be visible both to users of the garage and also from street level by pedestrians walking by on 5th Street. Wall dimensions are 52’ long by 9’4” high. The committee would like the mural to engage with the DOR services (Drivers License Office, Taxpayer Services, Lottery Claims and Revenue Cashiers) within the new facility and/or the great outdoors of Colorado, which is the beneficiary of much of the revenue generated by the services. The committee would also be excited to see an engagement with the unique history and culture of Auraria campus, if that was of interest to the final selected artist.

The Selection Committee will also consider the following:

• Artistic excellence
• Scale, material, form and content
• Safety of materials
• Appropriate relationship to the function of the site
• Resistance to general wear, vandalism, or theft
• Ease of maintenance, minimal and low-cost maintenance
• Artist’s Connection to Auraria Campus

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 a $1,000 stipend. Final selection(s) will be made from the semifinalists’ proposals. The schedule is as follows:

• Friday, July 11, 2025 11:59 pm MST – Deadline for receipt of submission via CaFÉ™ system
• August 2025  – Selection committee meets to select semifinalists; all applicants notified of application status
• August/September 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 Information

About Department of Revenue

About the project

About Auraria Campus

Historic Auraria

Great Outdoors Colorado

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. If you need assistance in using the CaFÉ™ system, please refer to this Help for Artists webpage. You can also reach out to them via this Contract CaFÉ™ Support form or email cafehelp@wearecreativewest.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. Artists from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities are welcome to apply. Artists who are alumni of one of the three schools on Auraria campus (MSU Denver, Community College of Denver or University of Colorado Denver) are encouraged to apply.