RFQ: MSU Denver, Day Health Institute Tower

Qualifications are requested from Colorado-based artists interested in creating an artwork for one of two locations - interior and exterior - for the  MSU Denver Day Health Institute Tower at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. The total funding available is $320,000, which will be divided between one artist for each location.

About the Metropolitan State University of Denver and the MSU Denver Day Health Institute

Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) is located on the 150-acre Auraria Higher Education Center campus in downtown Denver, alongside the University of Colorado Denver and the Community College of Denver. Originally the traditional territories and ancestral homelands of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Nations and the site of trade, hunting, gathering, and healing for many other Native Nations: The Lakota, Ute, Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, Shoshone, and others, the area was settled in 1858 as frontier town of Auraria. The campus has the oldest-standing structure in Denver — the former Temple Emmanuel. This community on the westside of Denver thrived as a mixed-use and working class neighborhood until the Auraria Higher Education Center campus was announced in 1968 and the community was displaced. For more on the campus’ history, refer to this Auraria Neighborhood History. 

MSU Denver opened its doors in 1965 with a bold mission: to provide accessible education and transformative opportunity. As Colorado’s only modified-open access university, MSU Denver empowers students of all ages and backgrounds with flexible learning programs and close faculty connections across six schools and colleges. Offering a range of bachelor’s and master’s degrees along with unique educational pathways, MSU Denver provides career-aligned, real-world experiences tailored to Colorado’s future workforce. The university is proud to be one the state’s most diverse institutions — more than half its students are people of color and nearly 60% are first-generation. 96% of students are Colorado residents and MSU Denver is a certified Hispanic Serving Institution. The university has 104 undergraduate majors and 10 graduate degree programs. MSU Denver’s mission, vision, ongoing operations and strategic planning are informed by a core set of values - Community, Access, Diversity, Respect & Excellence. Their 2030 strategic plan also has targeted five pillars to focus on for their future - Student Access, Service & Achievement; Student-Centered Academic Excellence; Civic & Economic Catalyst; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Organizational Agility & Sustainability.

MSU Denver’s Gina and Frank Day Health Institute, which will be located in the new Day Health Institute Tower, supports the University's goals by developing the next generation of health-care professionals with a radically different approach to applied education. The Institute’s mission is to prepare students for the Colorado workforce by supporting a Whole-Person approach to health care and diversity and health equity. The guiding principles for the MSU Denver Day Health Institute Tower’s is the creation of a world-class facility with a student centric design focused on Whole-Person wellness, innovation and flexibility, visibility and identity, sustainability, operational excellence and to promote an engaging experience for its occupants and visitors. The Institute will focus on radical collaboration between various departments, including, but not limited to Nursing, Social Work, Human Services & Counseling, Health Professions, Nutrition, Speech Language Hearing Sciences, Exercise & Sport Science, Biology, Chemistry and Psychological Sciences.  Many of these departments will have space in the new building which will foster collaboration and promote  an environment of innovation centered around health access. The building will include multiple collaboration spaces, classrooms, a nursing skills lab, simulation counseling rooms and patient facilities, as well as facilities to provide direct patient services.

The MSU Denver Day Health Institute Tower will be located on the south side of Auraria campus and will be situated in an area that will be a healthcare “neighborhood,” with other buildings focused on health care education. The main entrance of the building will be to the south, and it will be located next to the 9th Street Historic Park and along a main pedestrian walkway along 10th Street, where light rail commuters and pedestrians will access the campus . The MSU Denver Day Health Institute Tower will be five stories high in an area of mostly two-story buildings, making it highly visible from the surrounding areas, including the main thoroughfares of Colfax Avenue and Speer Boulevard. The building will be utilized by students and faculty, as well as by the general public who will be accessing the building to receive services. Patients will be of all ages, including very young children accessing services provided by the Speech, Language & Hearing program.

Budget: $320,000 total ($200,000 for exterior location and $120,000 for interior location)

All costs associated with the commissioned public artworks, 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 committee is looking to commission artworks for both the interior and exterior of the MSU Denver Day Health Institute Tower and will choose one artist per location. 

Exterior Location - budget $200,000 

The committee is interested in an installation of single or multiple sculptures for the exterior of the MSU Denver Day Health Institute Tower to anchor the corner of the building at the main entrance. The exterior artwork or artworks will be integrated into the landscape and should establish a sense of place and purpose. An ideal artwork for the location would foster a sense of wellness and welcome to the facility. 

Interior Location - budget $120,000

The interior location is a grand stair between the building’s first and second floor. The artwork can either be wall mounted or hung from the ceiling in the stairwell area. There is also opportunity for small activations on either the first or second floor near the stairwell to create “bread crumbs” of experience and lead building uses between floors. For this interior location, the committee would like the artwork to balance a storytelling of the area's past, present and future, serving as recognition with an eye on moving forward, with a holistic approach to health and wellbeing, which is the focus of the programs in the building. This could include the history of the site, the natural landscape, etc. The safety and security of both the artwork and building users is essential and should be a top consideration in artwork proposals. 

The Selection Committee will also consider the following:

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

Please refer to the Additional Materials section in the full RFQ document for building and artwork location renderings, site plans, and other reference images.

Selection Process and Schedule

The Art Selection Committee will review all complete and eligible submissions. 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:

• Friday, November 14, 2025 11:59 pm MST – Deadline for receipt of submission via CaFÉ™ system
• November/December 2025 – Selection committee reviews applications.
• January 2026  – Selection committee meets to select semifinalists; all applicants notified of application status
• February 2026 – 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

MSU Denver website

MSU Denver CADRE values

MSUD Denver 5 Pillars

About Gina and Frank Day Health Institute 

History of Auraria neighborhood

Displaced Aurarians Neighborhood Memory Project

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 résumé,  a brief statement of interest and choice of location. 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 and highlight any connections the applicant has to MSU Denver or the Auraria neighborhood, if applicable.
• Location: Select  which location (exterior or interior) for which the applicant is interested in creating artwork.

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 or if you are a displaced Aurarian. 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 MSU Denver or displaced Aurarians are encouraged to apply.