RFQ for Outdoor Sculpture at a BMX Track

The City of Henderson is seeking qualified artist/artist teams with prior outdoor sculpture experience to design and fabricate a site-specific sculpture with upcycled bicycles at the Whitney Mesa BMX Track. This RFQ is part one of a two-part selection process. From this RFQ process, up to 5 artists/artist teams will be selected to develop a full proposal for the BMX outdoor sculpture.

About the Opportunity:  

The City of Henderson is seeking qualified artist/artist teams with prior outdoor sculpture experience to design and fabricate a site-specific sculpture with upcycled bicycles at the Whitney Mesa BMX Track. This well-loved and programmed track, both locally and nationally, has been named the fastest track in the United States by USA BMX. The track hosts competitive races, clinics, practices and leagues.  

Finalists selected from this RFQ process will receive a $1,000.00 honorarium to fully develop a proposal. The selected artist/artist team will transform 40+ abandoned bicycles to create an outdoor sculpture that represents the unique characteristics of the Whitney Mesa BMX track, the BMX community, and visitors to the site.  

Site: BMX | Henderson, NV

The sculpture will be situated on the SE corner of the track, adjacent to the well-traveled Galleria Road and sidewalk, sited within the track’s fenced area near the viewing and tent-staging zone. See the PDF for more information. 

Budget: $90,000-$150,000 

• Finalists will be paid a $1,000 honorarium to develop proposals that includes a proposed budget for the sculpture.
• The artwork commission will be between $90,000 - $150,000 inclusive of all costs and fees for the artist to execute the project from design through structural engineering, permitting, fabrication, site preparation, and installation.

Selection Process: 

This will be a two-part selection process. The RFQ is open to all professional artists and artist teams. From this application process, up to 5 artists/artist teams will be selected to develop a full proposal for the BMX outdoor sculpture. Finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium to develop a full proposal and may be required to present their proposal to the selection committee in person or via web conference. The Henderson Arts Advisory Commission will select finalists in both parts of the process.  

Expected Timeline (subject to change): 

• RFQ Call opens: July 28, 2025
• RFQ Call closes: September 4, 2025
• RFQ Finalists selected: October 6, 2025
• Sculpture proposal due: Early – mid November 2025
• Final sculpture selected: By mid-January 2026
• Sculpture to be completed and installed on site: By June 30, 2026

Applications must include the following materials: 

1. Letter of Interest: A one- (1) page letter of interest stating why the Whitney Mesa BMX Track is meaningful and appropriate for the applicant’s work, as well as initial conceptual ideas.
2. CV: A two- (2) page resume or curriculum vitae (CV).
   1. If applying as an artist team or arts organization, provide one resume or CV for each team member.
   2. If applying as an artist team or arts organization, a list of key team members and their roles/affiliations.
3. Past Work Samples: Six (6) to ten (10) total images of past large-scale public art and infrastructure projects by the artist or the artist team’s lead artist(s).
   1. Optional: One (1) video, edited to no more than two (2) minutes in length, may also be submitted but is not required.
4. Annotated Image List: An annotated image list that includes the title, media, year completed, dimensions, location (if site-specific), project budget (if applicable) timeline, and client or commissioning entity for each corresponding image or video.
   1. If a video is submitted, please include two to three (2-3) sentences to describe its context.
   2. Please note, the annotated image list may include thumbnails of submitted images but does not replace the need to upload individual image files in fulfillment of a) above.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

This opportunity is open to all professional artists and artist teams with prior outdoor sculpture experience. This call is open to artists above the age of 18 regardless of race, color, creed, gender, gender variance, national origin, or religion.

Selection Criteria: Applicants will be shortlisted based on a competitive review of the following: 

• Artistic excellence: demonstrated skill and quality craftsmanship in examples of past work; strength and originality of concept conveyed in the letter of interest.
• Artistic Experience: artists skilled in crafting sculptures that creatively capture the theme and the site
• Community engagement: meaningful relationship of the artwork with the site (historically to current conditions,) the site’s stakeholders, the BMX culture and community of Southern Nevada and beyond.