3-D opportunity, Dr. Jeremiah Cameron Park

The City of Kansas City, Missouri One Percent for Art program seeks qualifications for a professional visual artist or artist team to design, fabricate, and install permanent 3-D public art within Dr. Jeremiah Cameron Park that will help tell the history of the Steptoe Neighborhood, the Penn School as the first African American school west of the Mississippi, and the legacy of the neighborhood’s former current and past residents. Two to five semifinalist artists will be asked to advance to the RFP phase and propose designs. The minimum budget available for this project is $280,000, all inclusive. Semifinalists will be paid a design proposal stipend of $4,200.

The City of Kansas City, Missouri One Percent for Art program seeks qualifications for a professional visual artist or artist team to design, fabricate, and install permanent public art within Dr. Jeremiah Cameron Park that will help tell the history of the Steptoe Neighborhood, the Penn School as the first African American school west of the Mississippi, and the legacy of the neighborhood’s former current and past residents. Two to five semifinalist artists will be asked to advance to the RFP phase and propose designs. Semifinalists will be paid a design proposal stipend of $4,200.

As part of a $30.3M stormwater, water, and streetscape infrastructure investment for Kansas City’s Westport District, Dr. Jeremiah Cameron Park is playing a critical role in stormwater management as the final water storage point to manage discharge before reentering the existing combined sewer system. In addition to the project adding over 3.5 million gallons of underground stormwater storage, the resulting adjusted topography will create more usable space and access into Westport, which provides the opportunity to re-imagine Dr. Jeremiah Cameron Park.

Originally called Pate’s Addition to the Town of Westport, the area that is now W. 43 Street south to W. 44 Street, and from Wornall Road to Summit Street came to life around 1857 and became known as the Steptoe neighborhood. The area began attracting families in the 1860s, including many newly freed from slavery.  By the early 1900s, Steptoe had become a unique family place – a “little island” – physically separated yet still connected to other Black neighborhoods through community events and work.  Steptoe was home to the Penn School, the first school west of the Mississippi to solely educate Black children. Two churches, St. Luke and St. James, also served the neighborhood.  Descendants of the Black settlers in the area became educated, created a flourishing community, and went on to make their marks upon Kansas City and beyond.  Since the 1960s, many of the homes and institutions have been lost but former residents are working to keep memory of the neighborhood alive.

Because of Missouri’s constitution at the time, white and African American children were not allowed to attend school together. In 1868, the first school for African American children west of the Mississippi was built, a three-room brick structure at 4237 Pennsylvania, called Penn School. For close to 90 years, the school produced many successful graduates, most notably musician Charlie Parker and Dr. Jeremiah Cameron. The 1954 decision of the United States Supreme Court to end school segregation and a dwindling enrollment caused the Penn School's shuttering in 1955. Attempts to reopen the school or to find new uses for the property were unsuccessful, and the vacant building was destroyed by a fire in 1967.

Former residents of the historic Steptoe Neighborhood and allies have organized to create the “Steptoe Lives” coalition. Through several meetings with Steptoe Lives, the design team, and other local stakeholders, a new vision for the park has emerged, identifying key aspects of the park such as public art.

Community engagement has identified the following desirable improvements:

• The artwork should be a structure or shelter that pays homage to the Penn School and its students and the Steptoe neighborhood and should be visible from the street.
• Park Entrance Sign
• Historical markers and signage throughout the park regarding the historical significance of the Steptoe Neighborhood, Penn School, and Dr. Jeremiah Cameron
• Seating throughout the park
• Plants and landscaping
• Park Furniture (bike racks, trash bins, etc.)

Limitations of Space:

The Westport Stormwater Improvement project installed large concrete underground storage units within the park. The following limitations on use of space exist to maintain the integrity of the underground storage system:

• Finished grade elevations in the park will substantially match the Westport Stormwater Improvement project plans (grade elevations will be provided to semifinalists).
• A minimum of 1.5 feet of vertical clearance between the top of the underground storage units (elevation 880.6) and the bottom of any structural footing or post foundation must be maintained.
• Maximum allowable area load = 300 pounds per square foot (PSF) OR maximum allowable column/post load = 16,000 pounds. This area load and column/post load shall not by applied simultaneously. Additionally, allowable loads are considered in lieu of the design vehicle load (HS-20). HS-20 loading is not permitted in the vicinity of area or column/post loading.
• At no time shall machinery or vehicles greater than the design live load of AASHTO HS-20 travel over the top of the system. The vibratory function of any roller, compactor, vehicle etc. shall not be used overtop the system without prior approval from StormTrap. In some cases, hand compaction may be necessary to ensure that the allowable design loading is not exceeded.

Budget

The minimum budget available for this project is $280,000, all inclusive. Expenses may include, but are not limited to, artist's fees, travel, fabrication, supplies, material costs, meeting and administration hours, labor, artist’s legal review fees, permits, licenses, insurance, lighting, equipment rental, shipping, delivery, documentation, foundations, footings and installation.

Question and Answer Period

Questions related to this project for the KCMO Public Art Administrator should be emailed to james.martin@kcmo.org by November 17, 2025 5:00 p.m. Central. Questions received by this deadline will be answered through an addendum on this CaFÉ Call for Artists after the Artist Q&A videoconference described below. Answers to written questions also may be answered during the Q&A sessions if time allows.

Virtual Q&A Sessions

Virtual Q&A sessions with the public art administrator will be held on the following days:

• 5:30 p.m. Central Tuesday, November 18, 2025 Join the meeting now
• 5:30 p.m. Central Wednesday, November 19, 2025 Join the meeting now

Use of Artificial Intelligence tools

Artists using artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the creation of their portfolio or semifinalist proposal must identify the use of AI in the information accompanying each image.

Evaluation Criteria

The city will select what in its sole judgment it determines to be the qualified candidate or candidates that is in the best interest of the city. Any evaluation criteria or weighting of criteria is used by the city only as a tool to assist the city in selecting the best candidate. The city may change criteria and criteria weights at any time. Evaluation scores or ranks do not create any right in or expectation to a contract regardless of any score or ranking given to any candidate.

The Dr. Jeremiah Cameron Park Artist Selection Panel will use the following evaluation criteria:

Excellence: Works of art in the artist's application are original, innovative, of exceptional quality and enduring value.

Relevant prior experience: The artist has created projects of a similar scale and budget and has experience coordinating with multiple stakeholders such as--but not limited to--architects, city project management staff, general contractors, engineers, fabricators and union tradespeople--or the artist is jointly submitting the qualifications of a collaborator that has created such projects and that has such experience.

Appropriateness to the site and project: Works of art in the application indicate that the artist is likely to be sensitive to the social, economic, cultural, historical and physical context of the site and the surrounding neighborhood, either existing or planned.

Durability: Works of art in the artist's application utilize materials and processes likely to contribute to the longevity of public works of art, or the artist is willing to adopt such practices by collaborating with a partner with relevant specialized expertise.

Selection Process

The Kansas City, Missouri Public Art Administrator will recommend selection panelists to the Municipal Art Commission for approval. The selection panel will consider artist’s resumes, portfolios and letters of interest residing on CaFÉ and select 2-5 semifinalists. Semifinalists will be paid a design proposal stipend of $4,200. The selection panel will interview the semifinalists, review their proposals and budgets and select the finalist and one alternate.

The finalist artist’s proposal will be presented to the Municipal Art Commission for approval prior to developing a contract. All contracts may be subject to approval by City Council or by the city’s executive leadership.

Tentative Schedule

• Late October 2025: Call for Artists distributed
• Monday, November 17, 2025, 5:00 p.m. Central: Written question and answer period deadline
• Virtual Q&A sessions
  • 5:30 p.m. Central Tuesday, November 18, 2025 Join the meeting now
  • 5:30 p.m. Central Wednesday, November 19, 2025 Join the meeting now
• 11:59 p.m. Monday, December 8, 2025 Mountain Time Zone: Application deadline
• January 2026: Semifinalists selected and notified
• March 2026: Semifinalist artists’ proposal presentations (virtual), finalist selected
• April 2026: Artist contract executed
• May 2026: Purchase order issued
• June 2026: Artist begins procuring materials, begins fabricating art
• Completion by Spring, 2027
• Artwork dedication: Within 1 week of installation, if applicable

Changes in the Call for Artists

From time to time, engineering, construction, or other factors may require the city to amend its selection criteria. After this Call for Artists (“CFA”) is issued, the city, in its sole discretion, may change anything contained in this CFA at any time, including after the application due date. If the change is prior to the application due date, the city reserves the right, when considered necessary or appropriate, to modify this CFA with an addendum. If the city shall amend the CFA after the application due date, the city may, in its sole discretion, solicit new applications in an amended CFA from anyone or everyone, regardless of whether an applicant submitted an application in response to the original CFA.

About the Kansas City One Percent for Art Program

https://www.kcmo.gov/art

• Work samples on CaFÉ. All applications must be submitted through this CaFÉ Call for Artists. Up to ten (10) Images and six (6) videos of your original completed commissions, not proposals, which demonstrate your qualifications for the project. Three-dimensional models, sketches, or drawings will not be accepted. You must include the title, medium, dimensions, project budget or price, year completed and location (if applicable) for each work. The value must be indicated in US dollars. Artists who need access to a computer and/or internet access are encouraged to seek assistance from their local library or KC BizCare, 816-513-2491.
• Artist resume
• Letter of interest

All applications must be submitted through this CaFÉ Call for Artists.

Eligibility is limited to professional visual artist teams or artists at least 18 years of age based in the Unites States.

Artists previously contracted for a City of Kansas City, Missouri One Percent for Art commission within two years of their past project’s contract execution date are not eligible.

Full-time, permanent City of Kansas City, Missouri employees, General Services Department and Public Works Department project consultants and their employees and sub-consultants are ineligible.

Collaborators and teams are eligible to apply. Resumes/CVs of all collaborators must be uploaded to CaFÉ as a single PDF with multiple pages.

Artists who need access to a computer and/or internet access are encouraged to seek assistance from their local library or KC BizCare, 816-513-2491.