Town of Mead Gateway at CR 34 & I-25 Interchange

The Town of Mead, Colorado is seeking submissions to select an artist/artist team to develop art concepts for two roundabouts at the proposed Town gateway located at the County Road 34 (Welker Avenue) & Interstate 25 interchange. This interchange is being reconstructed and reconfigured as part of the Colorado Department of Transportation's (CDOT) North I-25 Segments 5 & 6 project. CDOT’s plans for the improved interchange include roundabouts on CR 34 at the on/off ramps on both sides of the interstate.

The intent of this project is to create artistic gateway features within the roundabouts that reflect Mead’s small town agrarian charm and welcome people to the Town. It is expected that each of the two art installations will be similar in style or theme, but are uniquely different, as they can easily be seen at the same time from multiple vantage points.

The Town of Mead, Colorado is seeking submissions to select an artist/artist team to develop art concepts for two roundabouts at the proposed Town gateway located at the County Road 34 (Welker Avenue) & Interstate 25 interchange. This interchange is being reconstructed and reconfigured as part of CDOT’s North I-25 Segments 5 & 6 project. CDOT’s plans for the improved interchange include roundabouts on CR 34 at the on/off ramps on both sides of the interstate.

The intent of this project is to create artistic gateway features within the roundabouts that reflect Mead’s small town agrarian charm and welcome people to the Town. It is expected that each of the two art installations will be similar in style or theme, but are uniquely different, as they can easily be seen at the same time from multiple vantage points. This interchange will become the Town’s most prominent gateway and create a first impression for people traveling on Interstate 25.  The intent is that the art features will be large enough to be seen by travelers on I-25 and have a strong presence both day and night. Town signage could be incorporated into areas surrounding the art or be integrated into the art.

The Town has contracted with a landscape architecture firm for this project, and the selected artist/team will work together and collaborate with the landscape architect on the gateway project. If desired, plans for the new interchange and roundabouts can be provided to shortlisted artists.

The proposed gateway art, signage, and landscaping will be placed in the unpaved portion of the center islands in both roundabouts, and the unpaved areas are each 84 feet in diameter. Both roundabouts are within CDOT right-of-way, and art installations will need to comply with CDOT requirements. Final art plans and graphics will be included in a CDOT Special Use Permit along with the landscape, irrigation, lighting, and signage plans. The Special Use Permit application will be coordinated by BHA Design, and the artist team will be responsible for providing art plans, structural plans, and other plans for the art required as part of the permit set. Structural plans related to the art shall be prepared, stamped, and signed by a structural engineer licensed in the state of Colorado. The structural engineer shall be hired by the artist, and their fees included in the art budget.

Town staff facilitated a survey asking residents for keywords and images that capture what comes to mind when thinking about the Town of Mead to help shape the look and feel of future public art. The results show a strong desire to provide an art installation that represents the concept of community, family, and small-town values.

MEDIA

All media appropriate to the project will be considered. All applicants are expected to consider the issues of long-term conservation and maintenance of public art, along with timeline and budget. The work is intended to be a permanent addition to the Town of Mead. Design and installation must consider that the work will be situated in an unsecured public location and subject to the elements and potential vandalism. Installations will need to comply with CDOT requirements.

BUDGET

The art budget for this opportunity is estimated at $350,000. This budget includes:

• Artist/team design time
• Project management fees
• Materials/site research
• Historical research
• Meetings and presentations to Town staff, Town Board of Trustees, and community outreach
• Travel related expenses
• Proposals for artwork including renderings and/or other visuals, project narrative, itemized budget, maintenance plan, schedule, roles and responsibilities for installation, and other related costs
• Artistic renderings of potential roundabout artwork
• Itemized budget, maintenance plan, schedule, and installation responsibilities
• Engineering and stamped drawings structural components
• Insurance and permitting
• Materials, fabrication, shipping, and installation costs for selected artwork
• Specialty lighting integrated/internal to the art piece

Note: If possible, some elements may be installed by CDOT’s contractor for convenience depending on the final design of the artwork. However, the contractor’s costs will be paid as part of the art budget.

Costs not included in Art Budget:

• Landscape architect’s design fees, including landscape lighting and power supply
• Irrigation design fees
• Construction of landscape and irrigation improvements
• Cost associated with design and construction of Town Signage (sign cost could be added to art budget if sign(s) are integrated into art)

PRELIMINARY PROJECT TIMELINE

The following dates may be adjusted at any time by the Town:

 Phase One

 February 11, 2026: Release Request for Qualifications

• February 25, 2026 Deadline to submit questions
• March 10, 2026: RFQ Submissions due
• Week of March 16, 2026: Application review and selection of finalists

 Phase Two

• Week of March 30, 2026: Finalist interviews and presentation of artist proposed approach
• April - May 2026: Contract negotiation (design), design development and coordination with design team
• June - August 2026: Contract negotiation with artist (fabrication/installation), artwork fabrication, release bid documents for General Contractor
• September 2026: Artwork installation and Grand Opening (pending CDOT schedule for roundabout construction)

SELECTION PROCESS

The selection process will occur in two phases. During the first phase, artist teams are invited to submit qualifications through this Request for Qualifications. The Town will convene a selection panel to review and evaluate the applications received. The selection panel will then select up to four finalists. The selection panel reserves the right to reject any or all entries at any time in the review and selection process.

During the second phase, the selected finalists will attend a mandatory pre-proposal meeting and will be asked to submit proposals for which they will each receive a $1,700 honorarium upon delivery of the completed proposal. The honorarium covers all costs of preparing the proposal. Proposals must detail the finalist’s conceptual approach for artwork at the site and presentations must describe the concept, materials, size, weight, installation requirements, maintenance requirements, and budget. One artist/team will be selected for the commission.

The selected artist/team will contract directly with the Town (in a form approved by the Town Attorney) and work with the BHA Design to coordinate the artwork with the site design and then create a detailed proposal, budget, and timeline for the art element(s) fabrication and installation.  
 

SELECTION CRITERIA

Phase One

• Technical competence and suitability to the project as demonstrated in letter of intent and resume.
• Artistic excellence as demonstrated in digital images and references.
• Experience with public art installations similar in scale and scope.

Phase Two – Up to 4 Finalists

• Quality and content of artist presentation
• Ability of the proposed art to express aspects of the community
• Creativity of artist’s approach
• Durability and maintainability of proposed materials
• Understanding of CDOT requirements
• Art budget with inclusions and exclusions clearly identified

Please submit the following materials:

1. A one-page letter of intent: Please describe your interest/connection to this project. Please also describe any past project experience working with a design team.
2. Current resume (max. 2 pages) outlining your professional accomplishments as an artist and experience with design team projects. Team resumes can either be 2 pages for the team or one page per team member.
3. Three (3) References: Names, professional titles, phone numbers, and email addresses of three references who can speak to your experience as an artist and past public art projects.
4. Image list including artist name, title, media, dimensions, location, date, cost, and description of the artwork.
5. Six (total) digital images of relevant work completed within the past ten years. Digital images should be submitted in a jpeg format compatible with a PC at 200–300 dpi. When opened, each image file should appear in the proper orientation. Please label each image with artist’s last name and image number matching the artist’s image list. Images should be representative of work similar in size and scale to this project.

 Submission materials will not be returned.

• Do not include a proposal, graphic rendering, or illustration with this application.
• Please do not include images on resume, letter of intent, or image list.
• Submissions must be complete or will not be reviewed.
• Materials not requested will not be reviewed.

Proposals submitted must meet applicable Town codes and regulations. Artists are not to contact the project community unless arranged through Erika Rasmussen in the Public Works Department.

To be eligible for this project, artists/artist teams must be at least 18 years of age, legally residing in and authorized to work in the United States, and have demonstrated experience in creating public art similar in scope and scale. Artist/Teams must be able to work effectively and collaboratively with the project design team. 

Artists who meet the eligibility requirements above and who identify with the values reflected in the themes of family, community, and small-town-feel are encouraged to apply.