UF-698 Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence

The Art in State Buildings Program at the University of Florida is commissioning an artist or artist team to create a site-specific artwork for the UF Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence located in Balm, FL. The potential sites for art are both interior and exterior and all traditional, material-based media will be considered. The committee is not considering artworks that rely on digital technology or electrical components for the final installation. It is not expected that the budget will cover more than one site for art. The art selection committee is interested in conventional artforms that eloquently addresses the research conducted at this “futuristic” farming facility in southwest Florida which aims to transition specialty crop production from labor-intensive production to technology-intensive production.    

The Art in State Buildings Program at the University of Florida is commissioning an artist or artist team to create a site-specific artwork for the UF Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence located in Balm, FL. The potential sites for art are both interior and exterior and all traditional, material-based media will be considered. The committee is not considering artworks that rely on digital technology or electrical components for the final installation. It is not expected that the budget will cover more than one site for art. The art selection committee is interested in conventional artforms that eloquently addresses the research conducted at this “futuristic” farming facility in southwest Florida which aims to transition specialty crop production from labor-intensive production to technology-intensive production.    

Location: UF Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence in Balm, FL.

Art Budget: $95,000-$98,000 for site-specific art

Honoraria: Finalists will receive an honorarium to create and virtually present a site-specific proposal.  The amount of each honorarium will be determined by the number of finalists, not to exceed 4 artists/artist teams.  The total amount available for all honoraria payments is expected to be between $2,000 -  $5,000 and is separate from the art budget listed above. 

Travel: There is a separate travel stipend to offset the cost of finalists visiting Balm, FL for an in-person site visit. 

Project Timeline: Construction August 2026-August 2028; Application Review and Finalists Notification Spring 2026; Finalist Site Visit October 2026; Proposal Presentation and Selection December 2026; Installation ~December 2027.

Sites for Art: (renderings and dimensioned floorplans linked separately)

The art selection committee is interested in conventional artforms that address the research conducted at this “futuristic” farming facility in southwest Florida which aims to transition specialty crop production from labor-intensive production to technology-intensive production. Please refer to the Informational Text about the UF Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence provided in this CTA for more information. 

The art selection committee is considering 5 potential sites for art, both interior and exterior. It is not expected that the budget will cover more than one site for art.

The committee is considering traditional, material-based media. The committee is not considering artworks that rely on digital technology or electrical components for the final installation. Digital technologies used during conceptualization and creation of the artwork is allowed as long as the digital tools or electrical components are not required to display the art.

Dimensions provided in the renderings are for scale and do not define the allowable area for art. Artists may create works of art for any site beyond the dimensioned area shown when the dimensioned area is not measuring the entire site.

Additional elevations and floorplans will be provided to finalists. 

In no particular order, the sites for art are:

Site 1 (a) - Lobby ceiling

Site 2 (a and b) – Lobby wall west and east

Site 3 (a and b) – Lobby glazing north and south

Site 4 (a, b, c) – Exterior walls west, east, and north

Site 5 (a, b, c) – freestanding exterior sculpture west, central, and east

Informational Text:

UF Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence

Our goal is to see the Tampa Bay region become the Silicon Valley for technology development for agriculture enterprises by transitioning specialty crop production from labor-intensive production to technology-intensive production.  Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics have transformed the capabilities of such technology.  It is now feasible to utilize AI and robotics to autonomously accomplish many tasks that are currently accomplished with manual labor.  For example, smart robotic technology can assist plant breeding programs, plant crops, detect and identify pests within agricultural fields, apply pesticides only where pests occur, predict yields, identify production issues, and deploy autonomous harvesters that can harvest produce 24 hours/day.  This technology has the potential to reduce production costs over the long-term, reduce negative environmental impacts by addressing water use and water quality, and transition agricultural employment from low-paying manual labor to technology-intensive positions.  

The UF Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence will focus on the design, construction, evaluation, and demonstration of novel AI-based technologies with an emphasis on moving technology from concept to prototype.  Close connections with manufacturing entities will be fostered to ensure novel technologies reach the marketplace. 

EXTENSION AND TRAINING

The UF Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence will be a central site for AI-focused Extension efforts.  Extension agents could be trained on how to integrate novel scouting and AI-based technologies into current farming systems as well as the benefits of the technology.  Hands-on training will allow firsthand experience utilizing the technology at the adjacent state-of-the-art farm.  The site will serve as a location where market-ready and newly emerging technologies can be demonstrated at the onsite research farm for growers, investors, equipment manufacturers and other industry partners. 

FACILITY DETAILS

The new facility will have 40,000 ft2 of office, research, and meeting space.  The facility will include a state-of-the-art research shop equipped with everything needed to design and build robotic technologies for agriculture, meeting space to be used as a central hub for training in AI and robotic technologies, as well as offices and open concept work areas. 

This facility will be the first of its kind in Florida and will have long-lasting impacts on agriculture and affiliated sectors across the state.

University of Florida

Located in the heart of North Central Florida, the University of Florida (http://ufl.edu) is one of America’s premier public Universities and is currently ranked No. 1 according to the 2025 Wall Street Journal Report, and is the first Florida school to break into the list of top 10 best public universities, ranked at No. 7, according to the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings.  The University of Florida is one of the largest universities in the United States and students from more than 100 countries attend UF’s 20 colleges and 100 interdisciplinary research and education centers and institutes. 

UF has a 2,000-acre campus and more than 900 buildings, including the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum- certified building in the state of Florida.

One of America’s all-around best universities, the University of Florida drives future-making education, eye-opening discoveries, life-saving health care, and community-building collaboration for our state, our nation, and our world. 

Florida’s Art in State Buildings Program

The Art in State Buildings (ASB) Program acquires artwork for new public facilities built with state funds. The program requires that up to .5% of the construction appropriation be set aside to acquire artwork for permanent display in, on or around the facility.

Since the program began in 1979, more than 1,000 works of art have been purchased or commissioned for Florida public spaces. You'll find them in nearly every Florida county, in locations such as state office buildings, Department of Transportation complexes, Department of Health facilities, courthouses, and throughout state university and college campuses.

Required Application Materials:

A brief letter of interest describing why your artwork is appropriate for the project and how the submitted images relate to the project requirements. Artists may also briefly describe their history, training, and experience.

Current professional CV or Resume, demonstrating that your public art experience meets at least 2 of the above listed required criteria to apply.  Please ensure this information is labeled and easily found within this document.

Ten (10) to 20 digital images of artworks- The first five images provided will be shown to the committee in the initial blind review.  The first five images are the only application materials that the entire committee is guaranteed to see.

Artwork with sound or motion may be submitted as a video or audio file. Up to 6 video or audio files may be submitted and each file counts as an “image” in the 20 allowable. Please do not submit video or audio as one of the first 5 images. Promotional videos or “making of” videos should not be included.  

A brief description of each artwork image submitted with the following information:

Title

Medium (list or describe the materials used to create this work)

Dimensions (H x W x D) in ft. or in.

Date of Artwork

Price of artwork or commission

Site or location including city (if applicable)

Commissioning Agent/Client/Collection/Exhibiting Museum or Gallery (as applicable)

Additional notes on the review process:

Florida’s Art in State Building’s program requires multiple “blind reviews.” Images with the artist’s name added as a digital watermark or slide presentation will not be reviewed. An original signature within a painting or on a sculpture is permissible.     

Hundreds of applications are reviewed for each project; it is not possible to provide individual responses as to why an artist/artist team was not selected as a finalist. The names of the finalists will be provided to all applicants.    

If submitting images of completed public art projects, please ensure these projects are also listed on your resume/CV.    

Use of Artificial Intelligence as a tool in the creation of artwork must be disclosed, ensuring data is ethically sourced, and the artist/artist team can Copyright the final artwork.

If the required description information for each artwork image submitted is already included in the artwork details within café, you may submit the text “see upload details” in the application text field.    

*Criteria to Apply: To be considered for this project, artists must demonstrate through the CV or Resume that your public art experience meets at least two (2) of the following criteria:

-The artist’s works are included in private, public, corporate or museum, collections;

-The artist has received awards, grants or fellowships;

-The artist has completed other public commissions on a similar scale;

-The artist has participated in exhibitions at major museums or galleries.

*Please ensure this information is labeled and easily found within your CV or Resume.