Utah Tech University McDonald Building - Utah Public Art

Request for qualifications from artists and/or artist teams interested in creating site-specific artwork(s) for the Utah Tech University McDonald Building project. Professional artists and artist teams residing nationally are eligible for this commission.

The Utah Division of Facilities Construction and Management and the Utah Division of Arts & Museums Public Art Program, in partnership with Utah Tech University, requests qualifications from artists and/or artist teams interested in creating site-specific artwork(s) for the Utah Tech McDonald Building. The Request for Qualifications with building renderings can be found here.

UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY
Utah Tech University’s history goes all the way back to the settlement of St. George in 1857, when leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints asked 38 families to move to the southwest corner of Utah to establish a town and grow cotton. The encampment mall where these pioneers parked their covered wagons, raised their families, and taught their children school lessons is now the center of Utah Tech’s campus. 

When the community was ready for a more formal college in 1909, the LDS Church began construction on the institution, then called St. George Stake Academy. A true community effort, Washington County residents funded $35,000 of the $55,000 project that was built on the corner of Main Street and 100 South and opened September 1911. 

In the late 1990s, Washington County residents appealed to the Utah Legislature, this time to petition for the addition of baccalaureate degrees to the college’s associate programs. The college was granted approval to award bachelor’s degrees in business administration and computer science. The college continued to add baccalaureate programs and just two years after celebrating its centennial gained university status in 2013. The University continues to grow and adopted a polytechnic approach to education starting in 2016 and master’s degrees in 2018. 

UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY ART DEPARTMENT
Utah Tech University’s Art Department offers three Arts Minor opportunities, five undergraduate programs, as well as a Masters of Fine Art Studio program. During their course of study, students will work to produce a full portfolio, learn to solve complex problems, express artistic concepts and intent, evaluate artistic work and be able to explain basic design principles and concepts, and utilize principles of visual analysis and literacy to discuss the socio-historical context of artworks.

The Art Department’s Mission:
An education in Visual Arts can be defined as the process whereby one learns how to produce art; engage in the aesthetic and critical analysis of art, and to talk, read, and write about art. Students at Utah Tech University are exposed to numerous concepts and activities involved in becoming visually and aesthetically literate. As part of their artistic study students will become proficient in their art discipline. Students have the opportunity to visit major regional art museums and exhibit artwork both on and off campus. The Arts Department supports Utah Tech’s vision of a polytechnic education, fore-fronting hands-on learning and preparing students for a successful future. 

UTAH TECH MCDONALD BUILDING
Originally built in 1968, the Utah Tech McDonald Building is receiving a large-scale remodel that will modernize existing spaces and extend the total footprint by 30,730 square feet. This expanded facility will become the new home of Utah Tech’s Art Department, housing programs in 3-D Sculpture and Ceramics, Entertainment, Animation, Painting, Illustration, and Photography and Digital Imaging. 

The new McDonald Building will have purpose-built educational spaces such as animation labs, a general lecture room, wood shop, gallery, studio workspaces, and offices for faculty and staff. This will be a vital addition to the College of the Arts, as the Art Department is currently housed away from the main campus, and without many of these critical resources. This beautiful new facility will improve student educational outcomes and future job prospects, while also contributing to a more vibrant and connected campus.

COMMITTEE STATEMENT
The Art Selection Committee seeks sculptural artwork to be installed in an exterior courtyard area that will be developed as a sculpture garden. Utah Tech envisions that this area will be used both for its multiple pathways to the McDonald Building, as well as a place where visitors may contemplate the beautiful art and landscaping. An area site plan can be found on page 6 of the linked document.

The Art Selection Committee is interested in artwork  that responds to the culture, ethos, and mission of the Utah Tech Art Department. UTech Art Faculty are working artists across a wide variety of styles and mediums, and prioritize creativity and resourcefulness in their approach. 

The following methods may be suitable for this project:

• A sculptural proposal that addresses multiple areas of the courtyard
• Sculptural artwork that could interact with or respond to the environment (for example, with light and shadow)
• Sculptural artwork that stands out from the local aesthetic and emphasizes the unique qualities of Utah Tech’s Art Department

Please note expected project completion date of Spring/Summer 2027

The artwork’s subject matter and content must be appropriate for public exhibition and not contain advertising, religious references, sexual or violent content, or convey political partisanship.

BUDGET
$164,000 is available for the project. This project budget is for all related expenses of this Public Art commission, including (but not limited to) artist fees, fabrication, support structures, insurance, shipping, travel, lighting, installation, documentation, etc.

ELIGIBILITY
Professional artists and artist teams residing in the United States are eligible for this commission. Artists living in Utah will receive additional weight in the review process. Applicants must have a U.S. Tax ID Number (SSN, EIN, ITIN, or other). Art Selection Committee members and staff of Utah Arts & Museums or VCBO Architects are not eligible to apply for this commission. All Art Selection Committee members will declare any conflict of interest and recuse themselves from the vote when reviewing artist applications.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Interested artists may submit applications online via CallForEntry.org. Register at www.callforentry.org and follow the directions for registration and submitting material for this Public Art Request for Qualifications. The application process will prompt you for all necessary documents and information. This includes up to 10 images and/or up to one movie file of previous work, a CV or résumé, and a Statement of Interest explaining your interest in the project and how your work might relate to the project. Utah Arts & Museums will not be responsible for delayed applications or damaged electronic files. Faxed or emailed applications cannot be accepted.

To request an accommodation for a disability, please complete an Accommodation Form at least two weeks in advance of the July 15th deadline. Accommodation forms can be found at artsandmuseums.utah.gov/accessibility.

DEADLINE

Complete application packages must be RECEIVED by 
July 15th by 11:59p.m. MT

SELECTION PROCESS AND SCHEDULE
The Selection Committee will review all properly submitted qualifications, from which a short list of semi-finalists will be selected. Semi-finalists will be asked to present a full proposal to the Committee on October 7, 2026, to include concept, budget, and timeline. All semi-finalists will be awarded an honorarium to help defray the costs of the development of the proposal. The honorarium will be applied toward the commission amount for the artist(s) awarded the commission(s.) Utah Arts & Museums will not be responsible for applications delayed or lost. The McDonald Building Art Selection Committee reserves the right to withhold the award of a commission or re-release the call for entries.

Schedule:
July 15, 2026, 11:59pm MDT | Deadline for receipt of preliminary materials
July 29, 2026 | Committee review and finalist artist notification
October 2, 2026 | Finalist interviews and presentations
Spring 2027 | Artwork completed
July 2027 | Project substantial completion

ARTIST SELECTION COMMITTEE
Clint Bunnell |  Project Manager, Division of Facilities Construction & Management
Pablo Gotay  | Project Manager, VCBO Architects
Sherry Ruesch |  Utah Tech Assistant Vice President of Facilities Management
Paul Morris  | Utah Tech Vice President of Administrative Affairs
Meaghan Gates |  Utah Tech Fine Arts Department Chair
Dennis Martinez | Utah Tech Professor of Creative Arts
McGarren Flack  | Utah Tech Associate Professor of Foundations
McKenzi Dye |  Utah Tech Assistant Professor of Photography
Brian Astle |  Utah Tech Assistant Professor of Art
Tara Field  | Utah Tech Art History Teaching Fellow

Please do not contact committee members directly. If you have any questions about this or other projects, information is available at: artsandmuseums.utah.gov/publicart/. Or contact: Hannah Nielsen at henielsen@utah.gov

Images courtesy VCBO Architects
 

Interested artists may submit applications online via CallForEntry.org. Register at www.callforentry.org and follow the directions for registration and submitting material for this Public Art Request for Qualifications. The application process will prompt you for all necessary documents and information. This includes up to 10 images and/or up to one movie file of previous work, a CV or résumé, and a Statement of Interest explaining your interest in the project and how your work might relate to the project. Utah Arts & Museums will not be responsible for delayed applications or damaged electronic files. Faxed or emailed applications cannot be accepted.

To request an accommodation for a disability, please complete an Accommodation Form at least two weeks in advance of the July 15th deadline. Accommodation forms can be found at artsandmuseums.utah.gov/accessibility.

Professional artists and artist teams residing in the United States are eligible for this commission. Artists living in Utah will receive additional weight in the review process. Applicants must have a U.S. Tax ID Number (SSN, EIN, ITIN, or other). Art Selection Committee members and staff of Utah Arts & Museums or VCBO Architects are not eligible to apply for this commission. All Art Selection Committee members will declare any conflict of interest and recuse themselves from the vote when reviewing artist applications.