La Raza Park

Denver Public Art seeks to commission an artist or artist team to create public artworks for La Raza Park. The goal of the project is to commission an artist(s) to create a site-responsive public artwork that reflects the identity, history, and aspirations of Northside Denver. The artwork is envisioned as a welcoming community anchor and “third space”—a place that inspires connection, invites people to gather and linger, and sparks conversation about the park, its cultural heritage, and the community’s future. The work should honor the land and the people who have shaped this place while offering a hopeful vision forward. A strong, authentic connection to Northside is central to the project, with the artwork serving as a memorable expression of local culture, pride, and belonging.

The commission amount for an artist or artist team is $136,000.00 USD.

Denver Public Art is hosting a virtual pre-application meeting for interested applicants on September 30th, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Public Art Project: La Raza Park 

Budget: Approximately $136,000.00 USD

Eligibility: Artists or Artist Teams residing in the United States

DEADLINE: Thursday, October 15th, 2026, 11:59 P.M. MST

Introduction

Denver Public Art seeks to commission an artist or artist team to create public artworks for La Raza Park. The goal of the project is to commission an artist to create a site-responsive public artwork that reflects the identity, history, and aspirations of Northside Denver. The artwork is envisioned as a welcoming community anchor and “third space”—a place that inspires connection, invites people to gather and linger, and sparks conversation about the park, its cultural heritage, and the community’s future. The work should honor the land and the people who have shaped this place while offering a hopeful vision forward. A strong, authentic connection to Northside is central to the project, with the artwork serving as a memorable expression of local culture, pride, and belonging.

The commission amount for an artist or artist team is $136,000.00 USD.

A selection panel of community representatives, arts and culture professionals and civic leaders has been assembled to identify art opportunities and to select and recommend an artist or artist team for this project. The panel is seeking artists who work in mediums suitable for exterior spaces that complement the natural surroundings of the park and the architecture of the historical Kiosko (stone, metal, recycled materials, wood, etc.) for this project.

Denver Public Art is hosting a virtual pre-application meeting for interested applicants on September 30th, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will cover project background and goals, and the application process for this Request for Qualifications (RFQ). Attendees will also receive information on CallForEntry.org through which artists may apply. This event will be hosted on Zoom. Interested applicants are asked to register to receive information on how to join prior to the event. If you cannot attend, a recording will be available on the Denver Arts & Venues YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@denverartsandvenues/

Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that the land Denver’s Public Art Collection occupies - - land where we stand, live, work and learn - - is the traditional territory of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Peoples. We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado. Our nation was founded upon and continues to enact exclusions and erasures of Indigenous Peoples. May this acknowledgement demonstrate a commitment to dismantling ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities, as we intentionally honor and celebrate the Indigenous communities in our city and express our gratitude for their ongoing and significant contributions. Let’s not forget that this land was theirs long before we made it ours.

About La Raza Park

La Raza Park, designated as a historical landmark, is a one-block urban park in Denver’s Northside, bounded by 38th and 39th Avenues and Osage and Navajo Streets. More than a neighborhood recreation space, the park reflects the evolving history and cultural identity of North Denver. Its history spans more than a century—from its origins as open land and one of Denver’s earliest municipal playgrounds, to its role as a gathering place for Italian immigrants, a center of the Chicano Movement, and today, a cultural gathering place for Denver’s Latino/Chicano community.

The land was purchased by the city in 1906 and developed as the North Side Playground in 1909. In its early years, the park served the predominantly Italian immigrant community of the Northside. The park later became Columbus Park, reflecting the neighborhood’s Italian American heritage. Beginning in the 1940s, the surrounding community changed as Mexican American and Latino families increasingly made the Northside their home. By the late twentieth century, the park had become an important center of Latino/Chicano community life.

During the 1960s and 1970s, La Raza Park became an important site for El Movimiento, Denver’s Chicano civil rights movement. The park was a place for community organizing, activism, cultural expression, and community building. Community members advocated for equitable access to recreation, education, employment, and public space, ultimately gaining greater community control of the park and pool. Just as importantly, the park became a place where generations of neighbors gathered, cared for one another, and created a safe space for children, families, elders, and young people.

Art has long been an important part of La Raza Park’s identity. Today, the park’s central Kiosko and Plaza de la Raza, dedicated in 1990, remain its defining gathering space. The Kiosko contains El Viaje, a series of murals by Denver artist David Ocelotl Garcia installed in 2016.  The work traces a journey through Mexican history, tradition, social movements, and visions of the future. 

In 2021, the park was officially renamed La Raza Park following more than five decades of community advocacy for the name change. The renaming included the installation of Emanuel Martinez’s La Raza Unida, a sculpture honoring mestizo heritage, Chicano identity, activism, solidarity, and unity.

Goals, Site, Media & Materials

The selection panel members have set forth goals and parameters for this public art project with the hope of creating unique and seamlessly integrated artwork(s) for those who visit the park. Artists who have not yet received a public art commission are encouraged to apply.

Goals

• Create a sculptural artwork that is meaningfully rooted in the people, stories, cultural heritage, and lived experiences of Northside Denver. The work should convey a clear sense of local identity and contribute to community pride.
• Interpret the park’s history and the broader heritage of Northside Denver while also offering a hopeful and forward-looking vision. Artwork should create a meaningful connection between the community’s past and its evolving future.
• Establish a memorable visual and cultural focal point within the park—one that invites people to gather, linger, reflect, interact, and return. The artwork should contribute to the park’s role as a shared “third space” for the community.
• Develop an artwork that encourages curiosity, storytelling, learning, and dialogue about the park and the surrounding community. The work should provide opportunities for people of different ages and backgrounds to find personal or cultural connections to the site.
• The artwork should communicate its connection to the community and place in a way that is visually engaging and readily accessible to a broad public audience. While artists are encouraged to bring their own creative perspective, the work should avoid being so abstract or ambiguous that its relationship to the site is lost.
• The completed artwork should be visually compelling, warm, engaging, and inspiring. It should have the potential to become a recognizable feature of the park and a place where community members want to gather, take photographs, and share their experience.
  The artwork should be appropriate to the park’s physical and social context, durable within a public outdoor environment, and capable of remaining meaningful to the community over time.
• The artwork should be complimentary to and in conversation with existing artworks within the park.

Artists from Denver with strong ties to the Northside are strongly encouraged to apply.

Artwork Site

Today, La Raza Park continues to function as a place for recreation, celebration, cultural expression, and community connection. Ceremonial danza, Día de los Muertos, La Raza Park Day, lowrider gatherings, memorials, and other events bring together generations of residents and visitors. Community members describe the park not simply through its individual events, but through its ability to bring people together and maintain connections between generations.

The park’s significance lies in this continuity. La Raza Park is a physical expression of the history of Denver’s Northside—its immigrant communities, cultural evolution, activism, artistic traditions, and enduring spirit of community. It is both a place to remember the past and a living space where culture continues to be created, shared, and carried forward. Its designation recognizes the park as a source of community pride and cultural understanding and as an important site associated with the social movements that shaped Northside Denver.

The selection panel has chosen two possible locations on the Northwest and Southwest corners of the park where the artwork could be located.

Media & Materials:

The selection panel is looking to see sculptural works of diverse mediums. Durability and ease of maintenance are important at this location. The selection panel is open to artwork in media and materials suitable for outdoor display.

Maintenance, Durability & Accessibility

This artwork will become a permanent addition to the Denver Public Art collection. All applicants must consider the issues of long-term conservation and maintenance of public art, along with time and budget. These projects are in the public realm and will be exposed to physical stresses as well as being subject to vandalism. Public art projects should be fabricated of highly durable, low-maintenance materials. Finalists are encouraged to consult with a professional conservator prior to the submission of a final proposal. Awarded contracts will be reviewed by the City of Denver's Public Art Committee to ensure conformity with city standards of maintenance and durability, as well as Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. All finalists are expected to stay on budget and to complete work in an approved timeframe.

Budget

The budget for this commission is $136,000.00 USD which will be allocated to the artist/team selected. These funds come from the City of Denver’s 1% for Public Art Ordinance resulting from several renovation projects at La Raza and Ciancio Park. This contract amount is inclusive of all costs associated with the art project including, but not limited to: the artist’s design fee, other consultation fees such as structural engineering consultation, insurance (including Colorado Workers Compensation), tools, materials, fabrication, transportation, installation, any building or site modification required, travel to and from the site, per diem expenses, project documentation, contingency to cover unexpected expenses and any other associated costs. For all work done on city property, prevailing wage requirements will be applied.

Timeline

The timeline is subject to adjustments:

October 15, 2026, 11:59 P.M. MST                          Deadline for entry (via CaFÉ™ system)  

November 5, 2026                                                    Finalist Selection  

December 1, 2026                                                     Artist Selection

December 2027                                                         Art Installation

Artists must be available to attend two meetings, a community meeting with representatives from the selection panel and a technical meeting with representatives from the Denver Public Art Program, Denver Arts & Venues, Public Art Committee and the Denver Commission of Cultural Affairs. These two meetings will take place in October, and may be virtual, if necessary. The finalist presentation meeting will take place in December in person, and all artists must be available to present their concept proposals during this time.

Project Selection Panel

According to Denver's Public Art policy, the project selection panel plays an active role in the acquisition of public art for the City and County of Denver. The selection panel is comprised of 12 voting members. The selection panel is responsible for reviewing the site, establishing criteria for a request for qualifications, reviewing applications, selecting and interviewing finalists and finally for selecting an artist or artist team for the commission. 

Selection Process

1. Three to five artist/artist team will be selected to design artwork for the selected site. Those selected will receive more specific information regarding the sites and have the opportunity to meet with community members from the selection panel, Denver Public Art Program staff and Denver Parks & Recreation.
2. The selection panel will review applications, potentially interview the finalists, and recommend an artist/artist team for the commission.
3. The final recommendation of the selection panel will be presented to the Public Art Committee, the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs, and Denver Arts & Venues Executive Director for final approval.

*All decisions of the City and County of Denver are final.

Please direct all questions about the project to:

Moe Gram, Public Art Project Manager, moe.gram@denvergov.org.

Applying for these opportunities

In response to this RFQ, applicants will be asked to submit the following items via www.callforentry.org (CaFÉ™).

1. Eight digital images of past work
2. Résumé
3. Statement of interest no longer than 2,000 characters

From these applications, the selection panel will choose finalists. If needed, the selection panel will schedule interviews with a short list of applicants to make final selections. Artists/teams selected as finalists will be required to submit a Diversity & Inclusiveness Form for their proposals to be considered, which will be provided upon notification. As directed by Executive Order 101, this form must be submitted for all city solicitations of proposals. Denver Arts & Venues Public Art Program staff can guide you in filling out this form.

Each selected artist or artist team will design and execute the artwork for La Raza Park. The selected artists or artist teams will work with the Denver Public Art Program staff and Denver Parks & Recreation when finalizing their designs for installation.

Materials to be Submitted

Please read this section carefully. Incomplete applications will NOT be considered. The applicant's name must appear on all materials submitted.

All materials must be submitted online, via the CaFÉ™ website (www.CallForEntry.org). There is no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system.

Digital Images

To be considered for this project, the applicant must electronically submit six to eight digital images of previously completed artworks through the online CaFÉ™ system. Artists who wish to submit kinetic, sound or media works must submit a complete CaFÉ™ application and will have the opportunity to upload one video file.

IMPORTANT: If submitting audio or video files, do not use them as your very first image. They must be submitted last in your image sequence.

Instructions on how to format images to CaFÉ™ specifications can be found at https://www.callforentry.org/uploading-images-audio-and-video-files/. Assistance in using the CaFÉ™ system is available here: https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/.

If an artist does not have access to a computer, s/he/they may call (720) 515-5768 to make arrangements to use a computer at Denver Arts & Venues. 

To request this RFQ in an alternate format (such as Braille, large print, or accessible electronic format) please contact DisabilityAccess@denvergov.org.

Statement of Interest

Please submit a statement (2,000 characters maximum) outlining the following:

• Why the La Raza Park public art project is of particular interest to you.
• Describe your relationship to the Northside of Denver and La Raza Park.
• Describe how the history and cultural heritage of the neighborhood might impact the concept of your artwork.

Résumé 

Submit a one to two-page current résumé via CaFÉ™ that highlights your professional accomplishments as an artist. Please name your résumé file accordingly: Last name. First initial (i.e. Smith.J.pdf). Résumés that are more than two pages will not be downloaded. If applying as a team, please submit one résumé with no more than one page per team member. 

Survey

Applicants will also be required to fill out a short demographic survey that will be part of the CaFÉ™ application.

References

Applicants who are selected to be finalists will be required to provide three professional references.

Who May Apply

This project is open to artists residing in the United States. Denver Arts & Venues is committed to building a public art collection that represents a broad diversity of artists and encourages applicants from historically marginalized and underrepresented communities, including artists who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latino/x, People of Color (BILPOC), people with disabilities, and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersexual, asexual, Two-Spirit+ (LGBTQIA2S+) communities. Denver Arts & Venues also encourages applicants at various stages in their careers and applicants that practice a variety of artistic disciplines.

Can a team apply?

Applicants may apply as a single artist or multi-person collaborative group. If applying as a team, please submit one résumé for the team with no more than one page per team member.

To request this RFQ in an alternate format (such as Braille, large print or accessible electronic format) please contact DisabilityAccess@denvergov.org.

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Denver Arts & Venues tuân thủ các luật Liên bang áp dụng về dân quyền và không phân biệt đối xử trên cơ sở chủng tộc, màu da, nguồn gốc quốc gia, độ tuổi, tình trạng khuyết tật hay giới tính khi cung cấp dịch vụ ngôn ngữ. Quý vị có quyền yêu cầu dịch vụ hỗ trợ ngôn ngữ qua lời nói hay văn bản bằng ngôn ngữ chính của quý vị, nếu cần. Vui lòng liên hệ Denver Arts & Venues tại DAVLanguageAccess@denvergov.org, và những dịch vụ này sẽ được cung cấp miễn phí cho quý vị.