Montrose Roundabout & Gateway Corridor | Large-Scale Steel Sculpture Opportunity

The City of Montrose, Colorado, is seeking qualifications from experienced public artists or artist teams to design, fabricate, and install a signature, large scale steel public art installation at the new Rio Grande Avenue and Oak Grove Road Roundabout and surrounding area. The project includes two interconnected public spaces, the roundabout center island and adjacent bike path, with more than 600 feet of potential installation area. Artists will be asked to develop a cohesive artistic vision inspired by community selected themes of Native American heritage, wildlife, and horses, creating a memorable landmark that reflects Montrose’s heritage, culture, and natural environment.

The Rio Grande Avenue and Oak Grove Roundabout Gateway Arts Corridor should become a distinctive landmark that celebrates Montrose’s heritage, culture, wildlife, and connection to the surrounding landscape. The ideal proposal will go beyond a traditional roundabout sculpture by creating a cohesive public art experience that connects the central roundabout installation with complementary artistic elements along the adjacent bike path. Designed to engage motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians, the artwork should create visual interest from multiple viewpoints and invite people to slow down, explore, and experience the space in different ways.

The primary artwork will be located within the landscaped center island of the roundabout, with opportunities to extend the artistic concept along the bike path immediately south of the intersection. Together, these elements should create a unified gateway experience and establish a recognizable landmark at one of Montrose’s most visible public spaces. The artwork should draw inspiration from community-identifies inspirations, including local Native American heritage, Western Colorado wildlife, horses, or a combination of all three elements.

The completed installation should be visually compelling, timeless, and built to become a lasting part of Montrose’s identity. Primarily constructed of steel and designed for a minimum 25-year lifespan, the artwork should balance vibrant accent colors with natural earth tones, withstand the demands of an outdoor environment, and require minimal maintenance. The goal is to create more than something to look at from a passing vehicle, but a connected artistic experience that welcomes people arriving by road, traveling by bike, or moving through the community on foot.

As part of the planning process, the City conducted a community survey to identify themes residents would like reflected in the artwork. The three most preferred categories were:

• Local Native American heritage
• Western Colorado Wildlife
• Horses

Artists are encouraged to creatively interpret one or more of these themes. Proposals do not need to incorporate all three themes but should present a cohesive concept that creates a meaningful connection to the Montrose community.

Project Goals

• Create a recognizable and memorable public landmark.
• Celebrate Montrose’s heritage, culture, and natural environment.
• Incorporate one or more community-identified themes.
• Provide visual interest and engagement for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians.
• Integrate the roundabout sculpture with complementary elements along the bike path south of the roundabout.
• Be durable, weather-resistant, and appropriate for long-term outdoor display.
• Require minimal maintenance throughout its lifespan.

Artistic Direction

• Proposals should be constructed primarily of steel and suitable for permanent outdoor installation.
• Incorporate a balance of vibrant accent colors and natural earth tones that complement the surrounding landscape and create year-round visual interest.
• Feature representational or realistic imagery rather than abstract forms.
• Depict recognizable subjects inspired by one or more of the community-selected themes.
• Create visual impact from multiple viewpoints within the roundabout and surrounding areas.
  Artists are encouraged to bring their own creative vision while prioritizing artwork that is timeless, accessible, and broadly appealing to the community.

Cultural Representation and Collaboration

Proposals incorporating Native American or Indigenous culture, heritage, history, or imagery must be created by a Native American or Indigenous artist or developed through meaningful collaboration with an appropriate Native American or Indigenous artist or cultural representative. Collaboration must include substantive involvement in the artwork’s development and cultural representation.

Site Information
Rio Grande Avenue & Oak Grove Road Roundabout | Montrose, Colorado
The project site includes two interconnected public spaces with over 600 feet of potential for installation.

• Roundabout Centerpiece: A primary sculpture or sculptural composition located within the landscaped center island of the Rio Grande Avenue and Oak Grove Road Roundabout. The artwork should be designed to be viewed from multiple directions and create a strong visual presence for passing motorists.
• Bike Path Artwork: Additional complementary artistic elements located along the bike path immediately south of the roundabout. These elements should relate to the central sculpture and contribute to a cohesive, connected public art experience for cyclists and pedestrians.
   

Project Budget

The total project budget is $75,000. This amount is intended to cover all costs associated with the design, fabrication, delivery, and installation of the completed artwork.

The artist or artist team should anticipate that the project budget will include, as applicable:

• Artist design and project management fees
• Artist and subcontractor labor
• Materials and fabrication
• Engineering and structural review, if required
• Transportation and delivery
• Travel and lodging
• Site coordination and installation
• Equipment, machinery, lifts, cranes, or other installation costs
• Foundations, mounting systems, anchors, or other structural components required for installation
• Permits or required professional services
• Insurance
• Documentation and photography
• Any other costs necessary to complete and install the artwork

The $75,000 budget is inclusive of all artist costs. The City may coordinate certain site preparation or infrastructure work separately, as identified during final design development and contracting.

Phase One: Qualifications, Portfolio, and Creative Approach

Artists and artist teams are invited to submit qualifications and examples of previous work through CaFE. At this stage, applicants are not required to submit a completed design or concept.

The selection panel will review artistic quality, relevant experience, demonstrated ability to complete a large scale permanent public art installation, and the artist's initial creative approach to the community selected themes.

Suggested Application Materials

1. Qualifications and Creative Approach
Please describe your artistic practice, relevant experience, and why you or your team are well suited for this project. Share examples of your experience with large scale, permanent, outdoor, public, or steel artwork and explain how you would approach a project with more than 600 feet of potential installation space within the $75,000 project budget. Please also describe your initial creative approach to thoughtfully combining the community selected themes of Native American heritage, wildlife, and horses into a cohesive and compelling work of art. A final design or detailed budget is not required at this stage.

2. Portfolio
Submit examples of previous work that best demonstrate your artistic quality, experience, and ability to successfully complete a project of this scale and scope.

3. Artist Team Information, if Applicable
Artist teams should identify key team members and briefly describe each person's role and responsibilities in the project.

Phase Two: Finalist Concept Proposals
A limited number of finalists will be selected from the initial applicant pool and invited to develop a site-specific concept proposal for the project. Finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium for developing and submitting their concept proposal.

Additional information, site details, project requirements, and submission expectations will be provided to selected finalists.

Projected Timeline:

• Call for Entry Opens | September 1, 2026
• Application Deadline | September 27, 2026
• Semifinalists Announced | Early October 2026
• Final Design Proposals Due | November 2026
• Final Artist Selected | December 2026
• Artwork Fabrication| December 2026 through April 2027

This opportunity is open to professional artists and artist teams residing in the Four Corners and Rocky Mountain region, including Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

Applicants must:

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Demonstrate experience designing and completing permanent public art projects of similar scale.
• Be legally eligible to work in the United States.
• Be capable of completing the project within the established timeline.
• Carry or obtain general liability insurance meeting City requirements upon contract award.