BIG Vestibule Mural RFQ

Eligibility: This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is open to experienced Minnesota-based public artists/teams that have completed at least one commissioned art design or public art piece in the past ten years. Priority will be given to artists/teams that have mural design and community engagement experience. Applicants are welcome from the state of Minnesota. Finalists must have the ability to attend an in-person interview and presentation of a concept design and engagement plan.

The total budget for this project is $8,000 for the purposes of providing a digital artistic design that can be used by a City-selected vendor to wrap the vestibule wall. This not-to-exceed total must cover all design modifications, site visits, community engagement efforts, submission of high-resolution image to the installer, insurance, and other related expenses. More information about the site and requirements will be made available to the finalists. 

Bloomington is a great place to live, work, and have fun. As the community grows, investments are being made in amenities that bring people together and improve quality of life. 

Two years of resident input helped the City develop the long-term Bloomington Forward investment plan to support three major community projects for better health, wellness, athletics and recreation. In November 2023, Bloomington voters approved a half-percent local sales tax to finance $155 million in bonds to pay for modernization of Bloomington Ice Garden, a new Community Health and Wellness Center to replace Creekside Community Center and the Bloomington Public Health building, and restoration and improvements in the Nine Mile Creek corridor and Central/Moir Park. 

The Bloomington Ice Garden Modernization plan includes major mechanical and roof upgrades, Rink 3 converted to NHL size, indoor training area, upgrades to ticketing, security, office, ADA accessibility and concessions, renovated locker rooms and restrooms.

BIG is a regionally and nationally significant skating facility that opened with one sheet of ice in 1970. A second rink was added in 1974, and a third in 1993. Over the years, BIG has played host to skating luminaries including Olympic and World Champion figure skater Dorothy Hamill, NHL scoring king and hall of famer Wayne Gretzky, U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team. 

The final design of the mural will be rooted in research and engagement with community members, ensuring that it reflects the values, stories, and memories that define the ice arena's legacy. This engagement will be led by the artist and foster a sense of ownership and pride among the community, allowing their voices to be heard and represented.

Step 1: RFQ – Submit by March 14, 2025, 11:00 PM Central Standard Time

Please apply online through CaFE™ at the following link:  https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=14848

In addition to your contact information, you will be asked to provide the following:

• One-page letter describing interest in the project, approach to design and engagement, as well as a statement addressing eligibility criteria.
• One-page listing 1-3 references of recently completed projects including at least one commissioned piece that reflects mural design in the past ten years. Please include contact information with each reference.
• One-page biographical information or resume. If you have multiple team members, please provide brief biographical information on each essential member but do not exceed one page.
• Work Samples: up to 5 images of your recent projects (one of which should be for a commissioned piece which was completed in the past ten years). Please provide a brief description for each. Follow CaFE™ image requirements: JPEG format only, 1200 pixels on the longest side, less than 5 MB in size. Visit the CaFE Help Page , for more information on image requirements or for help resizing images.
• Do not submit a project proposal or design at this time. 

Three finalists will be selected by a panel, based on the following equally weighted criteria:

1. Quality of letter of interest and an understanding of the project description and goals
2. Quality and relevance of work samples
3. Community engagement experience and approach

All applicants will receive notification of the panel’s decision by April 11, 2025.

In April-May 2025, the three selected finalists will be scheduled to present their design concept proposal in person to a review panel. The panel will consist of Creative Placemaking and Parks and Recreation Commissioners, a public art expert, and four community members/local stakeholders. Each finalist/team will receive a $750 design fee payment inclusive of any travel expenses.  The presentation of designs should include visuals in the form of drawings, projected digital images, or a combination of formats. The presentation should also include a detailed written description of ideas to engage and involve the community, how the design meets the needs of the project, as well as a budget outlining how the proposed mural will fit within budget parameters. Specific information on the project goals, guidelines, and design presentation requirements, as well as a site visit date will be provided to the three finalists. The panel will consider the following equally weighted criteria when selecting the artist/team:

1. Understanding and embodiment of the project description and goals, and understanding of the City of Bloomington, the Bloomington Ice Garden and its diverse community and stakeholders;
2. Ability to communicate design concepts clearly and work within design parameters;
3. Engagement plan for how they would involve the community in this project;
4. Spirit of collaboration and amenable work ethic. 

Notification of selected artist/team in May 2025.  Following the design presentations, one artist/team will be selected and commissioned to complete the sculpture project with an all-inclusive budget of $8,000. 

The anticipated installation date of the BIG Vestibule Mural is September of 2025. 

RFQ – Qualification Proposals Due:  Friday, March 14, 2025, 11:00 PM Central Standard Time (online via CaFE Website) 

Do not submit a project proposal or design at this time. 

Three Finalists Selected:  by April 11, 2025

In-person Design Presentations by the Three Finalists: April-May 2025 

Selection of Artist/Team:  by May 30, 2025

Installation of BIG Mural:  September 2025 in coordination with the reopening of the facility.

The selected design will be printed on a vinyl wrap which is adhered to the wall. The City will contract with an appropriate vendor to ensure that the vinyl wrap is digitally applied to a high-quality product. Applicants should note that certain areas of wall cannot be covered by the vinyl wrap including outlets and vents, and as such the design may be affected by the need to keep these elements clear. 

DISPOSITION OF RESPONSES

1. All materials submitted in response to this RFQ will become the property of the City and will become public record after the evaluation process is completed and an award decision made. If the Artist submits information in response to this RFQ that it believes to be trade secret materials, as defined by the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, Minnesota Statutes 13.37, the Artist must: Clearly mark all trade secret materials in its response at the time the response is submitted by indicating in writing the specific page number(s) and paragraph(s) classified as trade secret and therefore nonpublic; and
2. Include a statement with its response justifying the trade secret designation for each item and defend any action seeking release of the materials it believes to be trade secret, and indemnify and hold harmless the City, its agents and employees, from any judgments or damages awarded against the City in favor of the party requesting the materials, and any and all costs connected with that defense. This indemnification survives the City’s award of a contract. In submitting a response to this RFQ, the Artist agrees that this indemnification survives as long as the trade secret materials are in possession of the City. The City is required to keep all the basic documents related to its contracts, including responses to the RFQ for a minimum of seven (7) years. The City will not consider the prices submitted by the Artist to be proprietary or trade secret materials. 

Responses to this RFQ will not be open for public review until the City decides to pursue a contract and that contract is executed.

CONTRACT TERMS

The attached form of agreement sample (attachment A) is for the consideration of any interested applicant. This information is provided so that all applicants have a better understanding of their responsibilities and requirements should they be selected and contracted by the City of Bloomington for this project. Agreement is subject to change. The clauses included in Attachment A will be included in the contract between the City and the Artist that has been chosen to provide the Services described herein and in the selected Artist’s proposal. Any exceptions to the contract terms and conditions included in the RFQ must be identified in the submitted Proposal. 

Artist shall maintain insurance coverage, naming City as additional insured, as described in Attachment A. The Artist shall not commence work until all insurance has been obtained and copies have been filed and accepted by the City. The Artist shall be responsible for maintaining a valid certificate of insurance throughout the term of the Contract, as required in the sample agreement.

This section includes edited questions from people interested in the ARTBOX Projects. Q&As are added as they are received. Emails will be answered directly within 3 business days until March 7, 2025.

Q: How much information in the reference section do we have to present?

A: Please include 1-3 professional references including contact name, email, and phone number.  One reference should be for work that was commissioned that reflects mural design in the past 10 years.

Q: For a brief description of work samples, how much information should we provide?

A: We do not have specific guidelines on how much information, but CaFE limits each description to 300 characters. Please make a brief statement describing the artwork so that the panel has a better understanding of the artwork. 

Q: If we present a collage of photographs at different angles of the same mural, would the limit of 5 examples be exhausted?

A: If it is a collage of one project within one image that is submitted, that would be accepted as one of your five images. 

Q: Could we apply for this opportunity if we applied to ARTBOX?

Yes.

Q: What file type is needed for the vinyl wrap, and will there be any support from the team or the vendor to troubleshoot the technological part?

A: The vendor we work with can utilize several different file types, but here is their preference: 

• Adobe Illustrator files are preferred;
• If designing in Adobe Photoshop with rasterized art, set up your art scale at 300dpi;
• Have at least a 2" bleed on all 4 sides of each panel;
• Art files for any vector based art – AI or PDF files would be preferred. Rasterized based art – PSD or TIFF (with layers – we would like production art not flattened art);
• If your design requires a PANTONE color, please make sure to include those swatches in the vector based art and note that to us as well. 

Additionally, the City of Bloomington can provide tech support to ensure the correct specs are provided to the vendor.