Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

Lead Artists for NYC Health + Hospitals Community Murals Project

NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine

Summary:

NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine (AIM), with support from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City is issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for lead artists to work on the NYC Health + Hospitals Community Murals Project (CMP). Continuing the tradition established in the 1930s when the Works Progress Administration supported the creation of hundreds of murals across New York City’s public hospitals, the CMP will connect artists, local community members and hospital staff to re-imagine hospitals and promote greater neighborhood wellness.

Selected visual artists will engage with patients, staff, and local residents to create an integrated internal or external mural at selected NYC Health + Hospitals facilities. The aim of the program is to use a collaborative mural making process as a tool to build trust and engagement between the hospitals and their communities, build neighborhood pride, and reduce the stigma associated with hospitals through community-building activities.

Suggested themes may focus upon:

• Honoring the Past, Transforming the Future
• Joyful: Aesthetic of Joy
• ​Healing Community
• Together as One

NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine anticipates selecting eight (8) professional visual artists to work closely with eight (8) NYC Health + Hospitals facilities to engage community members and staff in a participatory design process and to create and install eight (8) health-themed murals. Murals will be installed in internal and external locations at the facilities, all of which will be highly-visible public areas. Each collaboration is anticipated to be implemented over a four-month period between July 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019.

This RFQ is soliciting eight (8) professional visual artists that have a portfolio of work executing large-scale murals, have connections with the boroughs and communities of New York City, and experience facilitating workshops and events that engage diverse communities in the creative process.

Note: Interested applicants can propose an intended theme as a starting point for engagement with focus groups and hospital communities (see project phases below). These key interactions will facilitate the final project themes and outcomes.

Project Budget:

The Project Budget is $5,000 per location for artist fees including design services, community engagement, site preparation, fabrication, travel, and installation. NYC Health + Hospitals AIM will provide any necessary supplies, permits, insurance, and documentation. NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine Department will execute a deliverables-based MOU valued at $5,000 with the lead artist.

Lead artists will be paid 1/3 up front, and 2/3 upon completion. NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine Department will cover all costs related to art supplies and additional materials for workshops and community events, equipment for the installation, special insurance, permits for mural sites, assistant painters to support production and other relevant costs relating to the production of the murals.

Who May Apply:

Professional visual artists or artist teams working in any and all media, legally authorized to work in the U.S. and who are at least 18 years of age, are eligible to apply. Non-local applicants must cover their own accommodation and living expenses. Artists with ties to neighborhoods and communities of the participating NYC Health + Hospital facilities are encouraged to apply, as well as artists with experience in community engagement practices.

The project period will occur between July 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019.

Deadline for Submission of RFQ: Friday, May 17, 2019 at 11:59pm EDT

**Late applications may be disqualified from considerations.**

Finalist Interviews will be held during the week of May 27-31

Selected artists will be notified the first week of June, 2019

Project Locations:

NEW Location added!!

North Central Bronx
3424 Kossuth Ave, The Bronx, NY 10467
10’ x  9’ (width x height)

Bellevue Hospital (exterior)
462 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Fountain Entrance (Painting Cobblestones)
25’ x 25’ (width x height)

Metropolitan Hospital (exterior)
1901 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10029
18’ x 8’ (width x height)

McKinney (exterior)
594 Albany Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11203
41’ X 18’ 1/2’’ (width x height)

Carter (interior)
1752 Park Ave, New York, NY 10035
20’ x 6’ 6” (width x height)

Kings County Hospital (exterior)
451 Clarkson Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11203
25’ x 18’ 1.2” (width x height)

Queens (interior)
82-68 164th St, Jamaica, NY 11432
16’ x 10’ (width x height)

Coney Island (interior)
2601 Ocean Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11235
15’ x 6’ (width x height)

If you have any further questions or inquiries:
please email them to sebastien@residencyunlimited.org
or you can reach out via Residency Unlimited’s Contact Page

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

This project is made possible with support by NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine (AIM), the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund.