Where to Find Art Opportunities and How to Win Them

At NINE dot ARTS, we collaborate with artists whose work aligns with our clients’ brand and vision. But often communities, municipalities, and cities don’t have the time or resources to research and curate artists in this way. Instead, they’ll host an artist invitational, Request for Qualifications, or Request for Proposals. So what’s the difference?

  • Artist Invitational – When an organization, community, municipality, or city has a public art project and a group of artists in mind who they know are qualified, they’ll invite those artists to submit qualifications and/or a proposal design before selecting the winner.
  • Request for Qualifications (RFQ) – When an organization, community, municipality, or city has a public art project and wants to create a shortlist of artists, they’ll seek qualifications from select individuals (such as their artist statement, resume, and examples of past projects) and narrow their list down before soliciting a design proposal.
  • Request for Proposal (RFP) – When an organization, community, municipality, or city has a public art project and a general vision for it (medium of the piece, what it should represent, the associated story, etc.), they will seek proposals from artists inquiring about their idea for the piece. Proposal elements vary by project, but generally include a cover letter, portfolio, resume/CV, written and visual narrative for the intended artwork, and timeline/budget. Often, a group of artists will be given a design stipend to create a proposal before the final artist is selected. 

Before seeking out RFQs and RFPS, be sure your website and social media explicitly make clear that you are available for commissions. It’s a simple task that many artists forget. Additionally, post photos, details, and testimonials related to other projects you’ve completed and those that are in progress. This demonstrates your credibility and skill to proposal committees who may end up reviewing your work. 

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The 2023 State of the Art Report

NINE dot ARTS knows the immense value that art – and the artists who create it – bring to the built environment. But their impact isn’t always recognized, and their potential sometimes goes untapped. That’s why we produce the State of the Art Report to grow the body of research available on creative placemaking – the integration of art, culture, and community-engaged design into the real estate development process.

This year’s report reflects the responses of hundreds of real estate professionals across regions and industries, revealing powerful insights about how architecture, design, and art and culture work together to culminate in successful placemaking.

COMPLETE THIS FORM TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE
STATE OF THE ART REPORT

Read the report to see what these leaders are saying about how art like yours influences their projects’ success. And use these insights to leverage your own artwork for public and private spaces! The report will demonstrate how your art can… 

  • differentiate a space;
  • increase the return on investment for a space and its owners;
  • support Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals for commercial developers; and
  • create a positive social impact within the community at large!

Follow along on LinkedIn and Instagram as we dive deeper into findings from the 2023 State of the Art Report over the coming weeks. Plus, tune into dot dot dot: The NINE dot ARTS Podcast to hear these findings brought to life through inspiring conversations with industry leaders on art and placemaking in the built environment. Available wherever you get your podcasts!

Infusing Your Development with Happiness and Culture with Stuart Semple

Stuart Semple is a distinguished multidisciplinary artist known for unleashing happiness in communities around the world through his eccentric, often interactive art installations. In this engaging episode, he shares some of his wildest creative endeavors including Happy City, for which he created several large-scale public interventions throughout Denver, Colorado with the goal of dismantling social barriers, connecting community, and promoting individual and collective wellbeing. He and host Martha Weidmann discuss our collaboration on this project and the Happiness Headquarters we hosted to bring surprise and delight to locals and visitors through several art activities in downtown Denver. Additionally, they explore the importance of happiness and culture in both public and private sector projects, with Stuart emphasizing that “commerce follows culture,” and therefore art and culture must be prioritized to achieve social and financial success.

Discussed in the Episode: 
Stuart Semple
The Dairy Block
Art Collection at The Dairy Block
HappyCloud
Happiness Headquarters
Joy Sandwich
Giant Gallery in Bournemouth
Virtual Museum of Online Art
Stuart Semple on Instagram

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Request for Qualifications: Bozeman, Montana Public Library

NINE dot ARTS and the City of Bozeman, MT are seeking qualified artists for the creation of an aerial sculpture to be installed above the Kendeda Hub Lounge at the Bozeman Public Library. The sculpture should be dynamic in form, with multidimensional viewpoints and captivating colors that draw people in. Qualifications from local Montana-based artists are highly encouraged!

Artwork will be selected by a project steering committee based on artist eligibility and fulfillment of the selection criteria detailed on page 8 of the RFQ package (available at the link below). The selected artist(s) will have a total budget of $24,684 that accounts for the artwork itself, transportation to the site, and installation.

How to Submit:

Submit your qualifications via email to agenda@bozeman.net with a subject line that clearly identifies your name, the RFP title, and the due date/time.


Find all the project details and what to include in your submission HERE. The submission deadline is Thursday, August 3rd, 2023 by 5pm MT.


Please direct administrative questions regarding proposal procedures to Mike Maas, City Clerk, at (406)-582-2321, agenda@bozeman.net

Please direct questions about the RFQ to Valeria Serrano Vélez, Curator, at (720)-491-1307, valeria@ninedotarts.com.

Request for Qualifications: Kirkland, Washington Fire Stations 21 and 26

NINE dot ARTS and the City of Kirkland, Washington are seeking artists for 2 public art commissions for Fire Station 21 and Fire Station 26. The artwork is expected to be installed by December 2024.

Artwork will be selected by a project steering committee based on artist eligibility and fulfillment of the selection criteria detailed below. Select artists will receive a design fee (minimum of $500) to develop a full proposal for the specified art location. The deadline to submit your qualifications is August 18th, 2023. 

SUBMIT YOUR QUALIFICATIONS BY AUGUST 18TH, 2023

Schedule:

  • July 25th, 2023 – Questions due in writing to janet@ninedotarts.com
  • August 18th, 2023 – Deadline to submit
  • September 7th, 2023 – Finalists announced with a stipend for project concept designs
  • October 2nd, 2023 – Finalists project concept designs submitted
  • December 1st, 2023 – Commission awarded
  • December 2024 – Project installation

Demystifying the Artist Statement

Though we’d all love for our artwork to “speak for itself,” the truth is that it’s always influenced by the unique perspectives of those who interact with it. That’s why an artist statement can help communicate key elements of your work, rather than strictly defining it for your audience.

A good artist statement will share with your audience the creative process, intentions, and themes behind your work, helping them better understand your art without explicitly dictating its meaning.

But where do you start? And when do you use it? We’ve got you covered. 

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The Business Case for Art in Real Estate with Juanita Hardy

Why You Should Listen: As a longtime art and business leader and creative placemaking consultant to the Urban Land Institute, Juanita Hardy knows firsthand the value that art, culture, and community-engaged design bring to real estate development projects across the globe. If you’re an artist tuning into this episode, make note of how Juanita emphasizes the valuable role of artists in transforming the built environment. Think of how you might leverage her insights to market your own art business, or to pursue creative collaborations with curators, developers, or corporate buyers. And remember that beyond its aesthetic appeal, your art can bring immense social and financial value to the places we live, work, and play!


In this inspiring episode, Juanita Hardy shares best practices and case studies that demonstrate the many benefits of creative placemaking and placekeeping, encouraging real estate leaders to engage artists early in their projects, and to shift their thinking from “What is the cost of incorporating art and culture into my project?” to “What is the cost of NOT doing so?” or “What is the value it will add?”

According to Juanita, such value comes in the form of “soft” ROI metrics such as community engagement, civic pride, and cross-cultural understanding, which influence “hard” ROI metrics like shorter approvals, faster lease-ups, less turnover, and increased revenue. Altogether, the episode reinforces why artists are critical for developing more comprehensive and creative solutions that benefits not just developers, but society as a whole.

Discussed in the Episode 
IBM
URBAN LAND INSTITUTE
BUILDING HEALTHY PLACES INITIATIVE
CREATIVE PLACEMAKING PROJECT
ART IN PLACE
THE KRESGE FOUNDATION
“CREATIVE PLACEMAKING: SPARKING DEVELOPMENT WITH ART AND CULTURE” (ULI 2020)
“CREATIVE PLACEMAKING: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM AND IMPACT OF SIX ADVISORY SERVICES PANELS” (ULI 2022)
HOYNE
THE PLACE ECONOMY
CONFLUENCE PARK – SAN ANTONIO RIVER FOUNDATION
THE REEF LINE PUBLIC ART PROJECT IN MIAMI BEACH
MONROE STREET MARKET
VIVIAN PHILLIPS ON THE NINE DOT ARTS PODCAST
ULI CREATIVE PLACEMAKING FORUM WITH THEASTER GATES
TIGER MANAGEMENT CONSULTING GROUP

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NINE dot ARTS Virtual Portfolio Review for Artists April 21st, 2023

Friday, April 21, 2023

10am-12pm MST / 12pm-2pm EST / 9am-11am PST 

Want feedback on your artwork and how it might fit into a corporate collection?

Join our virtual portfolio review to get 20 minutes of expert feedback from a NINE dot ARTS curator. Simply share your bio, artist’s statement, questions for the curator, and up to 5 images of your work to apply. We strongly encourage applications from individuals who identify as underrepresented and from artists based in the Southeast.

APPLY HERE

On April 3rd, we’ll announce the 35 artists who have been selected for our virtual event. Keep an eye on www.dotfolioart.com for more upcoming events and opportunities

APPLY BY MARCH 24TH TO BE CONSIDERED

 

Behind the Scenes of the Art Experience at Ovation Apartments

Located in the heart of Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood, Ovation by Quarterra is a luxury apartment community where residents can enjoy a buzzing urban environment and an equally impressive art collection. In this behind-the-scenes project tour, NINE dot ARTS Curatorial Director Denise Joseph shares how she curated the custom art collection for Ovation, which uplifts local artists while fulfilling our client’s brand, goals, and vision for the property.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Our process and intentions behind each artwork selection, from helping enhance a property’s architecture and design to maximizing various locations and elevating the viewer’s experience
  • How we manage the art commission process, from soliciting initial renderings to installing the final piece
  • How we collaborate with artists to best showcase their work while fulfilling our clients’ goals and vision
  • How we honor the history and culture of the project and/or neighborhood through the visual narrative of the art collection
  • How we help artists scale their designs, try new methods, and progress their practice
  • And more!

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With Art We Protest

As a women-founded, women-owned, and women-operated business, NINE dot ARTS is deeply troubled by the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, a ruling that will disproportionately impact people of color and lower income individuals. We are organizing a community art project to bring national attention to the injustice of this ruling and to promote an individual’s right to choose. 

As a visual representation of the profound effects of outlawing safe abortion access, we invite you to participate in our community art project, which will be unveiled in a display of collective dissent and open to all project participants and the general public (Date and location to be announced).

WHAT:

A collective piece of protest art, made up of individual stories. The idea for the art installation is flexible in terms of material limits. We aim to work with the movement and not against it. Some suggested materials include:

  • Clothing – a representation of personhood and bodily autonomy 
  • Paint, marker, thread, or any medium of expression to cover the clothes in words and/or images of protest

WHY:

To make a unified statement of dissent while honoring the resilience of those most impacted by this ruling

WHO:

We welcome participation from anyone who wants to band together and make our voices heard. You do not have to be an artist to participate. We hope you will join in and share this opportunity with your networks!

HOW TO PARTICIPATE: 

  • Create your protest art using some combination of the materials above.
  • Mail or deliver your artwork to the NINE dot ARTS Headquarters at 3734 Osage Street, Denver, CO, 80211. NINE dot ARTS will store your artwork at our headquarters and transport it to the capitol building prior to the unveiling.
  • Complete this form after you have mailed or dropped off your artwork. 

DISCLAIMERS AND NOTES:

  • By participating in this project, you agree to allow NINE dot ARTS to photograph and share your artwork in any manner, such as for public-facing marketing and educational purposes.
  • Participation in this project is voluntary. NINE dot ARTS will not compensate participants for materials, time, or shipping, nor will the artwork be used in any NINE dot ARTS client collections. 
  • NINE dot ARTS is not responsible for any damages that may occur during shipping, storage, installation, or display. 
  • All artwork submissions will be kept by NINE dot ARTS and will not be returned to the participant.