SUMMARY
The Texas Cultural Trust (TXCT) invites artists and creative teams residing in Texas—as well as those who have previously lived and worked in Texas—to submit their qualifications for the development of a new Texas Medal of Arts. Applicants should submit their qualifications only, and not proposals. Once an artist or creative team is selected, they will be invited to create and propose full ideas, concepts, and artwork for the Texas Medal of Arts. https://txculturaltrust.org/tmarfq/
CONCEPT & FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
This project affords a unique opportunity for the development of a new Texas Medal of Arts. No aspect of the new medal is pre-determined, and the selected artist or creative team will be invited to:
- Propose any combination of materials, wearable dimensions, and imagery;
- Propose, create, and contribute full ideas, concepts, and artworks; and
- Work in collaboration with a Texas Medal of Arts designer to deliver a final, fully designed and fabricated medal.
BUDGET
The stipend for this commission has been set at $5,000.
ELIGIBILITY
This project is open to all artists and creative teams who:
- Are current or former residents of Texas;
- Have created or produced artwork in Texas for at least three (3) years; and
- Have experience in the fields of public art, craft, sculpture, and/or other forms of object fabrication.
All applicants will be considered without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.
SELECTION PROCESS
A selection committee composed of TXCT board leadership, artists, arts advocates, curators, community leaders, arts administrators, and business leaders will review submissions. The committee will select the artist or creative team they believe to be most qualified for the project. Once chosen, the selected artist or creative team will be authorized to develop up to three proposals and, in partnership with the Texas Medal of Arts designer, a fully developed rendering and medal.
Finalists may be invited to interview with the selection committee. Though ideas, concepts, and artwork proposals will not be considered during these interviews, finalists should be prepared to answer questions, present a survey of their past work, and discuss how they might approach the project.
Qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of artistic and technical merit as well as the strength of past work completed. Though not required, experience in relevant artistic fields (e.g. public art, craft, and sculpture) is desirable, as is experience collaborating with other design professionals.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
To be considered, applicants must submit:
- A current résumé
- (5 – 8) images of completed works and/or past projects
- Images should be submitted in JPEG format, of high resolution, and no more than 1MB in size
- Each image should be labeled and submitted using the following format: (LAST NAME)(IMAGE NUMBER).jpg (e.g. Smith01.jpg, Smith02.jpg, and so on)
- An annotated image list that corresponds to the image submissions. The list should provide as much of the following information as possible: image file names, artist(s) names, artwork titles, mediums, dimensions, commissioning entities, and a brief description (100 words maximum).
- A statement of interest, no more than 250 words in length, that outlines how you might approach this project and, if selected, what materials you might use. Do not include sketches or fully developed ideas or concepts, only a statement.
- Contact information for two (2) professional references
Please note: Applicants should only submit the materials specified above. Additional materials will be disregarded by the selection committee. The online application form will also include the following questions:
- Are you a current or former resident of Texas? (Yes / No);
- Have you created or produced creative objects in Texas for at least three (3) years? (Yes / No); and
- Do you have experience in the fields of public art, craft, sculpture, and/or other forms of object fabrication? (Yes / No)
PROJECT TIMELINE
- Friday, October 23, 2020: RFQ Opens
- Sunday, November 29, 2020, 11:59 p.m. (CST): RFQ Closes
- Wednesday, December 2 – Friday, December 4, 2020: Committee Review
- Friday, December 4, 2020: Artist Selection
- Monday, December 7, 2020: Artist Notification
- Monday, January 4, 2021: Proposal Deadline
- Tuesday, January 5 – Tuesday, January 12, 2020: Committee Review & Proposal Selection
- January – May 2021: Fabrication & Delivery
SUBMISSION DEADLINE
Qualifications must be submitted, via online form, by Sunday, November 29, 2020, 11:59 p.m. (CST). Emailed qualifications will not be accepted. Late and incomplete submissions will not be considered.
