Bloomberg Public Art Challenge – Houston

HueMan:Shelter

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS 

LARGE-SCALE MURAL
 

Artist Fee: $45,000

Deadline: Sunday, October 13, 2024, 11:59 PM CST

Location: 3200 Travis @ Milam

Eligibility: Greater Houston Area

For more information visit www.huemanshelter.com

Only applications sent via Submittable will be considered. 

One artist / artist team will be selected via this RFQ process.

Summary

Midtown Cultural Arts and Entertainment District (Midtown) and the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) request the submission of qualifications from artists or artist teams to create a large scale mural at 3200 Travis Street in Midtown.  One artist will be selected to design and create mural in collaboration with an Uprise Enterprise team (a program of Career and Recovery Resources).  

The artwork should be:

• Created for the designated location.  
• Designed to support the objectives of HueMan:Shelter. 
• Developed in partnership with Career and Recovery Resources Uprise Enterprise team.
   

About HueMan:Shelter

HueMan:Shelter is a public art project that is designed to intentionally disrupt the perception of homelessness by employing artists and individuals who are experiencing homelessness to work together to create visual stories of their lived experiences.  It introduces a critical new layer to Houston’s multi-layered approach to the complex civic issue of homelessness by hiring people living unsheltered to work with local artists to create public art projects along the Milam Street corridor in Midtown.  

This project will create a series of new public artworks, including graphic art at five METRO Bus Shelters, one large-scale mural, and two multi-media, sculptural projects under underpasses which will be activated through projection mapping.  A series of community events and walking tours will be hosted at artwork sites to bring together artists, unsheltered individuals, and the broader community.  

HueMan:Shelter is a social awareness campaign which supports knowledge-sharing about Houston’s successful interventions which address the issue of homelessness (those hired for this project are also connected with supportive services) dispels myths and harmful stereotypes about who experiences homelessness, and provides beautification and public safety through public art (something everyone in our community can be proud of). 

The partnerships created through HueMan:Shelter will bring art to public spaces, offers work opportunities and new skills to individuals who need employment and connection. Work opportunities include: public art site preparation (priming / painting surfaces, power washing, trimming landscape), participation (project management, working with artists on themes, assisting with painting, installation, design), and maintenance (graffiti abatement, basic maintenance).

Local artists will be selected to work on the project through an RFP process juried by a committee representing project partners.  Artists will be selected based on demonstrated excellence of previous work, desire to work on a project of this nature, and lived experience.  In partnership with selected local artists, the public art projects created for Midtown locations will be prepared, influenced, and maintained by unsheltered individuals and will authentically present themes of respect, dignity, and humanity. 

Our goal for this project is to disrupt the perception of people experiencing homelessness through public art.  

Artists working on this project will be trained by Career and Recovery Resources to work with their Uprise Enterprise team to complete the project.  Uprise Enterprise is structured as “on-the-job” training to help create the first step into economic stability.  It provides work for those who otherwise would not be able to get a job, or move forward economically, who continue to fall back into homelessness and joblessness, and who utilize their survival skills instead of their work skills.  

To learn about HueMan:Shelter, visit www.huemanshelter.com.

About the Bloomberg Public Art Challenge

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge encourages mayors to partner with artists, elevating the value of including the creative sector when developing solutions to significant urban issues. The program supports temporary public art projects that celebrate creativity, enhance urban identity, encourage public-private collaborations, and strengthen local economies.

Over 600 cities have applied to the three challenges, where mayors of U.S. cities with 30,000 residents or more submit proposals for projects that demonstrate close partnership between artists, arts organizations and city government, with selected cities receiving up to $1 million each.

After receiving applications from 154 cities across 40 states, eight winners were selected for the third Public Art Challenge to execute their projects over the next two years: Atlanta, Georgia, Baltimore, Maryland, Honolulu, Hawaii, Houston, Texas, Orlando, Florida, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phoenix, Arizona, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Scope of Art Project and Artwork Requirements

This opportunity seeks the completion of an artwork that will be highly visible, located outdoors, and situated along Milam Street in Houston’s Midtown neighborhood. The location has been selected by Midtown and the City of Houston. The scope of the work includes mural planning, design, development, and creation. The total artist fee for the artist/artist team for this commission shall not exceed $45,000.

Commissioned artworks will be subject the following requirements: 

• Artworks should be family-friendly and suitable for public display to a diverse and international audience.
• This project may not include obscene or profane material as defined in Section 43.21, Penal Code of Texas. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.43.htm

Eligibility 

THE FOLLOWING ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY:

Open to all artists and artist teams with a preference for artists with a connection to Houston, TX, including those who may no longer reside in the state. Artists and artist teams must be over 18 years of age to work at the required scale and have availability to accomplish by the deadline. 

• Artist with a connection to Houston, TX includes the Greater Houston Area: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, or Waller counties
   

THE FOLLOWING ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO APPLY:

• City of Houston employees, elected City Officials, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs staff, and their immediate family.
• Midtown Management District, the Midtown Cultural Arts and Entertainment District, the Midtown Redevelopment Authority, TIRZ #2 or the Midtown Parks Conservancy staff, board, or their immediate family. 
• Fresh Arts staff, board, or their immediate family.
• METRO staff, board, or their immediate family.
• Career and Recovery Resources staff, board, or their immediate family.

Applications not meeting all eligibility criteria or application requirements will be withdrawn from consideration.

Location and Site

3200 Travis Street @ Milam Street, Houston, TX 77006

 

Budget

The budget of $45,000 is inclusive of all work including, but not limited to, final design, fabrication, mural creation, mural installation, artists’ fees, software, studio and project administration, travel, rentals, required deliverables, engineering, and insurance for each year of the project. 

Application Requirements

1. Artist(s) resume or CV, relevant information for any other key team members (3 pages maximum per artist or team member)
2. Artist(s) Biography (250 words maximum or under 2 minutes)
3. Statement of Intent (1,000 words maximum or under 5 minutes). A Statement of Intent (SOI) is a declaration of your plans and ideas for a specific project. The SOI should communicate your personality, professionalism, qualifications, and enthusiasm for the project.
4. Artist Statement (500 words maximum or under 3 minutes). An artist statement is a description of your work that helps the audience access or understand your artistic work. The purpose of the artist statement is to inform, add context, and present process and conceptual ideas to the viewer, which may include sources, ideas, and materials in your current practice.
5. Digital images of completed artworks. Applicants may submit up to ten (10) images in JPEG format only with each image no larger than 2 MB. Each image should include information about artist, title, year completed, dimensions, material, commissioning entity, and budget or price (as applicable) for each image provided.
    

Selection Process

A panel of project partners (MOCA, Midtown, CRR, METRO) will review qualified submissions and select a short list of up to three individual artists or artist teams who will develop concept proposals for the opportunity.

Review of artist qualifications will be subject to the following considerations:

• The artist’s work demonstrates a unique voice, perspective, or aesthetic.
• The artist’s submission demonstrates their ability to create site-specific artwork that responds to the history, culture, and identity of the surrounding community. 
• The artist demonstrates and interest in or direct experience with persons who are unhoused.  
• Empathy toward those with diverse lived experiences, and working with partners on the project who will include people experiencing homelessness without judgement. 

Timeline 

Timeline 

All dates are subject to change.

• Artist Info Session   September 19, 2024   
• Deadline for questions  September 16, 2024
• RFQ submission deadline  October 13, 2024
• RFQ notification   October 2024
• Artist Information Session: September 19, 2024, via Zoom

The following section only applies to artists who advance to the RFP phase:

• RFP released to finalists  October 2024
• RFP deadline    December 2024
• Artist proposal presentations  December 2024
• Selected artist notified  December 2024
• Contract released to artist January 2025
• Project begins   February 2025
• Project completion  June 2025

Artist Information Session: September 12, 2024, via Zoom.

Contact

For questions or more information contact Chandler Snipe at hello@huemanshelter.com

Please submit all questions in writing via email no later than September 19, 2024, to hello@huemanshelter.com. Questions will be answered as they are received and no later than September 23, 2024.  All answers to questions received by the question due date will be posted publicly to the HueMan:Shelter FAQ Page for this project HERE on September 23, 2024.

Please note that Fresh Arts is facilitating this call on behalf of Midtown Management District. All questions should be directed as indicated above.

Bloomberg Public Art Challenge – Houston

HueMan:Shelter

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS: 

METRO BUS SHELTERS 

Artist Fee: $5,000 / per project & location

Deadline: Sunday October 13, 2024, 11:59 PM CST

Location: 3 bus shelter locations along Milam Street in Midtown

Eligibility: Greater Houston Area

For more information visit www.huemanshelter.com

Only applications sent via Submittable will be considered. 

Three artists will be selected via this RFQ process, one for each location for the Bus Shelter RFQ
 

Summary

Midtown Cultural Arts and Entertainment District (Midtown) and the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) request the submission of qualifications from artists or artist teams to design graphic art for METRO bus shelters along Milam Street in Midtown.  Three artists will be selected to design work for selected bus shelters in collaboration with an Uprise Enterprise team (a program of Career and Recovery Resources).  Fabrication and installation of art will be completed by METRO.

The artwork should be:

• Created for the designated location.  
• Developed in partnership with Career and Recovery Resources Uprise Enterprise team.
• Developed with METRO guidelines in mind.
   

About HueMan:Shelter

HueMan:Shelter is a public art project that is designed to intentionally disrupt the perception of homelessness by employing artists and individuals who are experiencing homelessness to work together to create visual stories of their lived experiences.  It introduces a critical new layer to Houston’s multi-layered approach to the complex civic issue of homelessness by hiring people living unsheltered to work with local artists to create public art projects along the Milam Street corridor in Midtown.   

This project will create a series of new public artworks, including graphic art at five METRO Bus Shelters, one large-scale mural, and two multi-media, sculptural projects under underpasses which will be activated through projection mapping.  A series of community events and walking tours will be hosted at artwork sites to bring together artists, unsheltered individuals, and the broader community.  

HueMan:Shelter is a social awareness campaign which supports knowledge-sharing about Houston’s successful interventions which address the issue of homelessness (those hired for this project are also connected with supportive services) dispels myths and harmful stereotypes about who experiences homelessness, and provides beautification and public safety through public art (something everyone in our community can be proud of). 

The partnerships created through HueMan:Shelter will bring art to public spaces, offers work opportunities and new skills to individuals who need employment and connection. Work opportunities include: public art site preparation (priming / painting surfaces, power washing, trimming landscape), participation (project management, working with artists on themes, assisting with painting, installation, design), and maintenance (graffiti abatement, basic maintenance).

Local artists will be selected to work on the project through an RFP process juried by a committee representing project partners.  Artists will be selected based on demonstrated excellence of previous work, desire to work on a project of this nature, and lived experience.  In partnership with selected local artists, the public art projects created for Midtown locations will be prepared, influenced, and maintained by unsheltered individuals and will authentically present themes of respect, dignity, and humanity. 

Our goal for this project is to disrupt the perception of people experiencing homelessness through public art.  

Artists working on this project will be trained by Career and Recovery Resources to work with their Uprise Enterprise team to complete the project.  Uprise Enterprise is structured as “on-the-job” training to help create the first step into economic stability.  It provides work for those who otherwise would not be able to get a job, or move forward economically, who continue to fall back into homelessness and joblessness, and who utilize their survival skills instead of their work skills.  

To learn about HueMan:Shelter, visit www.huemanshelter.com.

About the Bloomberg Public Art Challenge

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge encourages mayors to partner with artists, elevating the value of including the creative sector when developing solutions to significant urban issues. The program supports temporary public art projects that celebrate creativity, enhance urban identity, encourage public-private collaborations, and strengthen local economies.

Over 600 cities have applied to the three challenges, where mayors of U.S. cities with 30,000 residents or more submit proposals for projects that demonstrate close partnership between artists, arts organizations and city government, with selected cities receiving up to $1 million each.

After receiving applications from 154 cities across 40 states, eight winners were selected for the third Public Art Challenge to execute their projects over the next two years: Atlanta, Georgia, Baltimore, Maryland, Honolulu, Hawaii, Houston, Texas, Orlando, Florida, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phoenix, Arizona, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Scope of Art Project and Artwork Requirements

This opportunity seeks the completion of an artwork that will be highly visible, located outdoors, and situated along Milam Street in Houston’s Midtown neighborhood. The bus shelter locations have been selected by METRO, Midtown and the City of Houston. The scope of the work includes planning and design development.  Engineering, fabrication, permitting, and all aspects of installation and insurance will be handled by METRO. The total artist fee for the artist/artist team for this commission shall not exceed $5,000.

Commissioned artworks will be subject the following requirements: 

• Artworks should be family-friendly and suitable for public display to a diverse and international audience.
• This project may not include obscene or profane material as defined in Section 43.21, Penal Code of Texas. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.43.htm

Eligibility 

THE FOLLOWING ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY:

 Open to all artists and artist teams with a preference for artists with a connection to Houston, TX, including those who may no longer reside in the state. Artists and artist teams must be over 18 years of age to work at the required scale and have availability to accomplish by the deadline. 

• Artist with a connection to Houston, TX includes the Greater Houston Area: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, or Waller counties

THE FOLLOWING ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO APPLY:

• City of Houston employees, elected City Officials, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs staff, and their immediate family.
• Midtown Management District, the Midtown Cultural Arts and Entertainment District, the Midtown Redevelopment Authority, TIRZ #2 or the Midtown Parks Conservancy staff, board, or their immediate family. 
• Fresh Arts staff, board, or their immediate family.
• METRO staff, board, or their immediate family.
• Career and Recovery Resources staff, board, or their immediate family.

Applications not meeting all eligibility criteria or application requirements will be withdrawn from consideration.

Location and Site

Bus Shelter Locations:

1. Milam at Gray – 2020 Milam
2. Milam at McGowen – 2590 Milam
3. Milam at Tuam – 2811 Milam 

Budget

The budget of $5,000 is inclusive of all work including, but not limited to, final design, artists’ fees, software, studio and project administration, travel, design, and required deliverables.  Engineering, permitting, insurance costs for each year of the project, permanent lighting, fabrication, installation will be the responsibility of METRO.

Budget

The budget of $5,000 is per project and location, and is inclusive of all work including, but not limited to, final design, artists’ fees, software, studio and project administration, travel, design, and required deliverables.  Engineering, permitting, insurance costs for each year of the project, permanent lighting, fabrication, installation will be the responsibility of METRO.

Application Requirements

1. Artist(s) resume or CV, relevant information for any other key team members (3 pages maximum per artist or team member)
2. Artist(s) Biography (250 words maximum or under 2 minutes)
3. Statement of Intent (1,000 words maximum or under 5 minutes). A Statement of Intent (SOI) is a declaration of your plans and ideas for a specific project. The SOI should communicate your personality, professionalism, qualifications, and enthusiasm for the project.
4. Artist Statement (500 words maximum or under 3 minutes). An artist statement is a description of your work that helps the audience access or understand your artistic work. The purpose of the artist statement is to inform, add context, and present process and conceptual ideas to the viewer, which may include sources, ideas, and materials in your current practice.
5. Digital images of completed artworks. Applicants may submit up to ten (10) images in JPEG format only with each image no larger than 2 MB. Each image should include information about artist, title, year completed, dimensions, material, commissioning entity, and budget or price (as applicable) for each image provided.
    

Selection Process

A panel of project partners (MOCA, Midtown, CRR, METRO) will review qualified submissions and select a short list of up to three individual artists or artist teams who will develop concept proposals for the opportunity.

Review of artist qualifications will be subject to the following considerations:

• The artist’s work demonstrates a unique voice, perspective, or aesthetic.
• The artist’s submission demonstrates their ability to create site-specific artwork that responds to the history, culture, and identity of the surrounding community. 
• The artist demonstrates an interest in or direct experience with persons who are unhoused.  
• Empathy toward those with diverse lived experiences and working with partners on the project who will include people experiencing homelessness without judgement.
   

Timeline 

All dates are subject to change.

• Deadline for questions  September 19, 2024
• RFQ submission deadline  October 13, 2024
• RFQ notification   October 2024

The following section only applies to artists who advance to the RFP phase:

• RFP released to finalists  October 2024
• RFP deadline    December 2024
• Artist proposal presentations  December 2024
• Selected artist notified  December 2024
• Contract released to artist January 2025
• Project begins   February 2025
• Project completion  June 2025

Contact

For questions or more information contact Chandler Snipe at hello@huemanshelter.com
 

Please submit all questions in writing via email no later than September 19, 2024, to hello@huemanshelter.com. Questions will be answered as they are received and no later than September 23, 2024.  All answers to questions received by the question due date will be posted publicly to the HueMan:Shelter FAQ Page for this project at huemanshelter.com

Please note that Fresh Arts is facilitating this call on behalf of Midtown Management District. All questions should be directed as indicated above.

Bloomberg Public Art Challenge – Houston

HueMan:Shelter

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS: 

MULTI-MEDIA ART INSTALLATIONS - UNDERPASS

Artist Fee: $90,000 / per project & location

Deadline: Sunday October 13, 2024, 11:59 PM CST

Locations: I-45 @ Milam and Spur 527 @ Milam

Eligibility: Greater Houston Area

For more information visit www.huemanshelter.com

Only applications sent via Submittable will be considered. 

Two artists will be selected via this RFQ process, one for each location.
 

Summary

Midtown Cultural Arts and Entertainment District (Midtown) and the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) request the submission of qualifications from artists or artist teams to create a multi-media art experience.  Two artists/artist teams will be selected to design and create this temporary public art piece in collaboration with an Uprise Enterprise team (a program of Career and Recovery Resources).  

The artwork should be:

• Created for the designated location.  
• Designed to support the objectives of HueMan:Shelter. 
• Developed in partnership with Career and Recovery Resources Uprise Enterprise team.

About HueMan:Shelter

HueMan:Shelter is a public art project that is designed to intentionally disrupt the perception of homelessness by employing artists and individuals who are experiencing homelessness to work together to create visual stories of their lived experiences.  It introduces a critical new layer to Houston’s multi-layered approach to the complex civic issue of homelessness by hiring people living unsheltered to work with local artists to create public art projects along the Milam Street corridor in Midtown.  

 This project will create a series of new public artworks, including graphic art at five METRO Bus Shelters, one large-scale mural, and two multi-media, sculptural projects under underpasses which will be activated through projection mapping.  A series of community events and walking tours will be hosted at artwork sites to bring together artists, unsheltered individuals, and the broader community.  

HueMan:Shelter is a social awareness campaign which supports knowledge-sharing about Houston’s successful interventions which address the issue of homelessness (those hired for this project are also connected with supportive services) dispels myths and harmful stereotypes about who experiences homelessness, and provides beautification and public safety through public art (something everyone in our community can be proud of). 

The partnerships created through HueMan:Shelter will bring art to public spaces, offers work opportunities and new skills to individuals who need employment and connection. Work opportunities include: public art site preparation (priming / painting surfaces, power washing, trimming landscape), participation (project management, working with artists on themes, assisting with painting, installation, design), and maintenance (graffiti abatement, basic maintenance).

Local artists will be selected to work on the project through an RFP process juried by a committee representing project partners.  Artists will be selected based on demonstrated excellence of previous work, desire to work on a project of this nature, and lived experience.  In partnership with selected local artists, the public art projects created for Midtown locations will be prepared, influenced, and maintained by unsheltered individuals and will authentically present themes of respect, dignity, and humanity. 

Our goal for this project is to disrupt the perception of people experiencing homelessness through public art.  

Artists working on this project will be trained by Career and Recovery Resources to work with their Uprise Enterprise team to complete the project.  Uprise Enterprise is structured as “on-the-job” training to help create the first step into economic stability.  It provides work for those who otherwise would not be able to get a job, or move forward economically, who continue to fall back into homelessness and joblessness, and who utilize their survival skills instead of their work skills.  

To learn about HueMan:Shelter, visit www.huemanshelter.com.

About the Bloomberg Public Art Challenge

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge encourages mayors to partner with artists, elevating the value of including the creative sector when developing solutions to significant urban issues. The program supports temporary public art projects that celebrate creativity, enhance urban identity, encourage public-private collaborations, and strengthen local economies.

Over 600 cities have applied to the three challenges, where mayors of U.S. cities with 30,000 residents or more submit proposals for projects that demonstrate close partnership between artists, arts organizations and city government, with selected cities receiving up to $1 million each.

After receiving applications from 154 cities across 40 states, eight winners were selected for the third Public Art Challenge to execute their projects over the next two years: Atlanta, Georgia, Baltimore, Maryland, Honolulu, Hawaii, Houston, Texas, Orlando, Florida, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phoenix, Arizona, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Scope of Art Project and Artwork Requirements

This opportunity seeks the completion of an artwork that will be highly visible, located outdoors, and situated along Milam Street in Houston’s Midtown neighborhood. The location has been selected by Midtown and the City of Houston. The scope of the work includes multi-media art planning, design, development, and creation. The total artist fee for the artist/artist team for this commission shall not exceed $90,000/per project & location.

Commissioned artworks will be subject the following requirements: 

• Artworks should be family-friendly and suitable for public display to a diverse and international audience.
• This project may not include obscene or profane material as defined in Section 43.21, Penal 

Code of Texas. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.43.htm

Eligibility 

THE FOLLOWING ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY:

Open to all artists and artist teams with a preference for artists with a connection to Houston, TX, including those who may no longer reside in the state. Artists and artist teams must be over 18 years of age to work at the required scale and have availability to accomplish by the deadline. 

• Artist with a connection to Houston, TX includes the Greater Houston Area: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, or Waller counties

THE FOLLOWING ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO APPLY:

• City of Houston employees, elected City Officials, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs staff, and their immediate family.
• Midtown Management District, the Midtown Cultural Arts and Entertainment District, the Midtown Redevelopment Authority, TIRZ #2 or the Midtown Parks Conservancy staff, board, or their immediate family. 
• Fresh Arts staff, board, or their immediate family.
• METRO staff, board, or their immediate family.
• Career and Recovery Resources staff, board, or their immediate family.
  

Applications not meeting all eligibility criteria or application requirements will be withdrawn from consideration.

Locations and Sites

• I-45 @ Milam
• Spur 527 @ Milam
• Click to view site photos

Budget

The budget of $90,000/per project & location is inclusive of all work including, but not limited to, final design, fabrication, art work creation, art work installation, artists’ fees, software, studio and project administration, travel, rentals, required deliverables, engineering, and insurance for each year of the project. 

Application Requirements

1. Artist(s) resume or CV, relevant information for any other key team members (3 pages maximum per artist or team member)
2. Artist(s) Biography (250 words maximum or under 2 minutes)
3. Statement of Intent (1,000 words maximum or under 5 minutes). A Statement of Intent (SOI) is a declaration of your plans and ideas for a specific project. The SOI should communicate your personality, professionalism, qualifications, and enthusiasm for the project.
4. Artist Statement (500 words maximum or under 3 minutes). An artist statement is a description of your work that helps the audience access or understand your artistic work. The purpose of the artist statement is to inform, add context, and present process and conceptual ideas to the viewer, which may include sources, ideas, and materials in your current practice.
5. Digital images of completed artworks. Applicants may submit up to ten (10) images in JPEG format only with each image no larger than 2 MB. Each image should include information about artist, title, year completed, dimensions, material, commissioning entity, and budget or price (as applicable) for each image provided.
   
   

Selection Process

A panel of project partners (MOCA, Midtown, CRR, METRO) will review qualified submissions and select a short list of up to three individual artists or artist teams who will develop concept proposals for the opportunity.

Review of artist qualifications will be subject to the following considerations:

• The artist’s work demonstrates a unique voice, perspective, or aesthetic.
• The artist’s submission demonstrates their ability to create site-specific artwork that responds to the history, culture, and identity of the surrounding community. 
• The artist demonstrates an interest in or direct experience with persons who are unhoused.  
• Empathy toward those with diverse lived experiences and working with partners on the project who will include people experiencing homelessness without judgement. 

Timeline 

All dates are subject to change.

• Artist Info Session   September 19, 2024   
• Deadline for questions  September 16, 2024
• RFQ submission deadline  October 13, 2024
• RFQ notification   October 2024
• Artist Information Session: September 19, 2024, via Zoom

The following section only applies to artists who advance to the RFP phase:

• RFP released to finalists  October 2024
• RFP deadline    December 2024
• Artist proposal presentations  December 2024
• Selected artist notified  December 2024
• Contract released to artist January 2025
• Project begins   February 2025
• Project completion  June 2025

Artist Information Session: September 19, 2024, via Zoom 

Contact

For questions or more information contact Chandler Snipe at hello@huemanshelter.com

Please submit all questions in writing via email no later than September 16, 2024, to hello@huemanshelter.com. Questions will be answered as they are received.  All answers to questions received by the question due date will be posted publicly to the HueMan:Shelter FAQ Page: https://huemanshelter.com/

Please note that Fresh Arts is facilitating this call on behalf of Midtown Management District. All questions should be directed as indicated above.

Bloomberg Public Art Challenge – Houston

HueMan:Shelter

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS 

SOCIAL MEDIA STORYTELLING

Artist Fee: $45,000

Deadline: Sunday, October 20, 2024, 11:59 PM CST 

Eligibility: Greater Houston Area

To submit, visit www.huemanshelter.com

Only applications sent via Submittable will be considered. 

One artist / artist team will be selected. 

Summary

Midtown Cultural Arts and Entertainment District (Midtown) and the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) request the submission of qualifications from artists or artist teams to create a social media storytelling project to support HueMan:Shelter.  One artist / artist team will be selected to design a documentary-style project in collaboration with an Uprise Enterprise team (a program of Career and Recovery Resources).  

The art project should be:

• Created for Instagram and Facebook (we reserve the right to add one additional social media platform depending on the final content strategy).
• Developed in partnership with Career and Recovery Resources Uprise Enterprise team.

About HueMan:Shelter

HueMan:Shelter is a public art project that is designed to intentionally disrupt the perception of homelessness by employing artists and individuals who are experiencing homelessness to work together to create visual stories of their lived experiences.  It introduces a critical new layer to Houston’s multi-layered approach to the complex civic issue of homelessness by hiring people living unsheltered to work with local artists to create public art projects along the Milam Street corridor in Midtown.  

This project will create a series of new public artworks, including graphic art at five METRO Bus Shelters, one large-scale mural, and two multi-media, sculptural projects under underpasses which will be activated through projection mapping.  A series of community events and walking tours will be hosted at artwork sites to bring together artists, unsheltered individuals, and the broader community.  

HueMan:Shelter is a social awareness campaign which supports knowledge-sharing about Houston’s successful interventions which address the issue of homelessness (those hired for this project are also connected with supportive services) dispels myths and harmful stereotypes about who experiences homelessness, and provides beautification and public safety through public art (something everyone in our community can be proud of). 

The partnerships created through HueMan:Shelter will bring art to public spaces, offers work opportunities and new skills to individuals who need employment and connection. Work opportunities include: public art site preparation (priming / painting surfaces, power washing, trimming landscape), participation (project management, working with artists on themes, assisting with painting, installation, design), and maintenance (graffiti abatement, basic maintenance).

Local artists will be selected to work on the project through an RFP process juried by a committee representing project partners.  Artists will be selected based on demonstrated excellence of previous work, desire to work on a project of this nature, and lived experience.  In partnership with selected local artists, the public art projects created for Midtown locations will be prepared, influenced, and maintained by unsheltered individuals and will authentically present themes of respect, dignity, and humanity. 

Our goal for this project is to disrupt the perception of people experiencing homelessness through public art.  

Artists working on this project will be trained by Career and Recovery Resources to work with their Uprise Enterprise team to complete the project.  Uprise Enterprise is structured as “on-the-job” training to help create the first step into economic stability.  It provides work for those who otherwise would not be able to get a job, or move forward economically, who continue to fall back into homelessness and joblessness, and who utilize their survival skills instead of their work skills.  

To learn about HueMan:Shelter, visit www.huemanshelter.com.

About the Bloomberg Public Art Challenge

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge encourages mayors to partner with artists, elevating the value of including the creative sector when developing solutions to significant urban issues. The program supports temporary public art projects that celebrate creativity, enhance urban identity, encourage public-private collaborations, and strengthen local economies.

Over 600 cities have applied to the three challenges, where mayors of U.S. cities with 30,000 residents or more submit proposals for projects that demonstrate close partnership between artists, arts organizations and city government, with selected cities receiving up to $1 million each.

After receiving applications from 154 cities across 40 states, eight winners were selected for the third Public Art Challenge to execute their projects over the next two years: Atlanta, Georgia, Baltimore, Maryland, Honolulu, Hawaii, Houston, Texas, Orlando, Florida, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phoenix, Arizona, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Scope of Art Project and  Requirements

Selected vendors will be subject to the following requirements: 

• Content should be family-friendly and suitable for public display to a diverse and international audience.
• This project may not include obscene or profane material as defined in Section 43.21, Penal Code of Texas. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.43.htm
• Maintain a social media presence to promote HueMan:Shelter (including Facebook and Instagram) through timely, engaging and relevant posts, management of header material, keeping up with changes within the both platforms and eliciting information from the community and target brand recognition for project.
• Consistently publish content to bring awareness to HueMan:Shelter.
• Use Facebook and Instagram to create new relationships and target new audiences.
• Assist HueMan:Shelter in building brand awareness and driving traffic to its website and events.
• Use social media to capture the project in its entirety before, during, and after the public art installations.
• Work with the HueMan:Shelter communications team to create monthly content plans aligned to the existing, overall communications plan.
• Use social media to shape the story of HueMan:Shelter in a way that feels authentic, anthropological, and centered on the individuals involved and impacted by the project.
• Work with the HueMan:Shelter communications team to review analytics and outcomes, and adjust content strategy as needed for optimal results. 

Facebook and Instagram Requirements

• At least 2 posts per week, with no more than 50% being reposts of material that is given to contractor by individual parties.
• To post on optimal days, and optimal times of day, to reach the highest number of viewers.
• Regular check-ins with HueMan:Shelter team. 
• Conduct frequent monitoring of all platforms to seek out engagement opportunities.
• Must check all facts and spelling before posting. 
• Must have all posts reviewed by HueMan:Shelter team.
• Respond to post inquiries and comments.
   

Eligibility 

THE FOLLOWING ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY:

Open to all artists and artist teams with a preference for artists with a connection to Houston, TX, including those who may no longer reside in the state. Artists and artist teams must be over 18 years of age to work at the required scale and have availability to accomplish by the deadline. 

• Artist with a connection to Houston, TX includes the Greater Houston Area: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, or Waller counties
   

THE FOLLOWING ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO APPLY:

• City of Houston employees, elected City Officials, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs staff, and their immediate family.
• Midtown Management District, the Midtown Cultural Arts and Entertainment District, the Midtown Redevelopment Authority, TIRZ #2 or the Midtown Parks Conservancy staff, board, or their immediate family. 
• Fresh Arts staff, board, or their immediate family.
• METRO staff, board, or their immediate family.
• Career and Recovery Resources staff, board, or their immediate family.

Applications not meeting all eligibility criteria or application requirements will be withdrawn from consideration.

Budget

The budget of $45,000 is inclusive of all work including, but not limited to, final design, fabrication, mural creation, mural installation, artists’ fees, software, studio and project administration, travel, rentals, required deliverables, engineering, and insurance for each year of the project. 

Application Requirements

1. Artist(s) resume or CV, relevant information for any other key team members (3 pages maximum per artist or team member)

2. Artist(s) Biography (250 words maximum or under 2 minutes)

3. Statement of Intent (1,000 words maximum or under 5 minutes). A Statement of Intent (SOI) is a declaration of your plans and ideas for a specific project. The SOI should communicate your personality, professionalism, qualifications, and enthusiasm for the project.

• Provide a detailed description of your social media marketing support approach and work product delivered on similar engagements.
• Describe your familiarity with social media systems.
• Describe your experience regarding advice and recommendations of social media marketing to your clients. Describe your experience with municipal or governmental agencies?
• Describe your training and development to stay current with social media programs and systems.
• Describe procedures, reports and/or metrics utilized to monitor the work you do for periodic evaluation.

4. Artist Statement (500 words maximum or under 3 minutes). An artist statement is a description of your work that helps the audience access or understand your artistic work. The purpose of the artist statement is to inform, add context, and present process and conceptual ideas to the viewer, which may include sources, ideas, and materials in your current practice.

5. Digital images of past work. Applicants may submit up to ten (10) images in JPEG format only with each image no larger than 2 MB. Each image should include information about project, year completed, commissioning entity, and budget or price (as applicable) for each image provided.
 

Selection Process

A panel of project partners (MOCA, Midtown, CRR, METRO) will review qualified submissions and select artist. Review of artist qualifications will be subject to the following considerations:

• The artist’s work demonstrates a unique voice, perspective, or aesthetic.
• The artist’s submission demonstrates their ability to create content that responds to the history, culture, and identity of the surrounding community. 
• The artist demonstrates and interest in or direct experience with persons who are unhoused.  
• Empathy toward those with diverse lived experiences and working with partners on the project who will include people experiencing homelessness without judgement.
   

Timeline 

All dates are subject to change.

• Artist Info Session October 3, 2024   
• RFP submission deadline  October 20, 2024
• Selected artist notified  November 2024
• Project begins   January 2025
• Project completion  December 2026

Artist Information Session: October 3, 2024, via Zoom
 

Contact

For questions or more information contact Chandler Snipe at hello@huemanshelter.com

Please submit all questions in writing via email no later than September 19, 2024, to hello@huemanshelter.com. Questions will be answered as they are received.  All answers to questions received by the question due date will be posted publicly to the HueMan:Shelter FAQ Page: https://huemanshelter.com/

Please note that Fresh Arts is facilitating this call on behalf of Midtown Management District. All questions should be directed as indicated above.

Bloomberg Public Art Challenge – Houston

HueMan:Shelter

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS 

FILM STORYTELLING

Artist Fee: $70,000

Deadline: Sunday, October 20, 2024, 11:59 PM CST

Eligibility: Greater Houston Area

To submit, visit www.huemanshelter.com

Only applications sent via Submittable will be considered. 

One filmmaking team will be selected. 

Summary

Midtown Cultural Arts and Entertainment District (Midtown) and the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) request the submission of qualifications from artists or artist teams to create a film storytelling project to support HueMan:Shelter.  One filmmaking team will be selected to design a documentary-style project in collaboration with an Uprise Enterprise team (a program of Career and Recovery Resources).  

The film should:

• document the HueMan:Shelter project.
• be created for submission to film festivals.  

About HueMan:Shelter

HueMan:Shelter is a public art project that is designed to intentionally disrupt the perception of homelessness by employing artists and individuals who are experiencing homelessness to work together to create visual stories of their lived experiences.  It introduces a critical new layer to Houston’s multi-layered approach to the complex civic issue of homelessness by hiring people living unsheltered to work with local artists to create public art projects along the Milam Street corridor in Midtown.  

This project will create a series of new public artworks, including graphic art at five METRO Bus Shelters, one large-scale mural, and two multi-media, sculptural projects under underpasses which will be activated through projection mapping.  A series of community events and walking tours will be hosted at artwork sites to bring together artists, unsheltered individuals, and the broader community.  

HueMan:Shelter is a social awareness campaign which supports knowledge-sharing about Houston’s successful interventions which address the issue of homelessness (those hired for this project are also connected with supportive services) dispels myths and harmful stereotypes about who experiences homelessness, and provides beautification and public safety through public art (something everyone in our community can be proud of). 

The partnerships created through HueMan:Shelter will bring art to public spaces, offers work opportunities and new skills to individuals who need employment and connection. Work opportunities include: public art site preparation (priming / painting surfaces, power washing, trimming landscape), participation (project management, working with artists on themes, assisting with painting, installation, design), and maintenance (graffiti abatement, basic maintenance).

Local artists will be selected to work on the project through an RFP process juried by a committee representing project partners.  Artists will be selected based on demonstrated excellence of previous work, desire to work on a project of this nature, and lived experience.  In partnership with selected local artists, the public art projects created for Midtown locations will be prepared, influenced, and maintained by unsheltered individuals and will authentically present themes of respect, dignity, and humanity. 

Our goal for this project is to disrupt the perception of people experiencing homelessness through public art.  

Artists working on this project will be trained by Career and Recovery Resources to work with their Uprise Enterprise team to complete the project.  Uprise Enterprise is structured as “on-the-job” training to help create the first step into economic stability.  It provides work for those who otherwise would not be able to get a job, or move forward economically, who continue to fall back into homelessness and joblessness, and who utilize their survival skills instead of their work skills.  

To learn about HueMan:Shelter, visit www.huemanshelter.com.

About the Bloomberg Public Art Challenge

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge encourages mayors to partner with artists, elevating the value of including the creative sector when developing solutions to significant urban issues. The program supports temporary public art projects that celebrate creativity, enhance urban identity, encourage public-private collaborations, and strengthen local economies.

Over 600 cities have applied to the three challenges, where mayors of U.S. cities with 30,000 residents or more submit proposals for projects that demonstrate close partnership between artists, arts organizations and city government, with selected cities receiving up to $1 million each.

After receiving applications from 154 cities across 40 states, eight winners were selected for the third Public Art Challenge to execute their projects over the next two years: Atlanta, Georgia, Baltimore, Maryland, Honolulu, Hawaii, Houston, Texas, Orlando, Florida, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phoenix, Arizona, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Scope of Art Project and Artwork Requirements

Commissioned film will be subject the following requirements: 

• Should be family-friendly and suitable for public display to a diverse and international audience.
• May not include obscene or profane material as defined in Section 43.21, Penal Code of Texas. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.43.htm

Eligibility 

THE FOLLOWING ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY:

Open to all artists and artist teams with a preference for artists with a connection to Houston, TX, including those who may no longer reside in the state. Artists and artist teams must be over 18 years of age to work at the required scale and have availability to accomplish by the deadline. 

• Artist with a connection to Houston, TX includes the Greater Houston Area: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, or Waller counties
   

THE FOLLOWING ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO APPLY:

• City of Houston employees, elected City Officials, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs staff, and their immediate family.
• Midtown Management District, the Midtown Cultural Arts and Entertainment District, the Midtown Redevelopment Authority, TIRZ #2 or the Midtown Parks Conservancy staff, board, or their immediate family. 
• Fresh Arts staff, board, or their immediate family.
• METRO staff, board, or their immediate family.
• Career and Recovery Resources staff, board, or their immediate family.

Applications not meeting all eligibility criteria or application requirements will be withdrawn from consideration.

Budget

The budget of $70,000 is inclusive of all work including, but not limited to, final design, artists’ fees, software, studio and project administration, travel, and required deliverables.  Budget does not include cost to submit project to film festivals. 

Deliverables include: 

• Documentary film showcasing the HueMan:Shelter project
• Four short film teasers to be shared in advance of complete film

Application Requirements

1. Artist(s) resume or CV, relevant information for any other key team members (3 pages maximum per artist or team member)

2. Artist(s) Biography (250 words maximum or under 2 minutes)

3. Statement of Intent (1,000 words maximum or under 5 minutes). A Statement of Intent (SOI) is a declaration of your plans and ideas for a specific project. The SOI should communicate your personality, professionalism, qualifications, and enthusiasm for the project.

• Provide a detailed description of your filmmaking approach and work product delivered on similar engagements.
• Describe your training and development to stay current with filmmaking programs and systems.
• Describe procedures, reports and/or metrics utilized to monitor the work you do for periodic evaluation.

4. Artist Statement (500 words maximum or under 3 minutes). An artist statement is a description of your work that helps the audience access or understand your artistic work. The purpose of the artist statement is to inform, add context, and present process and conceptual ideas to the viewer, which may include sources, ideas, and materials in your current practice.

5. Digital work samples. Applicants may submit links to up to five (5) samples of work, each no longer than three minutes. Each work sample should include URL link and a project description including information about artist, title, year completed, commissioning entity, and budget or price (as applicable).

Selection Process

A panel of project partners (MOCA, Midtown, CRR, METRO) will review qualified submissions and select artist. Review of artist qualifications will be subject to the following considerations:

• The artist’s work demonstrates a unique voice, perspective, or aesthetic.
• The artist’s submission demonstrates their ability to create content that responds to the history, culture, and identity of the surrounding community. 
• The artist demonstrates and interest in or direct experience with persons who are unhoused.  
• Empathy toward those with diverse lived experiences and working with partners on the project who will include people experiencing homelessness without judgement. 

Timeline 

All dates are subject to change.

• Artist Info Session October 3, 2024   
• RFP submission deadline  October 20, 2024
• Selected artist notified  November 2024
• Project begins   January 2025
• Project completion  December 2026

Artist Information Session: October 3, 2024, via Zoom

 

Contact

For questions or more information contact Chandler Snipe at hello@huemanshelter.com

Please note that Fresh Arts is facilitating this call on behalf of Midtown Management District. All questions should be directed as indicated above.

Before you apply, please read the Fiscal Sponsorship FAQs and schedule a meeting with the Fiscal Sponsorship Coordinator before the 15th of the month by emailing fiscalsponsorship@fresharts.org. Applications have a quarterly deadline on the 1st of February, May, August, and November. Also, note that in order for your application to be reviewed by our committee, you must pay the $25.00 non-refundable application fee. To pay your fee, please visit our payment page.
 

Fiscal sponsorship applications are reviewed quarterly by a committee whose recommendations are subject to approval by the Fresh Arts board of directors. Please allow adequate time for the approval process before beginning to raise funds for your project.

(If you already have a budget, mission statement, and project description prepared, the application should take roughly 30-45 minutes.) Click here to download a budget template for your application

PLEASE NOTE: Fresh Arts is a small organization with limited capacity to support fiscally sponsored projects. When our program reaches capacity, we reserve the right to decline otherwise eligible applications or to temporarily close the application process.