RFP: Film Storytelling - HueMan:Shelter Project
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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
Info Session: October 10, 6pm CST
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.
- RFP submission deadline October 20, 2024
- Selected artist notified November 2024
- Project begins January 2025
- Project completion December 2026
Info Session: October 10, 6pm CST
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.