REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Montbello Central Park Public Art Project – DESIGN ONLY
Budget: $50,000 USD
Eligibility: Artists or artist teams residing in the United States
DEADLINE: Monday, November 3rd, 2025, 11:59 P.M. MST

Introduction
The City of Denver’s Public Art Program seeks to commission artists and artist teams to design original artworks for the shade structure ceiling in Montbello Central Park. Selected artists or artist teams will be responsible for design only. The fabrication and installation of the panels will be provided by a separate project vendor. Successful artists or artist teams must demonstrate an ability to work collaboratively, be responsive, flexible, and work under a quick timeline. The commission amount for designing original artworks will be $50,000 USD per artist or artist team.

Denver Public Art will host a virtual pre-application meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 5:30-6:30 p.m. for interested applicants. The meeting will cover project background and goals and the application process for this Request for Qualifications (RFQ). Attendees will also receive information on CallForEntry.org through which artists may apply. This event will be hosted on Zoom. Interested applicants are asked to register to get information on how to join prior to the event. If you cannot attend, a recording will be available on the Denver Arts & Venues YouTube channel.

Denver Public Art will also hold an informal Public Art 101 & Mixer event on Monday, October 20th, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Montbello Recreation Center. This meeting will include conversations with seasoned public art professionals and artists. While all are welcome, this session is intended to support emerging, studio, and 2D artists from the Montbello and Green Valley Ranch neighborhoods. Attendees are asked to register prior to the event.

Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that the land Denver’s Public Art Collection occupies – – land where we stand, live, work and learn – – is the traditional territory of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Peoples. We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado. Our nation was founded upon and continues to enact exclusions and erasures of Indigenous Peoples. May this acknowledgement demonstrate a commitment to dismantling ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities, as we intentionally honor and celebrate the Indigenous communities in our city and express our gratitude for their ongoing and significant contributions. Let’s not forget that this land was theirs long before we made it ours.

Montbello Central Park Project
In 2017, Denver voters approved the Elevate Denver Bond to improve and update parkwide systems. Denver Parks & Recreation (DPR), implemented several improvements at Montbello Central Park in 2022. These improvements included a new irrigation system, converting aging sidewalks from asphalt to concrete, creating new picnic areas as well as bicycle pump track, and pedestrian lighting throughout
the park. The park is bounded by Montbello High School, Maxwell Elementary School, and residential areas.

Montbello Neighborhood
Montbello Central Park is situated within the heart of the Montbello neighborhood. Over the past century, the region has undergone a significant transformation. The area started as an open prairie but later turned into private cattle-grazing land. Eventually, the area became a mixed-use and affordable housing neighborhood, where middle-class and military families could own their first homes. Today Montbello is one of the largest and most populous neighborhoods in Denver, known for its racial diversity and youthfulness.

Montbello has a rich history, but it’s important to recognize that the residents of the area, a predominantly Latino/x and Black community, have also had to fight for neighborhood improvements, especially for equitable access to services and resources that have historically been neglected. The people of Montbello have collectively championed for better access to affordable housing, quality schools, infrastructure development and healthy food options. Through their efforts, the neighborhood now has 15 schools and eight parks, an improved recreation center, and a forthcoming resident-led development that includes a grocery store, an arts education center, wellness services, retail and non-profit space, and affordable housing. It is essential to honor the past and present contributions of the residents of Montbello.

Goals, Site, Media & Materials
The selection panel members have set forth specific goals and parameters for this public art project with the hope of creating unique and inspiring pedestrian-scaled works of art for the diverse communities that utilize Montbello Central Park.

Goals:
• Artworks should be colorful and engaging.
• Artworks should celebrate and be inclusive to all park visitors and families.
• Artworks should be engaging and help amplify the stories of the area. It is imperative that any artistic representation accurately reflect the community’s heritage and narratives, honoring its past and present contributions.
• Artists should possess excellent group facilitation skills and be enthusiastic about working with nearby community members, particularly elders and youth, to finalize their designs. Community collaborations and submissions are encouraged!
• The panel strongly encourages emerging, studio, and 2D artists who have a connection to the Montbello neighborhood to apply.

Site:
The panel has identified the ceiling of the Montbello Central Park shade structure as the location for artwork. Images of the space are provided at the end of this document (see Fig. 1). Finalists will have the opportunity to meet with the art selection panel as well as Denver Parks & Recreation staff, Denver Public Art staff, and other members of the project team to receive more specific information about the site and project.

Media & Materials:
Selected designs will be either etched or printed onto metal panels. This work will be performed by a vendor chosen by the project team. Artists are not responsible for the fabrication but may be asked to collaborate with the vendor to achieve best results. Designs may be created using any two-dimensional medium, including drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, graphic design and typography. Selected artists will be asked to consider certain limitations of the fabrication process when finalizing designs. Final designs must be provided digitally in the format and resolution acceptable to the fabricator. We are not seeking three-dimensional artworks or other integrations with the shade structure currently.

Maintenance & Durability
This artwork will become a permanent addition to the Denver Public Art collection. All applicants must consider the issues of long-term conservation and maintenance of public art, along with time and budget. These projects are in the public realm and will be exposed to physical stresses, as well as be subject to vandalism. Public art projects should be fabricated of highly durable, low-maintenance materials. Finalists are encouraged to consult with a professional conservator prior to the submission of a final proposal. Artist proposals awarded contracts will be reviewed by the City of Denver’s Public Art Committee to ensure conformity with city standards of maintenance and durability, as well as Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. All finalists are expected to stay on budget and to complete work in an approved timeframe.

Who May Apply
This project is open to artists residing in the United States. Denver Arts & Venues is committed to building a public art collection that represents a broad diversity of artists and encourages applicants from historically marginalized and underrepresented communities, including artists who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latino/x, People of Color (BILPOC), people with disabilities, and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersexual, asexual, Two-Spirit+ (LGBTQIA2S+) communities. Denver Arts & Venues also encourages applicants at various stages in their career and applicants practicing a variety of artistic disciplines. Applicants with lived experience and/or a relationship with the Montbello neighborhood are strongly encouraged to apply.

Can a team apply?
Applicants may apply as a single artist or multi-person collaborative group. If applying as a team, please submit one résumé for the team, with no more than one page per team member.

Applying for these opportunities
In response to this RFQ, applicants will be asked to submit the following items via www.callforentry.org (CaFÉ™).
1. Eight digital images of past work
2. Résumé
3. Statement of interest no longer than 2,000 characters

From these applications, the selection panel will choose finalists. If needed, the selection panel will schedule interviews with a short list of applicants to make final selections. Artists/teams selected as finalists will be required to submit a Diversity & Inclusiveness Form for their proposals to be considered, which will be provided upon notification. As directed by Executive Order 101, this form must be submitted for all city solicitations of proposals. Denver Arts & Venues Public Art Program staff can guide you in filling out this form.

Each selected artist or artist team will design the artwork for eight separate panels for the shade structure. The selected artists or artist teams will work with the Denver Public Art Program staff and Denver Parks & Recreation when finalizing their designs for installation.

Diversity and Inclusiveness
Denver Executive Order No. 101 establishes strategies between the City and private industry to use diversity and inclusiveness to promote economic development in the City and County of Denver and to encourage more businesses to compete for City contracts and procurements. The Executive Order requires, among other things, the collection of certain information regarding the practices of the City’s contractors and consultants toward diversity and inclusiveness and encourages/requires City agencies to include diversity and inclusiveness policies in selection criteria in solicitations for City services or goods when legally permitted. Diversity and Inclusiveness means inviting values, perspectives and contributions of people from diverse backgrounds, and integrating diversity into hiring and retention policies, training opportunities and business development methods to provide an equal opportunity for each person to participate, contribute and succeed within the organization’s workplace. “Diversity” encompasses a wide variety of human differences, including differences such as race, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, physical disabilities, appearance, and historically underutilized and disadvantaged persons, as well as social identities such as religion, marital status, socio-economic status, lifestyle, education, parental status, geographic background, language ability, and veteran status.

Budget
The budget for this commission is approximately $50,000.00 USD which will be allocated to the artists/teams selected. These funds come from the City of Denver’s 1% Percent for Public Art Ordinance resulting from improvements made to Montbello Central Park. This contract amount is inclusive of all costs associated with producing site-specific designs for the project including, but not limited to: the artist’s design fee, other consultation fees such as structural engineering, insurance (including Colorado Workers Compensation), tools, materials, fabrication, transportation, installation, any building or site modification required, travel to and from the site, per diem expenses, project documentation, contingency to cover unexpected expenses, and any other costs. For all work performed on city property, prevailing wage requirements will be applied.

Timeline
Except for online application deadline, timeline is subject to adjustments. We will endeavor to communicate changes in advance.

Monday, November 3rd, 2025; 11:59 P.M. MST Deadline for entry (via CaFÉ™ system)
Friday, November 21st, 2025 Finalists Selected and Notified
Friday, November 21st, 2025 Rejected Artists Notified
*Wednesday, December 3rd; 8:20 A.M. MST Selected Finalists Meet Community Members
*Wednesday, December 3rd, 12:00 P.M. MST Selected Finalists Meet Design Team
*Friday, December 5th, 12:00 P.M. MST Site Visit for Finalists
*Friday, January 9th, 2026 Finalist Presentations
February 2026 Artist Selection and Notification
February/March 2026 Contracting
*July 2026 Design Files Due

*As of this writing, selected finalists must be available for these scheduled dates and times.

Project Selection Panel
According to Denver’s Public Art policy, the project selection panel plays an active role in the acquisition of public art for the City and County of Denver. The Montbello Central Park selection panel is comprised of 11 voting members and two additional non-voting advisors. The selection panel is responsible for reviewing the site, establishing criteria for a request for qualifications, reviewing applications, selecting, and interviewing finalists, and finally for selecting an artist or artist team for the commission.

Selection Process
1. One artist/artist team will be selected to design artwork for the ceiling of the shade structure. Those selected will receive more specific information regarding the sites and have the opportunity to meet with community members from the selection panel, Denver Public Art Program staff and Denver Parks & Recreation.
2. The selection panel will review applications, potentially interview the finalists, and recommend an artist/artist team for the commission.
3. The final recommendation of the selection panel will be presented to the Public Art Committee, the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs, and Denver Arts & Venues Executive Director for final approval.

*All decisions of the City and County of Denver are final.

Materials to be Submitted
Please read this section carefully. Incomplete applications will NOT be considered. The applicant’s name must appear on all materials submitted.

All materials must be submitted online, via the CaFÉ™ website (www.callforentry.org). There is no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system.

Digital Images—To be considered for this project, the applicant must electronically submit eight digital images of previously completed artworks through the online CaFÉ™ system. Artists who wish to submit kinetic, sound or media works must submit a complete CaFÉ™ application and will have the opportunity to upload one video file.

IMPORTANT: if submitting audio or video files, do not use them as your very first image. They must be submitted last in your image sequence.

Instructions on how to format images to CaFÉ™ specifications can be found at https://www.callforentry.org/uploading-images-audio-and-video-files/.
Assistance in using the CaFÉ™ system is available here: https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/.

If an artist does not have access to a computer, s/he/they may call 720-865-5575 to make arrangements to use a computer at Denver Arts & Venues.

To request this RFQ in an alternate format (such as Braille, large print, or accessible electronic format) please contact DisabilityAccess@denvergov.org.

Statement of Interest—Please submit a brief statement (2,000-character maximum) outlining the following:
• Your interest in the Montbello Central Park project
• Your relationship to or experience with the Montbello neighborhood
• Your design approach and experience working on public art projects
• Please also include information on your experience working with diverse communities and stakeholders

Résumé – Submit a one to two-page current résumé via CaFÉ™ that highlights your professional accomplishments as an artist. Please name your résumé file accordingly: Last name. First initial (i.e. Smith.J.pdf). Résumés that are more than two pages will not be downloaded. If applying as a team, please submit one résumé with no more than one page per team member.

Survey – Applicants will also be required to fill out a short demographic survey that will be part of the CaFÉ™ application.

References – Applicants who are selected to be finalists will be required to provide three professional references.

Please direct all questions about the project to:
Meg Pursell, Public Art Program Administrator, Meg.Pursell@denvergov.org, 720-365-9326

Apply Now

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[1] City and County of Denver. (2014, December 1). Globeville Neighborhood Plan. City and County of Denver. Retrieved July 28, 2022, from www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/646/documents/planning/Plans/Globeville_Neighborhood_Plan.pdf