2025 SaludArte: Request for Qualifications:

Are you a socially engaged, collaborative artist ready to make an impact? In partnership with the Pima County Health Department, the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona invites you to submit your qualifications to create temporary public art installations in Pima County that aim to reduce stigma related to substance use. This opportunity is open to all artists and artist teams interested in working closely with the community to create engaging temporary public artwork. The project will culminate in an exhibition at the Tucson Museum of Art in late Fall 2025. 

SaludArte Program Vision:

Our collaboration unites public health and the arts to reduce stigma by fostering connectivity and understanding within communities. Through creative expression and highlighting lived experiences, we aim to build strong, empathetic connections that bridge gaps and dissolve barriers. SaludArte visualizes inclusive spaces where every individual feels connected, valued, and supported. 

Project Overview:

The goal of this project is to create a series of socially engaged public art installations in Pima County designed to foster connection, understanding, and empathy while addressing the stigma surrounding substance use. Through a collaborative process, the art installations will be developed by the artist with a panel of individuals with lived experience of substance use. By using temporary public art, the installations are meant to encourage meaningful dialogue, increase the acceptance of resources, and overall, promote positive health outcomes between people who use drugs (PWUD), service providers, and the broader community. 

This project is made possible through a partnership between the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona and the Pima County Health Department in collaboration with CODAC. This initiative is the second iteration of SaludArte, a series of arts and health projects developed by the Arts Foundation and the Pima County Health Department. 

By harnessing the power of art, this project seeks to challenge stigma and improve positive health outcomes. It also aims to foster empathy and understanding within the greater community while strengthening relationships between PWUD, service providers, and the broader community service organizations. A Public Art Panel (Panel) will be convened to select an artist and contribute to the design and themes of the art installations. Through this engagement, the project hopes to increase access to treatment and harm reduction services, ultimately helping to reduce accidental overdose deaths, stigma, and related issues.  

Artists and individuals with lived and living experience will be central to shaping the project, ensuring that their perspectives and insights guide the artistic process. The initiative also prioritizes the inclusion of historically marginalized communities, reinforcing a commitment to equity and representation in public art. 

Exhibition Component:

This project will come together in a final art installation, bringing in artistic, thematic, and material elements from the temporary public art installation series to create a larger exhibition that tells the full story of the project. This final work be exhibited at the Tucson Museum of Art in late Fall of 2025. The exhibition aims to extend the project’s impact by inviting new audiences to experience the evolution of the project through an immersive and informative exhibition. Upon the conclusion of the exhibition, the artist will be responsible for deinstalling the exhibit. All materials purchased by the artist are the sole property of the artist.  

Scope of Work:

This is a fast-track project. The selected artist must be available to attend all mandatory meetings and complete all aspects of production within the project period listed below. Dates are subject to change.   

Call to Artist Phase: Thursday, February 20, 2025 Request for Qualifications Application Posted   Thursday, closes March 20, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Arizona Time

Artist Selection Phase:
Thursday, March 27, 2025 Artist Selection Meeting 1 (Panel only): The Panel will select three (3) finalists to interview. All applicants notified. Finalists prepare for Artist Selection Meeting 2.     
Thursday, April 10, 2025 Artist Selection Meeting 2 (Panel and Finalists): Finalists interview with Panel. Hybrid In-Person/Virtual Zoom Meeting. Finalists will provide a 15-minute presentation, followed by a 10-minute Q/A. The selected artist will need to attend a mandatory orientation meeting with the project organizers prior to starting the Design Phase.  

Artwork design Phase:
Thursday, May 8, 2025 Design Meeting 1 (Panel and Artist): Panelists participate in human centered design activities surveying their experiences and interactions with healthcare or service providers. The artist listens and interacts with panelists as they participate in the activities in order to inform three initial design concepts.  
Thursday, May 29, 2025 Design Meeting 2 (Panel and Artist): The artist presents up to three (3) design concepts. The panel selects one final design for the artist to develop further. If consensus is not reached, the artist may be asked to come back for a re-design meeting based on panelists feedback. 

Artwork Production Phase: 

June 2025 – October 2025 Artwork Production Phase: Artist will work with project participants, partners, and stakeholder to implement art installations/events at designated sites based on the final design concepts.  

Exhibition Opening/Closing:

November 2025 Opening Reception: Exhibition at the Tucson Museum of Art. Exact date to be determined.

Exhibition Deinstallation TBD: Artist will deinstall the exhibit and return space to its original state. All materials purchased by artist are the property of the artist. 

Artwork Budget:

The all-inclusive maximum budget listed above is for all artworks and related costs. The all-inclusive budget includes, but is not limited tothe artist fee(s), artwork materials, insurance, stamped engineering plans, tax requirements, research, community engagement, contract, labor, fabrication, platforms, earthwork, lighting, permits, and all related costs required for the installation of the artwork(s). Please note that due to recent changes in federal import/export policies, production material prices will change during the scope of this project.

Eligibility and Conflict of Interest:

This public art opportunity is open to all professional artists and artist teams.   

Any person in a position to receive financial gain from the selection of artist(s) will be ineligible to serve on a Panel. All Panel members must declare any conflict of interest and recuse themselves if a conflict of interest arises. 

Applications must be completed solely by the artist or team lead applying for the project. Applications submitted from Artists’ representatives, managers, or galleries will not be accepted. The Arts Foundation will disburse funds only to this individual. The team lead will also be the point of contact for all communications. Artists applying as a member of a team are not eligible to apply as an individual. 

Public Interface and Expectations:

Community feedback and participation are essential to creating artwork that benefits and represents the diverse identities in the themes and concepts of the project. The selected artist(s) willbe required to attend two or more meetings with the panel. 

Artist Selection Process:

Artists are selected through a fair and equitable selection process by a Panel comprised of project participants, stakeholders and members of the community. New Panels are formed for every public art project. Arts Foundation staff do not directly participate in the selection of artists or designs. The role of Arts Foundation staff is to facilitate the public art processes and discussions. The community panel will review and assess all artist submissions based on published criteria, and participate in two meetings to deliberate, interview, and select the recommended artist for this project. During the first meeting, the panel will determine which three artists/artist teams will be invited to interview as finalists. During the second meeting, each of the three finalists will deliver a presentation to the Panel demonstrating the scope of their work, conveying their qualifications and articulating their interest in this specific project. Each presentation will be followed by a question and answer session with the panel. 

Evaluation Criteria: 

The following criteria will be considered during the review of applications:  

1. Does the applicant demonstrate the ability to translate artistic concepts into materials that are appropriate for public space, taking into consideration public interaction, safety, maintenance, and suitability to the Sonoran Desert climate? 
2. Does the applicant demonstrate the ability to work with project participants to produce artwork designs that reflect local, cultural, and historical themes related to substance abuse? 
3. Does the applicant demonstrate a high probability of successful completion for the scale and scope of this specific project?  
    

Finalist Interview Questions:
 If you are a finalist for the project, you will be asked to present to the Panel with the following criteria and questions:  

1. Format: You will provide a 15-minute presentation, followed by a 10-minute Q&A with the Panel.   
2. Presentation Preparation: For your presentation, you will share examples of your work as well as your experience and methods in public art. You will also share with the Panel why you are interested in this particular project. You may use any format for your presentation.   

Please address the following in your presentation:

1. What excites you about this project? 
2. How do you come up with your design ideas? 
3. How do you involve the community in your public art projects? 
4. How do you stay on schedule and within budget?
5. How can your background or lived experience positively contribute to this project? 

Presentation Preparation Tips:

• Provide a diverse range of examples of your work in your presentation. Read through the Project Overview and Exhibition Component outlined above to identify appropriate artwork mediums specific to the public art project.   
• Research the area or subject of the project, potential significant history, culture, and vision of the program. Panelists appreciate candidates who have done their research and know what they are signing up for.  
• Provide specific examples of community engagement tools that you have utilized during your work as an artist and/or for public art projects.   
• Take time to prepare your responses and presentation. We give you the questions ahead of time so you can provide thoughtful answers.