The New York City Department of Transportation Art Program (NYC DOT Art) oversees the installation of public artworks on NYC DOT property throughout New York City in partnership with a diverse body of professional artists, galleries, business improvement districts and arts, community-based and other nonprofit organizations. City sidewalks, fences, triangles, medians, bridges, jersey barriers, step streets, pedestrian plazas and other unique project sites service as canvases and foundations for temporary murals, sculptures, interventions, and cultural programming. In addition, NYC DOT Art coordinates conservation and maintenance of NYC DOT’s permanent art collection and collaborates with the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) Percent for Art Program to commission permanent art as part of the Percent for Art law.
For more information about NYC DOT Art, visit www.nyc.gov/dotart, Instagram: @nyc_DOTArt
If you have any questions about program tracks or applications we encourage you to reach out to arts@dot.nyc.gov.
About this RFQ:
Beautifying the Park Row Connection to Chinatown is a near term project that will be implemented later this year to beautify and improve accessibility at Park Row from the Brooklyn Bridge to Kimlau Square. It builds on the outreach efforts for a larger New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) known as Chinatown Connections. More information on the full scope of Chinatown Connections and future capital improvements at Kimlau Square can be found through this link: chinatownconnections.nyc.
NYC DOT Art is commissioning temporary site-responsive art for the Park Row SIP to reinforce the connection between Lower Manhattan and Chinatown and reflect the rich cultural identity of the area. Building upon ongoing efforts, the art will enhance the overall pedestrian, cyclist, and public space experience, create stronger gateway treatments, and more welcoming corridors in and around Park Row. To highlight these changes, NYC DOT Art is seeking up to four (4) artists to develop temporary site-responsive art to achieve these goals.
All interested artists (the “Artists”) are eligible to submit past work examples in response to this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the opportunity to be selected to develop and install final temporary site-responsive art at sites designated by NYC DOT in either asphalt art, barrier beautification, vinyl fence wraps, or digital illustration for aluminum signage.
Interested Artists are invited to submit a single application, and Artists are only eligible to receive one commission per Fiscal Year. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Conceptual Project Map
Selection Process
A project-specific committee will review all submitted applications and rank finalists based on the following criteria:
• Past artwork demonstrates proficiency in design and ability to translate the design;
• Previous experience demonstrates ability to collaborate with a large agency on a public project; and
• Previous experience demonstrates ability to collaborate with community groups and the public to incorporate community feedback into final design.
Project Scope
• Complete one (1) conceptual design and, once approved, complete one (1) final design for review and approval by NYC DOT Art
• Work with NYC DOT staff to develop implementation plan and material list
• Fabricate and install artwork on site with NYC DOT staff supervision
• Selected Artists may be asked to participate in on-site community engagement events
For more information on project scopes for each project type review the PDF version of our RFQ on our website.
Project Fees
Selected Artists will receive up to twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) towards direct project costs dependent on project type. NYC DOT will provide the necessary permits to install on City-owned property.
All Artists will be required to enter into a legal agreement with NYC DOT, and in order to receive payment, will be required to submit a W9 form, Doing Business Form, Quote Form and invoices. The legal agreement must be signed in advance of receiving any payments. As per the agreement, the Artist receives credit, sole ownership, and copyright of the final design and artwork, but is required to extend to the City the right to a royalty-free, perpetual license to use any depiction of the artwork for non-commercial purposes.
All questions may be emailed to arts@dot.nyc.gov.