Call to Artists to develop designs for public artwork for Portmore Resilience Park
- Introduction
The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) is inviting Jamaican artists, sculptors and creative teams to submit proposals for the design, fabrication and installation of public art pieces for the Portmore Resilience Park. This initiative seeks to integrate public art into the park’s landscape, enhancing its role as a hub for community engagement, environmental sustainability and cultural expression.
- Project Overview
The Portmore Resilience Park is a visionary public space designed to reflect resilience, environmental stewardship and community spirit. It will provide a vibrant setting where art, nature and public life converge. The selected artwork will serve as focal points throughout the park, enriching the visitor experience and inspiring cultural pride.
The design envisions a centralized recreational space for the Portmore community, using stakeholders’ inputs and sustainable design methods. The site will feature landscaping, sporting facilities, event spaces, commercial spaces, public restrooms, green technology, security features and parking. Additionally, the site will also feature a ‘niche’ style commercial development to the north and a transport hub to the south.
- Scope of Work
The selected artists will be tasked with developing original designs for permanent art pieces for the park, aligned with the themes of resilience, community and environmental sustainability, and at scales appropriate for the proposed locations.
The park has two (2) locations designated for the placement of artwork. See attached map showing these locations. Location 1 is positioned beside the Main Entry East. The space is 15m in diameter and features soft-scaping and access by walkways around it. It is situated just outside the perimeter fence. This location can accommodate a large art piece. Location 2 is situated within the park. The artwork here will be placed between seating along a walking path. This area can accommodate minimum six (6) and maximum twelve (12) smaller pieces.
Upon selection, the artist will be responsible for the complete design, fabrication and installation of the winning piece/s for Location 1 or Location 2 OR for both locations. The winning proposal should be timeless and inspiring as it is reflective. The materials will be durable, high quality and capable of being easily maintained over the years. The interventions should aim at broadening the community’s experience of art while contributing to placemaking and civic pride.
The artist will be given four (4) months to complete the design and fabrication. Installation will be facilitated immediately thereafter.
- Submission Process
This is a two-stage artist selection process.
STAGE ONE: Expression of Interest
Submission Deadline: Friday, May 02, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.
All submissions should be formatted as a single PDF and sent electronically to tenders@udcja.com with the subject line: “Proposal – Portmore Resilience Park Public Art”. Late submissions will not be considered. Submissions are to include:
- Application Form – Found on the last page of this document.
- Expression of Interest (1-page maximum) – Include a brief Artist Statement giving an overview of your artistic background and individual design approach. Include a description of the desired outcomes socially, artistically and for the locality, of the eventual proposals.
- Artist’s Résumé
- Support materials (Portfolio) – Include up to five (5) samples of your artistic work in your single PDF submission. Emphasis on public art installations preferred. Include a description of work, title, date created, medium(s), budget (if applicable), materials and dimensions (if applicable).
Please include only the items listed above. Additional materials will not be presented to the selection panel.
STAGE TWO: Request for Proposals
Submission Deadline: Friday, June 13, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.
Following review of eligibility requirements and Expressions of Interest, selected shortlisted artists will be invited to develop their proposals. Submissions for Location 1 and Location 2 must be submitted separately and will be evaluated separately. Shortlisted artists will receive a J$200,000 honorarium upon submission of proposals.
Stage Two submissions should be formatted as a single PDF and sent electronically to tenders@udcja.comwith the subject line: “Proposal – Portmore Resilience Park Public Art”. Submissions should contain the following:
- Detailed Project Proposal (3 page maximum per proposal) – Submit a detailed project proposal including design, plans for execution (methodology), any community engagement activities and any partnerships and/or collaborations.
- Project Timeline – Artists will be required to provide a project timeline identifying proposed key project stages.
- Budget – Artists will be required to prepare a detailed budget for the proposed project. The project budget should include all costs for materials, technical costs, fabrication and installation costs as well as artists fees.
Please note that submissions will not be returned and late or incomplete proposals will not be accepted.
The winning proposal will be determined by a panel that may consist of technical experts, artists, members of the Portmore community and/or anyone that the UDC so appoints. The winning artist will be notified by the contact information provided in the Application Form.
- Budget & Funding
Funding for the sculptures will be provided through the UDC. Artists are encouraged to propose cost-effective approaches while ensuring the highest artistic, material quality and durability standards are maintained.
- Selection process and evaluation criteria
The recommended artists will be chosen through a two-stage selection process. For Stage 1 – Expression of Interest, interested artists will be evaluated based on:
- Artist Qualifications & Experience (30%) – Demonstrated ability to deliver large-scale installations with works that complement the intent of the park project.
- Portfolio strength (50%) – Examples of work in concept or construct (preferred), for public spaces and/or recreational projects.
- Artist Statement (20%) – overview of your artistic background and individual design approach.
Stage 2 – Request for Proposals, involves the submission of the actual proposals of the candidates invited to submit proposals. These would have advanced through concept and design development, and presented with indication of materiality, scale, creative vision, precedents if any and imagery conveying the overall message. Shortlisted artists will receive an honorarium of J$200,000 upon submission of a detailed project proposal,timeline and budget as part of Stage 2. The proposals will be scored based on:
- Quality of Proposal (60%) – Has strong artistic and creative merit. Is innovative, inspiring and unique. Is realistic, technically sound and achievable. Aligns with one or more of the themes of resilience, community and environmental sustainability.
- Methodology (30%) – An expansion of the Artist Statement with the inclusion of the approach to execution, timelines depicting the overall understanding and interpretation of the expected outcomes.
- Budget & Cost-Effectiveness (10%) – Realistic financial planning.
- Contact Information
For further inquiries, please contact:
Director
Strategic Sourcing and Procurement Department
Urban Development Corporation (UDC)
12 Ocean Boulevard, Kingston
876-656-8031
- Legal Considerations
- The UDC reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal.
- The UDC reserves the right to display the proposals in part or whole on its social media platforms and other media for marketing and information purposes.
- Staff members of the UDC and its subsidiaries and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate.
- All artwork must be original and not infringe on any copyright or intellectual property rights.
We look forward to receiving inspiring proposals that will contribute to the cultural vibrancy of Portmore Resilience Park and the community it serves!