THIS CALL HAS CLOSED.

Activated: 04/22/2023 Deadline: 06/08/2023

Call Summary Please read through the whole announcement before applying. INTRODUCTION New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park seeks artists to take part in a marine debris artist residency! In partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program, (https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/) the National Park Service/New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park is seeking proposals from artists or collaboratives to design and execute a juried public marine debris exhibit(s) to be installed in the National Park. The goal of the exhibit is to raise awareness of regional marine debris issues and encourage personal behaviors that can reduce and prevent marine debris. This opportunity is open to established or emerging artists or collaboratives who have a connection with New Bedford and have a working knowledge of the issue. BACKGROUND Throughout most of the 19th century, New Bedford was the whaling capital of the world, bringing wealth and prosperity to the city. Since then, the city’s port has adapted to meet changing demands of the nation and the world to maintain its status as one of the most important ports in North America. In 2022, for the 21st consecutive year, the port of New Bedford ranked as the highest economic value fishing port in the United States, according to NOAA’s Fisheries of the Unites States report. Please visit our park website for more information on our organization. www.nps.gov/nebe What is marine debris? Marine debris is anything solid and human-made that ends up in the ocean or Great Lakes. Marine debris not only presents a nuisance to recreational and commercial vessels, but it also impairs water quality and degrades marine habitat and ecosystems that are critical to New Bedford’s coastal community.? In 2021 alone, Clean Ocean Access removed approximately 5,000 pounds of trash from the New Bedford Harbor Trash Skimmer.

Budget Description BUDGET Artist(s) must include a detailed budget with their proposal outlining artist fees, supplies, fabrication, installation, lighting, etc. Depending on the scale of the proposed exhibits, one or two artists or collaboratives will be selected. Stipend will be based on quality of exhibit and scope of proposal; budget should fall within the $8,000-$17,000 range; with no more than $10,000 for an individual artist stipend.

Project Description SCOPE OF WORK This installation will be on public National Park Service land, and it must appeal to, be acceptable to, and be understood by a broad segment of the public from around the region and the nation. The piece must be apolitical and non-partisan in nature and its message may not target a specific industry or manufacturer. The display will be year-round and must be fabricated of durable materials that can withstand salt spray, intense sun, freezing temperatures, and high winds. Proposed display materials must withstand extreme weather elements and require only minimal maintenance during the life of the installation, which may to be up to 5 years. Should maintenance or repairs be necessary, the artist may be consulted for guidance before repairs are made. Installation setting may be on concrete/asphalt or on natural surface (dirt, grass); installation hardware and materials are the responsibility of the artist, and park staff will assist with final installation. Materials and construction/installation methods must consider structural safety for visitor interaction and meet accessibility requirements; the NPS will provide accessibility specifications at the time of award. Once the piece is submitted and installed, it becomes the property of the National Park Service, which will maintain the installation while it remains on site. This is a one-year residency commitment which includes public programming and public art installation. The selected artist must be able to easily travel to and from New Bedford, MA during the commitment period. The commitment period is approximately September 2023 through September 2024. If the applicant does not live locally, they must provide information on where they will be based during the residency period. Housing and travel are not provided. All applying artists must be able to obtain and register a Unique Entity ID number with sam.gov. Funding must be distributed through this direct deposit method. PROJECT DELIVERABLES Upon the award of a contract, the artist(s) shall fabricate and deliver the display/exhibit within the timeline specified and in accordance with the design and materials approved by all partnering parties. Artists are encouraged to use marine debris data and/or actual debris from Buzzards Bay in the development of the final product. To encompass the scope of the marine debris issue locally, to maximize exposure, and to encourage creativity of design, siting for the installation/s has been recommended by the park to be at the working waterfront of the New Bedford harbor. Artist/s will confer with park staff to determine and confirm exact location/s.

Eligibility This is a one-year residency commitment which includes public programming and public art installation. The selected artist must be able to easily travel to and from New Bedford, MA during the commitment period. The commitment period is approximately September 2023 through September 2024. If the applicant does not live locally, they must provide information on where they will be based during the residency period. Housing and travel are not provided. All applying artists must be able to obtain and register a Unique Entity ID number with sam.gov. Funding must be distributed through this direct deposit method.

Application Requirements

Biography Resume: 1 page(s) maximum Work examples: 1 - 5 Artist Statement: 1000 word maximum Letter of Interest: 1000 word maximum APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS • One page (maximum) letter of interest including the artist’s philosophy and approach to public art, and connection to the project, if any. • One page (maximum) vision statement of the artist's approach to sharing awareness of regional marine debris issues, including specific concepts and ideas as to how the piece will motivate behavior change in park visitors. • An artistic proposal with drawings, images, and/or renderings of the proposed project including a draft of text (if any) to be displayed. Digital images should be in a readily accessible, commonly used format. Images should be 300 dpi by 1000 pixels on the longest side. • A budget proposal highlighting the artist's pricing scale, material costs, labor, installation, etc. • A list of marine debris items to be used in the exhibit (if any). • Résumé which includes documentation of all public and outdoor art or sculptures completed by the artist. Please include links to project or artist websites if applicable. • Two (2) letters of professional references. References provided as part of this application may be contacted prior to award. References: 2

Artists are allowed to apply in teams. Artists applying as a team must split the allotted number of work examples between themselves.

Additional Requirements

BUDGET Document Upload

Selection Information

Selection Process Proposals will be reviewed by a panel of jurors which may include representatives from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, the National Park Service and consulting artists. The selection committee may conduct interviews of all artists who submit a proposal, based on an initial composite rating of Highly Acceptable, in order to gain a better understanding of their approach to the project and to gather additional information needed to conduct a thorough evaluation of the proposal. The screening committee may pose additional questions prior to selection.

Selection Criteria EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS Proposals will be evaluated and assigned a rating of Highly Acceptable, Acceptable, or Not Acceptable, based on the following criteria: 1. The strength of past artwork, including artistic excellence and innovation; appropriateness of previous site-specific work regarding content, scale, form and materials; safety and durability relative to environment, theft, weather and vandalism; experience working in public settings. 2. The strength of the proposed artwork, including artistic excellence and innovation. 3. The ability of the proposed artwork to incorporate design elements - whether literal or metaphorical - that highlight the sources and impacts of marine debris on South Coast beaches. 4. The strength of the marine debris reduction/prevention and behavior change messaging – whether inherent to or engendered by the display. 5. The accessibility, structural safety and environmental sensitivity of the proposed exhibit. 6. The durability and level of maintenance of the proposed exhibit relative to the park’s environment including extreme weather, corrosive aspects of wind, salt and sand. We encourage applicants and awardees to incorporate justice, equity, diversity and inclusion when writing their proposals and performing their work. Applicants may demonstrate this in a variety of ways and examples include, but are not limited to, working in or with under resourced communities, working with stakeholders for whom there is currently limited direct engagement on marine debris issues, encouraging diverse perspectives from project leaders and partners (including, but not limited to, age, career stage, gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic), or incorporating different learning or engagement approaches into the project. Special consideration will be given to proposals that work with disadvantaged communities that have been historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution.

Timeline TIMELINE April 22, 2023 Request for proposals issued (Earth Day 2023) June 8, 2023 Deadline for applications (World Ocean Day 2023) July 15, 2023 Announcement of successful applicant(s) August 2023 Review meeting with successful applicant to address logistics, materials, timeline, ground rules Sept 2023 - April 2024 Coordination with the National Park Service of all deliverables including public programming, research into the issue, debris and data collection, etc. April 22, 2024 Final installation completed (Earth Day 2024) June 8, 2024 Public unveiling event (World Ocean Day 2024) with attendance by artist if possible

Additional Resources

https://www.nps.gov/nebe/index.htm

Contact Information

Lindsay Compton Artist in Residence and Youth Programs Coordinator 33 William St New Bedford MA 02740 United States lindsay_compton@nps.gov 508-996-4095

Submission Instructions