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Arts consultant recommends changes after single response to roundabout call; commission to rewrite RFQ
Summary
After one response to a recent call for qualifications for two public-art projects, arts consultant Karen Mobley recommended broader outreach, clearer budget language, finalist stipends and realistic timelines; the Parks and Arts Commission agreed to rewrite and reissue the RFQ.
The Parks and Arts Commission heard a detailed briefing and recommendations on improving public-art procurement after only one submission was received for a recent call for qualifications covering two projects, including a public sculpture for the Mission roundabout.
Karen Mobley, a consultant and former City of Spokane arts director, told the commission that the city’s artist network is limited and that outreach should use many channels—social media, email lists, regional arts organizations and local press—to reach artists across Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Mobley recommended clearer scope and budget language in the call so artists understand what the budget covers (for example, whether it must include engineering, footing, traffic control and installation), a published construction window and payment schedule, and offering a design stipend to final applicants so they are not asked to produce detailed, unpaid proposals.
“You may want to, if you have a lot of energy, divide that up,” Mobley said of outreach and calls, and she suggested paying finalists a modest stipend (she described typical stipends of $1,500 to $5,000) and clarifying whether prevailing-wage or L&I obligations apply. She also recommended pre-proposal site visits, listing what the city will cover (traffic control, footing or landscape support) and setting realistic expectations for artists about materials and timelines.
Staff reported the call was issued in January and closed in February with one response; that entry appeared better suited to a smaller-scale project and may not have been appropriate for the roundabout. Commissioners and staff discussed whether the city’s calendar target—installation in 2025—may have discouraged applicants because artists often are already booked for the warm-weather season.
Commission staff and members agreed to revise and reissue the call for qualifications. The commission asked staff to include the consultant’s recommendations in the revised RFQ: clarify budget components, publish a construction window, offer a stipend to finalists, and consider splitting the original solicitation into two calls to reflect differing project scales (roundabout versus Town Square-style commissions). Commissioners also said staff should personally phone likely candidates and circulate the revised RFQ widely through regional arts networks. The commission indicated it would carry remaining budget forward if needed and target progress payments during 2025 with installation in 2026.
Mobley additionally recommended realistic budget expectations: at the $30,000–$35,000 range cited in the original prospectus, applicants are likely to be local or regional artists rather than those from larger metropolitan areas given travel and lodging costs; larger budgets typically attract a broader applicant pool. She advised cities to show what the city will cover (for example, traffic control and footing) so artists can budget appropriately.
No formal vote was recorded; the commission directed staff to draft a revised RFQ incorporating the consultant’s guidance and requested legal review of contract terms before reissuing the solicitation.
