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Design council releases RFQ for Plainview Community Center public art
Summary
Design and art teams described a new Plainview Community Center and a national RFQ for three public-art locations. The council voted to release the RFQ; budgets for the sites were discussed as ranges and submission deadlines were announced.
The Wichita City Design Council voted to release a national request for qualifications to commission public art for the Plainview Community Center project.
Andre Aglides of SFS Architecture presented the center's design, describing a new facility connected to Colvin Elementary School with a gymnasium, divisible multipurpose room, computer lab, kids'club rooms and a prep kitchen. Aglides said the team is finishing design development and plans a 90% construction-document submission by April 10, with construction anticipated to start in 2026 and finish in 2027.
Joseph Cohen of Davis Cohen Art, the project's public-art consultant, identified three priority art locations: an exterior facade (roughly 12 by 10 feet), an interior lobby/elevation and a kids-club corridor. Cohen said the city plans a national call that will also encourage local artists to apply; the proposed schedule includes a virtual artists'session on March 11, a questions deadline of March 24, an entry deadline of March 31 and selections in April. "Anybody's coming in from the entry and going through the main corridor would see this space," Cohen said, arguing a combined approach for certain locations could maximize impact.
Council members asked for budget clarification. Cohen confirmed the proposed budgets discussed in the meeting as ranges: the exterior work at about $110,000to $125,000, an interior/lobby area in the $50,000to $75,000 range and the kids'club corridor in the roughly $20,000 range. Cohen explained the RFQ is structured to allow either one artist to take multiple locations or separate artists for different sites, and staff said they would both broadly solicit applicants and reach out directly to artists.
After the presentation and a procedural exchange to allow public comment, a council member moved to approve release of the RFQ and the council voted to authorize staff to proceed with outreach and the RFQ as presented.
The next steps are release of the RFQ on the city's artist platform, the virtual session on March 11 and the deadlines Cohen described. Staff will return with selections and any required contract recommendations in accordance with the city's procurement processes.
