The City of Johnson City, TN is seeking qualifications from artists or art teams for the commission of a sculptural fountain to be placed in a pond within a newly developed wetland park.

THE PURPOSE OF THESTORMWATER BASIN / WETLAND PARK PROJECT: As part of the redevelopment of the West Walnut Street corridor, a business district between East Tennessee State University and downtown Johnson City, a former business complex was demolished to accommodate a new park designed to alleviate flooding and improve water quality. Storm related flooding is a major concern for area residents and business owners in this area. This project, with a primary goal of stormwater mitigation and storage, will capture surface water, treat it efficiently and discharge it into Brush Creek. As Brush Creek is an impaired stream with causes such as E. coli and sedimentation/siltation, the infusion of treated surface water will be beneficial to the overall water quality of the creek and surrounding areas. The wetland park will include a storm pond for water storage, and the sculptural fountain will be located at this site.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The City of Johnson City is seeking a sculptural fountain design that celebrates ecological restoration, biodiversity, and the return of a tranquil, natural oasis in the midst of a busy urban corridor. The fountain is also intended to serve afunctional purpose in aerating the pond in which it will be placed, improving water quality and the health of aquatic life. Artists will have the option to provide either both the sculptural component and the fountain or the sculptural component only. If only the sculpture is provided, the City will select a fountain and will work with the artist to place it along with the sculpture. Artists who include the fountain must offer an aerating fountain as opposed to a decorative fountain, or include a combination of the two.

The pond will be fed by water from a spring that once belonged to one of the first families to settle in the Johnson City area. Through natural water filtration and erosion control in the wetland park, the water flowing through this area is expected to be greatly improved, thereby creating an environment where more wetland species may thrive. Shade trees will also be planted along the waterways, cooling the water temperature and providing more oxygen to sustain aquatic life. After this period of ecological restoration, it is hoped that indicator species such as frogs, salamanders, turtles, and waterbirds such as the Great Blue Heron will occupy this area, signifying positive changes in the overall health of the natural environment. The fountain design should be inspired by this narrative and should in turn inspire the viewer to reflect upon the importance of water quality in our community. Please view the complete project description at the application link.

ELIGIBILITY: This opportunity is open to all professional artists over the age of 18 with previous public sculpture experience. Artists must reside within the United States.

APPLY: Visit https://www.johnsoncitytn.org/bid_detail_T4_R432.php 

• After clicking the link above, view the Attached Document "RFQu 6849 Sculptural Fountain Project.pdf" for complete submission details
• IMPORTANT: If you wish to submit electronically, please view the "Addendum 1" located just above the "RFQu 6849 Sculptural Fountain Project.pdf" link. The link for electronic submissions in the RFQu document itself is not functional, and our Purchasing Dept. issued the Addendum to provide the active link for electronic submissions.
• SUBMISSION DEADLINE: May 30, 2025 by 4:00 p.m. EST
• Questions? Please call our Purchasing Dept. at 423-975-2715

The Public Art Committee of Johnson City, TN is seeking qualifications from artists or art teams for the commission of a mural to be located at 700 Buffalo Street in downtown Johnson City.

ELIGIBILITY: This opportunity is open to all professional artists over the age of 18. Applicants must reside within the United States.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Johnson City Public Art Committee has invested in several murals aimed at celebrating the community’s distinctive identity, rich cultural history, and reverence for our shared home in Northeast Tennessee. One of the most recent additions to the mural program highlights regional artists’ important and ongoing contributions to American music and craft. Continuing in this vein, the Committee is launching a new mural that will focus on our community’s dynamic tradition of oral and written literature and their vivid, vernacular forms of storytelling. The mural project encourages artists to explore the intersection of word and image through engagement with local poetry. A diverse selection of poems, composed by three different modern and contemporary poets local to the region, are provided for inspiration (included in “Appendix” section of the RFQ document). Artists are free to work with any number of the poems that resonate with them. Visual responses to the poetic text do not need to be literal or illustrative. Artists are encouraged to borrow freely, even impressionistically, from the poems. Text may be incorporated into the composition, but this is not required. The Committee hopes that the resulting mural will resonate with the poetic legacy of our region, excite viewers’ imaginations, and foster pride in our community.

MURAL SITE: The mural site is located on the back wall of a downtown business and faces a parking lot adjacent to Ashe Street. The site is located within the W. Walnut corridor, an area that is currently undergoing redevelopment. There is a fair amount of vehicular traffic at the mural site, though there is also frequent foot traffic. Foot traffic is likely to increase in the future as plans for redevelopment include pedestrian and bike-friendly components ranging from East Tennessee State University to downtown Johnson City.

The wall is painted brick and approximately 60’ x 30’ (view images in the RFQ document for detailed measurements). The top of the wall is tiered, starting at a higher elevation on the left side of the wall and dropping to a lower elevation on the right side. 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

 Completed submission form
 Signed insurance checklist (The insurance checklist must be signed by either the artist’s insurance agent and the artist stating the policies currently held OR signed by the artist stating that he/she will obtain the required insurance policies if awarded the commission)
 Signed general contract form
 Cover letter/letter of intent
 Resume
 10 digital images of previous artwork (Combine images into one pdf file)
 Contact information for 3 professional references

Please note: Art teams must submit qualifications under the name of one lead artist. In the cover letter, the lead artist must indicate that they plan to work as part of a team and must list the names of the artist(s) within their team. Art teams shall submit at least 10 images of previous artwork, but they may submit up to 10 images for each team member if desired.

ANTICIPATED TIMELINE

● Deadline for submissions: August 30, 2024 by 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)

● Notification of three finalists: September 20, 2024

● Final design submission/presentation: October 21, 2024

● Final artist selection: October 25, 2024

Please note: Installation of the mural will be scheduled in consultation with the selected artist. The preferred installation period is spring of 2025.