Aqua Crest Aquatic Complex

Palm Beach County is soliciting applications for the design, fabrication, and installation of tile-based public art at the Aqua Crest Aquatic Complex in Delray Beach, Florida under its Art in Public Places program, with shortlist applications due October 19, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. A local-vendor preference of 5 points (out of 100 total evaluation points) applies to artists with a permanent place of business in Palm Beach County established prior to the call issuance.

The scope encompasses architecturally integrated tile artwork in ceramic, porcelain, terracotta, stone, or glass across approximately 960 square feet distributed among five exterior panels on the entrance and ticketing building. The artist or artist team must design, fabricate, and install the completed artwork by April 10, 2028.

Eligibility requires professional-artist status with demonstrated experience designing, fabricating, and installing large-scale public tile artwork. The selected artist's business entity must be registered to do business in the State of Florida. Applications are submitted through CODAworx and must include a resume, letter of interest, and up to five images of past work with specifications.

The maximum fixed project budget is $348,000, inclusive of artist fees (not to exceed 10 percent of total budget), design, engineering, permitting, materials, fabrication, shipping, installation, and project management. All shortlist finalists selected to present concept proposals receive a flat honoraria of $1,000.

Shortlist evaluation (up to three artists) is weighted on demonstrated ability to design and install large-scale public art (40 points) and quality of past work (60 points). Finalist selection is based on artistic merit of the concept design (45 points), alignment with art design goals (50 points), and local preference (5 points). Shortlist selection occurs November 30, 2026, followed by a mandatory pre-proposal virtual meeting December 6, 2026, and finalist selection January 11, 2027. All proposals become public records under Florida public records law.