Land Acknowledgment Project RFQ

The Oregon Arts Commission is seeking a writer, curator, or creative team to lead the Land Acknowledgment Project, a Percent for Art in Public Places opportunity at the Oregon State Capitol. This procurement is specifically for a Project Leader who will design and manage a community engagement process to collect and curate quotes about the land from Oregon tribal members, which will be inscribed on stone seating and/or landscape elements throughout the Capitol grounds. The selected contractor will be responsible for soliciting and editing tribal member quotes, potentially working with a construction and design team that will handle fabrication and installation. Eligible applicants must be either enrolled members of Oregon Tribal Nations or individuals with deep knowledge of tribal communities and culture, with the requirement that teams have at least one lead member meeting this criterion. The procurement also requires the Project Leader to have design skills in vector graphic software or the ability to hire someone with such skills from the existing budget. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Pacific Time on Monday, June 10, 2024, with a selection committee reviewing submitted materials and potentially conducting finalist interviews.

The procurement appears to have specific set-aside provisions targeting Indigenous artists and professionals with tribal community connections. While open to individual practitioners and teams, there is a clear preference for participants with direct tribal affiliations or extensive cultural knowledge. The project is funded through the Oregon Percent for Art in Public Places program, with an anticipated art budget of $35,000 that covers all project costs including fees, travel, meetings, and design. This budget represents the total compensation and resource allocation for the entire project, encompassing the Project Leader's compensation, community engagement efforts, and potential design work. No incumbent vendors are mentioned in the documentation, and the project seems to be a standalone initiative focused on creating a meaningful land acknowledgment representation at the state capitol. The procurement emphasizes community engagement, cultural representation, and collaborative design in developing a site-specific art installation that centers contemporary Indigenous voices within the state's public spaces.