Art in Public Places

Summary:

The City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places (APP) Program is requesting designs from artists aged 3 to 18 years old. The drawings will be sandblasted into 16" × 16" granite pavers and incorporated into the City’s streetscape. Drawings should reflect a theme relating to celebrating the 150^th anniversary of Colorado or the 250^th anniversary of the country. The Selection Committee will select multiple artists for this project.

Project:

The City’s Streets and Engineering Departments work to provide safe pedestrian access by creating new pedestrian routes as well as improving existing areas. The City requests black and white line drawings, either representational or abstract concepts with themes celebrating: the 150th anniversary of Colorado’s statehood or the 250th anniversary of United States Declaration of Independence. The selected designs will be sandblasted into 16" × 16" granite pavers and placed in various sidewalks throughout Fort Collins. The artwork will be a signature piece in the city and be highly visible to the public.

Eligibility:

Artwork will be accepted from youth, aged 3 to 18 years old. The artists are required to reside and/or attend a school within the City of Fort Collins Growth Management Area. A map of the Growth Management Area can be found at this link. Entries will be reviewed in three age categories: 3–8, 9–12, and 13–18. Each artist may submit only one drawing.

Budget:

Artists whose designs have been selected by the committee will be awarded $50. Up to 15 designs will be selected.

Selection Process:

The selection committee may consist of the Art & Culture Board, representatives from the City’s Project Team and City Purchasing Department. The committee will review submissions and either recommend finalists or make a final selection. The selection committee reserves the right to reject any entry at any time in the review and selection process. All designs selected become the property of the City of Fort Collins. Selected artists will be required to sign an agreement with the City and provide a W-9 for honorarium payment.

Selection Criteria:

Selection is based on suitability of the design, including form, content, scale, and clarity. The design should be picture-based, not word-based. Designs that include logos; copyrighted or trademarked images; advertisements; or political, commercial, religious, or sexual symbols, themes, or messages will not be accepted.

Submission Information:

Proposals must be received before 5:00 p.m. (our clock), October 26, 2026
Final Selection November 2026

Please mail form with ONE drawing to:
APP 2026 PEDESTRIAN PAVER PROJECT
City of Fort Collins Purchasing Division
P.O. Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522

Or email form with ONE drawing to: 
purchasing@fortcollins.gov
Type "2026 Pedestrian Paver Project" in the subject line. Request an acknowledgement email.

Or form with ONE drawing may be hand-delivered Tues–Sat, between 1 PM and 6 PM to:
2026 PEDESTRIAN PAVER PROJECT
The Lincoln Center Box Office
Attn: Art in Public Places
417 W. Magnolia St.
Fort Collins, CO 80521
(The Box Office is inside the main entrance at the corner of Magnolia and Meldrum Streets.)

All drawings will become the property of the City of Fort Collins and cannot be returned.

Application Materials to be Submitted:

Please complete the Pedestrian-Paver-Artist-Form.pdf(PDF, 91KB) with the following information:

1. Design: ONE black and white THICK, BOLD, CLEAR line drawing (no shading) completed on the attached form. Fine, intricate details cannot be duplicated in a sandblasted paver and we reserve the right to edit images for clarity.
2. Written explanation: A description of your design.
3. Contact information.

Questions:

Questions concerning the scope of the project should be directed to Ellen Martin at (970) 416-2789.

Notice:

All proposals submitted must meet all applicable City codes and Charter requirements. The City of Fort Collins reserves the right to reject all proposals and to waive irregularities or informalities.

Sincerely,
Jake Rector
Interim Purchasing Director

Project Summary

The City of Fort Collins, Colorado, Art in Public Places Program (APP) is seeking submissions to select an artist/artist team to develop art concepts for the Water Quality Services Division Building Project. The artists/teams will work with the project team to develop concepts for art at the site. Artists/teams will be selected based on their qualifications and application materials. The art project is estimated at $295,000.

Submission Information

Art in Public Places Program Water Quality Services Division Building Project
Proposals must be received before 11:59 p.m. (our clock), November 16, 2026
Artist Selection: December 2026

Project Description

The City of Fort Collins, Colorado, Art in Public Places Program is seeking an artist/team to collaborate with the Project Team and develop site-specific artworks for the Water Quality Services Division Building Project. The department, design team, and APP Board will determine the extent of the artist’s involvement in the project. Artist will start meeting with the project team immediately after the selection process.

This new facility at 702 West Drake Road will consolidate the City’s Pollution Control Laboratory, Water Quality Laboratory and Watershed Team into a single, state-of-the-art laboratory environment. By bringing these operations together, the City will strengthen compliance with Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment requirements, foster greater operational integration, and enable more efficient use of staff and resources. Importantly, the facility will be designed to accommodate future growth and expansion, ensuring that the City can continue to meet evolving regulatory and community needs for decades to come.

The building will not be open to the public; however, community members may have access to the facility by appointment. Opportunities for partnerships with local educational institutions are also anticipated. The building’s conference room will be available for water-related community meetings. Artwork is expected to be mainly located outside the building or positioned where it is visible from by the public.

Eligibility

This project is open to artists/artist teams residing in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas, who are at least 18 years of age, and legally residing in and authorized to work in the United States. Artist/Teams must be able to work effectively and collaboratively with the project’s design team selected by the City of Fort Collins.

Budget

The total contract amount for all applicable expenses, which includes all fees for consulting with the design team, the design, execution, transportation, site preparation, and installation of all artwork selected as well as a project plaque, shall be an approximate amount up to $295,000. This figure will also include any travel expenses.

Media

All media appropriate to the project will be considered. All applicants are expected to consider the issues of long-term conservation and maintenance of public art, along with timeline and budget. The work is intended to be a permanent addition to the City of Fort Collins. Design and installation must consider that the work will be situated in a public location and subject to the elements and potential vandalism.

Selection Process

A selection committee may consist of members of the Arts & Culture Board, the project team, and a City Purchasing Department representative. The committee will review application materials and select semifinalists. Semifinalists will be interviewed by the project team before final selection. Artists/teams will be selected based on their qualifications/application. The committee reserves the right to reject any or all entries at any time during the review and selection process.

The artist/team will have a design contract and work with the project team to develop concepts for the site and then create a detailed proposal, budget and timeline for the art element(s). Final approval is required from the APP Board and the Fort Collins City Council. Depending on the final design/materials of the project, the artist may be awarded the contract to fabricate the project.

Selection Schedule

• Nov.16, 2026, 11:59 pm MST | Deadline

• December 2026 | Selection committee meets to select semifinalists; all applicants notified of application status

• December 2026-Early-January 2027 | Semifinalist Interviews

• Mid-Late-January 2027 | Finalist selected and starts working with the project team

Selection Criteria

In reviewing the submitted RFQ materials, the committee will consider the following:

• The artist’s letter of intent and how well it addresses this project.

• The artist’s experience working within the public art process and demonstrated ability to work with a project team.

• The quality of the artist’s submitted portfolio of previous work samples.

Application Materials to be Submitted

Please submit one (1) copy of the following materials:

1. A one page letter of intent describing your interest in this project. Please describe any past project experience working with a design team.

2. Current resume (max. 2 pages) outlining your professional accomplishments as an artist and experience with design team projects.

3. Three (3) References: Names, professional titles, phone numbers, and email addresses of three references who can speak to your experience as an artist and past public art projects.

4. Six (total) digital images of relevant work completed within the past ten years. Artist names, title, date, media, dimensions, location, and cost of the artwork.

Notes: Submission materials will not be returned. Do not include a proposal, graphic rendering or illustration with this application. Please don’t include images on resume, letter of intent, or image list. Submissions must be complete or will not be reviewed. Materials not requested will not be reviewed.

Questions

Questions concerning the scope of the project should be directed to Liz Good at LGood@fortcollins.gov or (970) 416-2646.

Notice

All proposals submitted must meet all applicable City codes and Charter requirements. The City of Fort Collins reserves the right to reject all proposals and to waive irregularities or informalities. The City of Fort Collins can stop a project at any time. Artists are not to contact the project community/neighborhoods for an APP project unless arranged through Liz Good, APP Project Manager for the City.

Sincerely,

Jake Rector
Purchasing Director