Hobby Airport West Concourse Expansion Gate Portal Artworks Request for Qualifications

About the Open Call

Request for Qualifications Civic Art Project for Houston Airports in partnership with Southwest Airlines William P. Hobby Airport West Concourse Expansion Gate Portal Artworks. Budget: $60,000.00 for each of the six (6) gates. This opportunity calls for a series of six significant artwork additions, commissioned by Houston Airports in partnership with Southwest Airlines, to be included in the City of Houston’s Civic Art Collection. The Gate Portal Artworks will be highly visible to millions of annual travelers, creating a memorable and lasting impression of Houston as a vibrant, dynamic, and creative city. Envisioned as defining visual moments for passengers departing Houston, the artworks will be installed atop large tile walls at six locations along the north and south gate seating areas. The Hobby Airport West Concourse Expansion will include seven new gates, a state-of-the-art baggage handling system, additional baggage claim carousels and a protective canopy connecting the terminal to the parking garage. The Gate Portal Artworks commission will consist of six individual wall-mounted two-dimensional artworks located above the gate seating areas in the new West Concourse expansion of William P. Hobby Airport. Each artwork area measures approximately 16 feet 9 inches wide by 6 feet 6 inches high. Artworks should be family-friendly and suitable for public display to a diverse and international audience, free of safety hazards, meet City of Houston ADA requirements, be resistant to graffiti and vandalism, require minimal maintenance, have an expected life span of at least 20 years, and make a significant artistic addition to the City of Houston Art Collection. Application Requirements: 1. Artist(s) resume or CV (3 pages maximum per artist or team member). 2. Artist Biography (250 words maximum or under 2 minutes). 3. Statement of Intent/Concept Brief (1,000 words maximum or under 5 minutes). 4. Artist Statement (500 words maximum or under 3 minutes). 5. Images: Up to ten (10) digital images of completed artworks in JPEG format, each no larger than 2 MB, including information about artist, title, year completed, dimensions, material, commissioning entity, and budget or price.

What is Offered

Budget: $60,000.00 for each of the six (6) gates. The budget is inclusive of all work including design proposals, artists’ fees, design, engineering, permitting, insurance costs, lighting, software, studio and project administration, travel, fabrication, all materials, installation, and required documentation.

Requirements

Eligibility is open to all artists and artist-teams living or working in the Greater Houston Area and over 18 years of age. Preference/priority will be given to artists not currently represented in the City of Houston Civic Art Collection. Eligible areas include Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, or Waller counties. Artist/Artist Team must be able to work at the required scale and have availability to accomplish by January 2027. Artworks must be family-friendly, free of safety hazards, meet City of Houston ADA requirements, be resistant to graffiti and vandalism, require minimal maintenance, and have an expected life span of at least 20 years. Artists currently under contract for a City of Houston Civic Art project, City of Houston employees, Elected City Officials, Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs Staff, their immediate family, Houston Arts Alliance employees, Board members, Advisory Board members, and their immediate family are not eligible.

How to Apply

Only applications sent via Submittable will be considered. Applicants should submit Artist(s) resume or CV, Artist Biography, Statement of Intent/Concept Brief, Artist Statement, and up to ten (10) digital images of completed artworks.