CITY OF BLOOMINGTON ANNOUNCES CALL FOR ARTIST QUALIFICATIONS FOR HOPEWELL COMMONS 1% FOR THE ARTS INSTALLATION

The City of Bloomington, in partnership with the Bloomington Arts Commission, seeks an artist or artistic team working in Indiana or adjacent states to create a signature artwork at Hopewell Commons, a community-oriented area comprised of green space, areas for active and passive enjoyment, and arts programming. 

The city seeks proposals for unique, durable, low-maintenance site-specific artwork of any media that will activate Hopewell Commons as a welcoming, inclusive space that reflects the history of the area and facilitates a sense of community and connectedness for the residents and visitors in the developing neighborhood. The work may manifest in one or multiple locations across Hopewell Commons.

The full call for artist proposals is available here. Proposals for the project must be submitted using the application form available here no later than 11:59PM ET on Friday, March 29nd, 2024. 

The budget for the project is $100,000 and must include all costs: artist fees, fabrication, insurance, shipping, transportation and documentation of the work, etc. Funding for this project comes from the City of Bloomington’s 1% for the Arts Ordinance, which states that certain city capital projects shall include an amount not less than one percent of the city's contribution to the estimated construction costs of the project for public art.

Hopewell Background

In 1905, Bloomington’s Local Council of Women bought a 10-room red brick house that would become Bloomington’s first hospital. Local activists and volunteers supported the hospital with canned goods, garden produce, fundraisers, and even raised chickens to help feed patients. The house, located on a portion of the acreage that became Bloomington Hospital and later IU Health Bloomington Hospital, once belonged to Isaac Hopewell. The property came to be known by that name, linking “Hopewell” to the site for generations to come. Serving as part of Bloomington’s hospital for nearly six decades, Hopewell House was eventually razed in the summer of 1963. The legacy of Hopewell House – residents taking action to care for each other – continues to inspire the many individuals working to ensure that the new neighborhood remains a place of compassion, good health, and care. 

On January 3, 2018, the City of Bloomington and IU Health announced that they had signed a letter of intent to transfer the hospital property and other nearby parcels to the City for its development in the community’s interest. After extensive work with Bloomington residents, community stakeholders, and an expert group of consultants, the City released the Hopewell Master Plan to develop the site as a new neighborhood that includes accessible housing, storefronts for small businesses, and green spaces for active and passive enjoyment and cultural programming. 

The Hopewell neighborhood vision:

• Bloomington must diversify and expand opportunities for all. Hopewell should be an inclusive neighborhood where people from all walks of life and all ages, incomes, abilities and backgrounds can thrive.
• Bloomington must create sustainable neighborhoods to advance toward a zero-carbon future. Hopewell should exhibit best practices in sustainable redevelopment, as a blueprint for a more equitable, livable, and resilient Bloomington. 
• Bloomington must continue to be a place of beauty and excellent design for all. Hopewell should be an inspiring neighborhood of excellent design and public and private amenities.

Hopewell Commons will be the first phase of the neighborhood to be developed. Subsequent phases of the development will continue into 2028. The Hopewell development poses an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop an innovative neighborhood. Hopewell Commons and the artwork ultimately created in this area will be central to this vision.

"Bloomington's commitment to creative excellence is once again on display with the announcement of this call. I am delighted that public art will be integrated into the Hopewell plan and look forward to receiving the site-specific proposals."

The full call for qualifications is available here.

The application form is available here.

Proposals for the project must be submitted using the application form no later than 11:59PM ET on Friday, March 29nd, 2024.