Artists: Submit a design for a sculptural bike rack for the Cultural District

You may have voted in the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s sculptural bike rack contest last year, featured in the Pittsburgh City Paper. Well, the Trust has announced the second phase of the bicycle rack project. The first phase will be completed this month, with the installation of five artist-designed bicycle racks throughout the Cultural District.

The Trust invites Pittsburgh-area artists (residents of Allegheny County) to design and develop functional bicycle racks to be located along the Penn Avenue corridor from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center (11th Street) to Stanwix Street.

This second phase of the project will produce five bicycle racks, with the potential for more to follow. The deadline for the request for qualifications is November 30, 2014. Budget Each selected artist receives a fee of $3000 to create a unique and functional bicycle rack. This fee covers the costs for design, fabrication, finishing, and transportation of the completed bicycle rack to the installation site. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is responsible for the cost of installation and naming plaques.

Specifications for Design: The bicycle rack finish is to be galvanized steel (either raw and/or powder coated), aluminum, or stainless steel. No other finishes, including hand-painted finishes, will be accepted. • Each bicycle rack will be limited to two bikes. • The bicycle rack should support the bikes in at least two places, including one wheel. • The bicycle rack must allow for ease of locking utilizing a commonly used “U” lock or longer cable lock. • Each bicycle parking space is easily accessible without moving another bicycle for access and maneuvering. • Base plates should be a minimum of 1/4” thick steel with the ability to be bolted to a concrete pad in four places. Safety • All bicycle rack designs must adhere to all Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards for protrusions in the right-of-way, including the ability to detect the rack with a white cane. To be detected by a white cane, the protruding or leading edge of the rack shall be 27” or less above the sidewalk surface, and between 27” and 80” above the sidewalk surface, protruding or leading may overhang a maximum of 12”. • The top of the bicycle rack design must be a minimum of 36” tall. Except for the bicycle rack supporting brackets, the shortest section of the bicycle rack must be a minimum of 27” tall, tall enough to be perceived by pedestrians and avoid tripping hazards. • The space between the rack features must be larger than 9” and smaller than 3.5’ to avoid children trapping their heads. • The design must not include sharp edges.

How to Apply: Each artist must submit the following for consideration: • Resume • A minimum of five images of completed works from his or her portfolio • A brief artist statement (no more than one page) on his or her approach to this project • Three references with contact information Artists who have previously applied to the program and were not accepted are welcome to apply again. Please share request for qualifications files using wetransfer.com, and send them to staggs@trustarts.org.

Project Timeline:

Request for Qualifications deadline is November 30, 2014.

Notification to selected artists for proposals is January 30, 2015

Proposals to be received by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on March 31, 2015

Notification of winning proposals to artists by April 30, 2015.

Installation of bicycle racks by August 7, 2015

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