Budget: $10,000
Deadline: 09/21/2025
Call Summary
The Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA) invites artists to provide proposals to temporarily install a work of art outdoors at the Indianapolis International Airport. This opportunity is for one pre-existing, free-standing work of art to remain on display in the North Terminal Garden for two years. To be considered, the artwork must fit within the established engineering guidelines for the selected site, be durable, be impervious to weather (unless natural weathering is essential to the concept of the artwork), be low-maintenance and be suitable in form, material and content for a mixed=ages audience that will include young children.
Budget Description
The Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA) will pay the artist of the selected artwork a fee of $5,000 for the two-year loan period; in addition, the IAA will reimburse the artist for up to $5,000 in direct expenses related to transportation, installation and deinstallation of the work. No compensation will be provided to contruct, refurbish or reconstruct the artwork to ready it for installation. IAA, in its discretion, will provide appropriate equipment and personnel to the artist, such as is in the IAA’s possession and/or control, in order to decrease the artist’s cost of installation.
Project Description
The artist selected to lend artwork under this RFP shall be compensated for services leading to a finished installation of a previously completed or currently in-process artwork. This is not a commissioning opportunity.
The artwork placed as a result of this RFP will be considered temporary and is anticipated to remain in its site for a period of two (2) years. During this period, the artwork is subject to removal, return to the artist or re-siting, at the discretion of the IAA. After the established loan and temporary exhibition period, the artwork will revert to the custody of the artist. The artist, at all times, will retain all copyrights to the artwork, but will be required to license some of those rights to the IAA during the loan period.
Artwork Goals
Artwork placed in airports must take into consideration the sensitivities of the majority of the traveling public and common fears about air travel. In addition, the nude human figure or sexually suggestive imagery will never be displayed at Indianapolis International Airport. Also unacceptable are images, or the suggestion of images, depicting terrorism, blood or gore, aviation accidents, or any other images or statements that could be interpreted as a negative reflection on the perceived safety of air travel.
Electioneering, partisan or other overtly political statements are not appropriate, nor are commercial messages or images that could be perceived by the public as a commercial message or endorsement of a business or commercial product. Images or statements that may be interpreted by the public as promoting a specific, identifiable religion or spiritual tradition are not appropriate unless it is in the context of documenting historic or contemporary landmark structures or individuals, or referencing well-known works of art of a religious nature. Finally, statements or images that, in the opinion of the IAA, may offend potential viewers if placed in a public setting, such as an airport, are not appropriate.
Artwork Location Description
The artwork will be placed on a designated concrete pad (provided by the IAA) in the Indianapolis International Airport’s North Garden. The site is accessible on foot through the lower level of the terminal building. The site is visible to vehicles and pedestrians along the lower roadway and to pedestrians along the upper roadway immediately adjacent to the terminal, and to visitors inside the terminal from the north end of the Baggage Claim hall on the Arrivals (first/ground) level and from the north end of the Ticket Hall on the Departures (third) level. There is electrical service available through the concrete pad. External lighting is provided at the site.
Artworks may incorporate any art medium as long as it is sufficiently sturdy to last two full years of outdoor exhibition in typical seasonal conditions, is low-maintenance, and is safe for the public.
The size limitations, dictated by the nature of the site, are as follows:
• Base dimension: The artwork’s base must fit within the designated 60″ square area. The artist will be responsible for providing, if necessary, an appropriate base plate to attach to the concrete site with pre-drilled holes aligning with the established attachment points.
• Height: The artwork must be 20′-0″ tall or less, with the largest projected area 160 s.f. or less. (“projected area” is a contiguous shadow that can be projected onto a vertical plane)
• Weight: The artwork must weigh a total of 50,000 lbs. or less, with a center of gravity 10′-0″ or less above the base.
Site History
Artwork has been rotating through this site every two years since 2012.
Eligibility
Artists responding to this RFP must be at least 18 years of age and reside in the states of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, Wisconsin, or Missouri. Although the IAA will provide limited local liability coverage for the installed artwork, artists must have, or be willing to obtain, at least $2M of general liability and damage insurance covering the artwork during transportation, installation and deinstallation and shall provide IAA with a certificate of insurance prior to delivering the artwork.
Application Requirements
Biography
Resume: 2 page(s) maximum
Work examples: 1 – 5
Artists are allowed to apply in teams.
Artists applying as a team must split the allotted number of work examples between themselves.
Selection Information
Selection Process
A professional panel composed of both IAA representatives and experts knowledgeable about public art will review all submitted proposals and will recommend one project to the IAA’s Board of Directors for siting. The IAA, in its sole judgment and discretion, reserves the right to reject all submissions and to make a direct selection of an artwork, or to entirely withdraw the opportunity, with no advance notice.
Selection Criteria
Proposals submitted under this RFP will be evaluated on the following criteria, listed in order of priority:
Artistic Merit: the aesthetics, concept, content, craftsmanship and approach of the artwork and the desirability of the artwork for the context of Indianapolis International Airport, the City of Indianapolis and the State of Indiana.
Feasibility: the technical feasibility of placing the artwork within the site and context of the North Garden, and the likelihood of the successful completion of the project within the indicated time and cost parameters.
Process: the likelihood of a smooth and pleasant collaboration among the artist, the project manager, IAA administration and the public.
Timeline*
• Wednesday, August 6, 2025: Announcement of opportunity
• Wednesday, August 17, 2025: Application Workshop, 6:30-8pm. This is an online workshop. A recording of the workshop will be linked through the application form.
• Sunday, September 21, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: Deadline for receipt of proposals. The application form will automatically close on this date and time
• October, 2025: Adjudication of proposals by the curatorial team.
• By October 31, 2025: Notification of intent to borrow artwork.
• November – December, 2025: Contract negotiation, lease payment, and installation planning
• January, 2026: Installation of artwork at Indianapolis International Airport.
• December, 2027: Estimated date for removal of artwork from site.
This is the best estimate of the project calendar at this time. Further schedule refinements may occur as the project progresses.