Rochester Art Centercommission
City of Rochester Creative Wayfinding Public Art RFQ
- Who Can Apply: Artists ages 18 and older of all backgrounds; open to individuals and artistic teams
- The Focus: Public artwork and a visual concept that complement Rochester's "Detours Lead to Discoveries" interim wayfinding campaign and encourage downtown exploration
- Compensation: Total project budget up to $23,000 to cover artist time, materials, fabrication, graphic design, and all project expenses
- Key Requirements: A letter of interest covering artistic practice and interest; experience with public art, temporary outdoor work, graphic imagery, interactive work, or wayfinding/placemaking; approach to creating exploration-focused 2D signage imagery; community engagement experience; 5–10 work samples; and what information you need to develop a full proposal
DeadlineMonday, October 19, 2026
PayUp to $23,000 total project budget, all-inclusive of the artist's time for concept development, design, production and public engagement, plus materials, fabrication, graphic design and other project costs. Installation is carried out by City crews. No stipend is stated for the invited full-proposal stage.
Application fee$0
Program datesMid-December 2026 – June 30, 2027 (design Jan–Feb 2027; production Mar–Apr 2027; installation May–June 2027; artwork on view through mid-summer 2028)
LocationRochester, MN
ParticipationOn-site
Career stagesAll Stages
Disciplinespublic art, temporary outdoor work, graphic imagery, interactive art, wayfinding, placemaking, community engagement
Age range18–
Application notesTwo-part selection: a letter of interest in response to this RFQ, then an invitation-only full proposal (request for proposals issued November 3, 2026; full proposals due November 30, 2026; selected artist under contract mid-December). Submit through the Google Form linked on the page (a Google sign-in is required). The letter of interest must: briefly describe your artistic practice and why this project interests you; describe your experience creating public art, temporary outdoor work, graphic imagery, interactive work or projects related to wayfinding or placemaking; briefly describe how you might approach creating artwork that encourages exploration of downtown and can translate into 2D imagery for wayfinding; describe any experience with community engagement; provide 5-10 samples of previous work; and say what information you need to develop a full proposal. Artists may propose 2D or 3D work in a range of media, but the final artwork must include reproducible 2D visual elements for the Detours Lead to Discoveries signage and be durable or reproducible for at least a year on display from June 2027. A minimum of three installation sites will be chosen with the City. Questions or accommodations: Kalianne Morrison, kmorrison@rochesterartcenter.org.
Contactkmorrison@rochesterartcenter.org
Rochester Art Center
Organization based in Rochester