Rosa Parks Sculpture Design Competition

CFDA No. 45.024
2008NEA03RPSC

Program Description

The Congress of the United States has authorized the production of a statue to memorialize civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks that will be placed in National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol. To assist with this important commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the Architect of the Capitol and the Joint Committee on the Library, will administer a competition to select the artist.

The statue will be:

• Made of bronze and finished with a traditional patina.
• Life size.
• Traditional in style, as required for inclusion in National Statuary Hall.
• Placed on a hollow, granite-clad pedestal with a simple inscription.

The statue and pedestal will not exceed ten feet in total height nor weigh more than 3,000 pounds. Please click here to see the detailed information regarding specifications for the statue. The artist will be responsible for documenting the development of the piece as well as executing it.

All artists who are interested in being considered must submit an application by May 30, 2008. Following review of these applications, it is anticipated that no more than ten artists will be invited by August 1, 2008, to create maquettes, a portrait drawing, and other material for further review.

Award Information

Award Amounts and Matching Funds

This program supports a commission by the Architect of the Capitol on behalf of the United States Congress, not grants. No matching funds are required.

Following review of the initial applications, the Architect of the Capitol will contract with up to ten artists, providing each with $10,000 for the creation of a maquette, drawings, and other material for further review.

Following the second level of review, the Architect of the Capitol will enter into a contract for the sculpture commission of $100,000 to $250,000 to the selected artist. This amount will cover the production and casting of the sculpture; design and production of the base; packing, shipping, and installation; and the artist's fee. It also will cover documentation of the entire process.

Period of Support

It is expected that the statue will be installed by a date agreed upon by the artist and the Architect of the Capitol.

Applicant Eligibility

Applicants must be:

• U.S. citizens.
• Able to demonstrate the ability to produce portraits.
• Have significant experience in the sculpting and casting of large-scale bronze works.

An individual may submit only one application

How to Prepare and Submit an Application

Applicants must submit their applications electronically through Grants.gov, the federal government's online application system. The Grants.gov system must receive your application no later than 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on May 30, 2008. The Arts Endowment will not accept late applications.

Step-by-step instructions for registering are available at Individual Registration. As part of the registration process, you will be asked to provide the Funding Opportunity Number that you intend to apply under on Grants.gov. Enter 2008NEA03RPSC. If you have problems registering, call the Grants.gov help desk at 1-800-518-4726, e-mail support@grants.gov, or consult the information posted on the Grants.gov Web site at Applicant Help. The Grants.gov Customer Service hours are 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday to Friday.

Please note: A complete application consists of the Grants.gov application package, the required attachments, and work samples.

>> Go to "How to Prepare and Submit an Application" for complete instructions.

Application Review

The following criteria are considered during the review of applications and during the review of maquettes:

The artistic excellence of the:

• Sample work submitted.
• Proposed approach to the subject.

The artistic merit, which includes the:

• Experience in producing large-scale work in bronze.
• Ability to carry out a nationally significant portrait commission.
• Appropriateness of the proposed budget.
• Ability to carry out the project as demonstrated by the proposed resources and schedule.

All applications and maquettes will be reviewed by an Arts Endowment advisory panel. Panel recommendations will be forwarded to the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, who then will make recommendations to the Joint Committee on the Library. The Joint Committee on the Library will review the recommendations and make the final decisions.

Award Administration

The Architect of the Capitol will contract with all artists.

The final owner of the maquettes and other material will be the U.S. government. The U.S. government will be the holder of the copyright on the statue.

Agency Contacts

If you have questions, please contact the Arts Endowment staff at frankelr@arts.gov or 202/682-5573, or clarkw@arts.gov or 202/682-5555.

Reporting Burden

The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated at an average of 12 hours per response including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The Arts Endowment welcomes any suggestions that you might have on improving the guidelines and making them as easy to use as possible. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Office of Guidelines & Panel Operations, Room 620, National Endowment for the Arts, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20506-0001. Note: Applicants are not required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays a currently valid U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.

Funding for the administration of the application review process for the Rosa Parks Sculpture Design Competition has been provided to the National Endowment for the Arts by The Chrysler Foundation.

March 2008

OMB No. 3135-0112 Expires 11/30/2010

National Endowment for the Arts · an independent federal agency
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20506