Art-in-Architecture
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IDOT Rail Splitter Rest Areas
Sangamon County, Illinois
630-428-003
Request for Qualications
f o r
Illinois Department of Transportation
Rail Splitter North/South Safety Rest Areas
Sangamon County, Illinois
Project Number: 630-428-003
Illinois Capital Development Board
Art-in-Architecture Program
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Art-in-Architecture
IDOT Rail Splitter Rest Areas
Sangamon County, Illinois
630-428-003
CALL TO ARTISTS
The Art-in-Architecture Program of the Capital Development Board is pleased to announce
a Request for Qualications (RFQ) to Illinois professional artists to create permanent original
public art for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Rail Splitter North/
Southbound Safety Rest Areas in Sangamon County, Illinois.
Final Deadline: Friday, June 14, 2024
3:00 P.M.
APPLYING BEFORE THE FINAL DEADLINE IS ENCOURAGED.
ELIGIBILITY
These public art commissions and potential purchases are open to all professional artists,
artisans, or artist-led teams that live and work in the state of Illinois.
• An artist/artisan is dened as a skilled practitioner that generates designs and concepts
for creative works that reflect form, beauty, and aesthetic perception. All artists on a
team must be from Illinois.
• Subcontractors may be used and are dened as those providing technical
implementation such as construction, fabrication, and/or assembly for portions or all of a
nished product under direct supervision and control of an artist.
• Faculty and staff of IDOT are not eligible to apply for this commission.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Please enjoy this informational video [download after clicking on the link]:
Illinois Department of Transportation, Rail Splitter Rest Area.
Built in 1963, the Rail Splitter Safety Rest Areas, located just north of Springeld, were the
rst interstate highway rest areas in Illinois. With the advent of the interstate highway
system, rest areas became part of the cultural landscape—a piece of our national
heritage—providing a sense of place and identity for the region in which they stand.
The new Rail Splitter Safety Rest Areas will honor Illinois Department of Transportation’s
signicant contributions in interstate highway design and construction by preserving and
restoring these historic landmarks. The dramatic concrete canopies, an architectural
innovation of the time, will remain a beacon for travelers—a tribute to mid-century
architecture and engineering. The spacious Rest Areas will welcome travelers by offering a
beautiful landscape, innovative design, and a connection to Illinois history.
Art-in-Architecture
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IDOT Rail Splitter Rest Areas
Sangamon County, Illinois
630-428-003
ARTWORK SITE AND OBJECTIVES
The commissioned artwork will be located on the left side of the North and Southbound
Rest Areas. Incoming travelers will have direct view of the work as they approach the
buildings. The artwork must be visually engaging and should honor the legacy of Illinois’s
contributions to interstate design and development. Please view the plans and renderings
on pages 7-10.
The artwork must be durable and safe with limited annual maintenance. The artwork must
meet regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Illinois Accessibility Code.
BUDGET DETAILS
The budget for the project is $64,000.
This budget covers all expenses associated with, but not limited to the project design, labor,
fabrication, project management, materials, tools, contracted services, operations and
meetings, and travel required to complete the artwork plus installation, related permits,
licenses, taxes and insurance, and transportation and delivery of the work to the site, as
well as documentation of the completed project. Any expense that exceeds the contracted
amount will be the artist’s responsibility.
The artist is responsible for working with the Capital Development Board Art-in-Architecture
Program, the using agency, and other relevant partners to oversee all aspects of the art
installation.
SELECTION PROCESS
At least three artists/teams will be selected from the pool of eligible applicants and paid a
fee of $1,500 each to develop and present a site specic proposal.
Correspondence will be sent to the selected artists/teams with details of the proposal
process and contracts.
Do not send a proposal unless you have been contacted by the Art-in-Architecture
Coordinator.
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Art-in-Architecture
IDOT Rail Splitter Rest Areas
Sangamon County, Illinois
630-428-003
LEGAL AGREEMENT
The Capital Development Board Art-in-Architecture Program reserves the right to alter any
aspect of the selection process or overall project in any way for its own convenience at any
time. This Request for Qualications does not constitute either an expressed or implied
contract and these provisions are subject to change.
HOW TO APPLY
IF YOU HAVE ALREADY APPLIED TO THE ILLINOIS ART-IN-ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM
If you have previously applied and your portfolio is on le, you do not need to send your
materials again. To apply for this project email a Letter of Intent that includes:
• the project name and project number
• your name and the name of your team members if applying as a team
• your most current contact information including address, telephone number, and
e-mail address
IF YOU HAVE NEVER APPLIED TO THE ILLINOIS ART-IN-ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM OR
WISH TO UPDATE YOUR PORTFOLIO
Please e-mail a full package including ONE copy of each of the following labeled with the
artist’s name as well as the project name and number:
• Résumé (if a team, one for each member) with current contact information, including:
− Name
− Address
− Phone
− E-mail
− Website
• Artist Statement/Letter of Intent (1 page maximum, double spaced)
− If the submission is on behalf of a team, please identify the lead artist and indicate if
the individuals have previously collaborated and the nature of the collaboration.
− If the artist or artist team has worked with not-for-prot organizations, local
governments, state agencies, or other similar and relevant groups, please describe
the project.
Art-in-Architecture
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IDOT Rail Splitter Rest Areas
Sangamon County, Illinois
630-428-003
• References of at least three professionals (for example, commissioning agency or
organization, design or arts professional, architect, landscape architect, engineer, etc.).
Include the name, complete address, telephone number, and e-mail for each reference.
We DO NOT want reference letters, just the contact information.
• Up to 15 JPEG images of relevant past work. Please provide the images in the following
format:
− One image per JPEG
− Pixel dimensions per image: approximately 600 x 800
− Image resolution: 72-300 pixels per inch
− Maximum le size per image: 1MB
− Name each image: lastnamerstnameimagenumber.jpg
For example: mirojoan01.jpg, mirojoan02.jpg, mirojoan03.jpg, etc.
− A corresponding, numbered, annotated image list with title, media, dimensions,
location, brief description, date of the work, project budget, and project partners, if
applicable.
− Please send images as attachments and not in the body of the e-mail.
• Optional One PDF le of additional support material, including press clippings or other
relevant information on past projects (maximum 1MB le.)
• Digital Submittals
− Email submittals are required.
• PowerPoint presentations are not accepted.
• Please Note:
− Send art images as JPEG les ONLY.
− Do not send design proposals.
− All submittals become property of the Capital Development Board Art-in-
Architecture Program and will not be returned. Submissions can be made available
for public viewing. The artist retains copyright.
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Art-in-Architecture
IDOT Rail Splitter Rest Areas
Sangamon County, Illinois
630-428-003
HOW AND WHERE TO SUBMIT
Interested artists must e-mail application materials no later than Friday, June 14, 2024 at
3:00 P.M. Submissions received after this date will be kept for review for other Art-in-
Architecture projects.
• E-mail to CDB.ArtinArchitecture@illinois.gov
QUESTIONS
Contact the Art-in-Architecture Program at CDB.ArtinArchitecture@illinois.gov.
The Art-in-Architecture Policy Procedure Manual, commission opportunities, and other
information are posted at AIA Program website.
ABOUT THE ART-IN-ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM
The Illinois Art-in-Architecture Program promotes and preserves Illinois art and enriches
communities by commissioning original artwork for public buildings constructed with State
funds.
The enabling legislation for the Program requires that the Capital Development Board “shall
set aside 1/2 of 1 percent of the amount authorized and appropriated for construction or
reconstruction of each public building nanced in whole or in part by State funds and
generally accessible to and used by the public for purchase and placement of suitable
works of art in such public buildings.” A committee including art professionals and the
project architect, and oversees each project and selects the artwork.
Since its inception in 1977, the Art-in-Architecture Program has purchased or
commissioned works of art by Illinois artists for public display throughout Illinois. For more
information visit the AIA Program website.
Art-in-Architecture
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IDOT Rail Splitter Rest Areas
Sangamon County, Illinois
630-428-003
NEW SAFETY REST AREA DESIGN
Celebrates Illinois Department of Transportation’s Interstate Highway Engineering and
Construction accomplishments while preserving Illinois’s Cultural Heritage
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Art-in-Architecture
IDOT Rail Splitter Rest Areas
Sangamon County, Illinois
630-428-003
NORTH AND SOUTHBOUND FLOOR PLAN + ARTWORK SITE
ART
ART
Art-in-Architecture
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IDOT Rail Splitter Rest Areas
Sangamon County, Illinois
630-428-003
NORTHBOUND SITE PLAN
SOUTHBOUND SITE PLAN
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Art-in-Architecture
IDOT Rail Splitter Rest Areas
Sangamon County, Illinois
630-428-003
EXISTING STRUCTURE AND HISTORICAL PLANS OF CANOPY
