RFP- Public Art Project

Public Art Project

RFP- Public Art Project

Issue Date: July 8th, 2026 Proposal

Deadline: August 6th, 2026

1. Project Overview

The City of Somersworth invites qualified artists or artist teams to submit proposals for the design and installation of a public art. This project is intended to enhance the visual character of the city while celebrating community identity, culture, and creativity.

The goal of this project is to identify urban heat islands, flooding, and climate change impacts in Downtown Somersworth using geospatial tools, and to bring awareness to these issues through public art. This project aims to install 1-2 pieces of permanent art regarding climate change using: sculpture, mural, and any other art appropriate. The global impact of climate change is increasingly apparent at the local level, leading to an urgent need for collective action. Art serves as a tool for increasing awareness, fostering emotional connections, and motivating efforts to tackle the climate change crisis through visualization. With this grant, the public art installations will draw inspiration from urban heat island data mapped by Strafford Regional Planning Commission that depicts locations of low impact and high impact heat islands along major roads, local roads, rivers and streams, and lakes and ponds in Somersworth. The use of local urban heat island data in the project will deepen local understanding and awareness surrounding climate change and exemplify one of the different ways it impacts the community. This proposed project will also support and empower Somersworth residents and visitors to consider potential actions and solutions to these climate change impacts.

Artists are encouraged to consider the visibility, scale, and urban context of this prominent gateway location in their proposals.