Bernalillo County @ Alvarado Square building.
Courtesy of Bernalillo County.

BERNALILLO COUNTY – The Bernalillo County Arts Board invites artists and artist teams to submit qualifications for an innovative, signature work of public art for Bernalillo County @ Alvarado Square, the home of Bernalillo County government offices.

The selected artist or team will create an architecturally integrated piece responsive to the site that will become an iconic landmark identifying Bernalillo County and welcoming the public to the facility.

The work may be integrated into the exterior or interior architecture of the building. It should reflect the diverse cultures and landscapes of Bernalillo County. The budget for this project is $200,000.

A local selection committee of community representatives, arts and design professionals, and Bernalillo County staff has been assembled to select and recommend an artist or artist team from the proposals. The winning artist or artist team will create the concept and design of the work and be responsible for installation.

Eligible artists or teams must reside in the United States.

Site Details:

Bernalillo County @ Alvarado Square building.
Courtesy of Bernalillo County.

Bernalillo County @ Alvarado Square (BC@AS), 415 Silver Ave. SW, is a newly renovated eight-story building centrally located in Downtown Albuquerque. The original Alvarado Square building was constructed in 1980 and is approximately 280,000 square feet.

Alvarado Square houses 800-1,000 county employees. In addition to being Bernalillo County’s flagship facility, the property accommodates many of the county’s most visited public service departments and programs.

The BC@AS building has many unique architectural features. Artists or artist teams may consider one or more of the following sites for the project as long as the project remains within the $200,000 budget. The recommended sites for artists and teams to consider for the project include but are not limited to:

•         Exterior facades of the tower and atrium

Bernalillo County @ Alvarado Square building.
Courtesy of Bernalillo County.

•         Interior of the atrium

•         Vertical and horizontal walls in the building’s lobby

•         Courtyards and walls near the main entrance to the building (south side of the building on Silver Avenue near Fifth Street)

•         The exterior walls and underside of the second-floor bridge that connects the north and south sides of the building

•         The exterior walls of the east side of the building

The slanted, south facing part of the building is NOT available for the public art project.

Register at www.callforentry.org and follow the directions for registration and submitting material for this public art request for qualifications. This online application process will prompt those interested for all necessary documents and information.

Resources for artists and artist teams new to the application process are available at: www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/