The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Art in Architecture Program commissions American artists (citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents or Permanent Workers of the United States) to create publicly scaled and permanently installed artworks for Federal buildings nationwide.
GSA announces an opportunity for a federal art commission in conjunction with the new construction of a new Highgate Springs Land Port of Entry (LPOE) in Highgate Springs, Vermont.
GSA is working with its tenant agencies: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) – to design and construct a new facility capable of handling the increased traffic at the port of Highgate Springs LPOE, which is located in Highgate Springs, VT, across the U.S.-Canada border from St. Armand, Quebec and adjacent to Lake Champlain.
The existing 44,000 sq ft Highgate Springs LPOE operates 24/7 at the border crossing between the multilane U.S. Interstate-89 (I-89) and Canada Route 133 to Montreal. Following completion of Canada's A35 highway project, traffic volume is projected to increase by 30% at the Highgate Springs LPOE border crossing, requiring a larger facility of approximately 116,000 sq ft.
With the completion of the project, the building will apply for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification.
GSA allocates one-half of one percent (0.5%) of the estimated construction costs of new or modernized Federal facilities for art commissions. The art budget for the new Highgate Springs Land Port of Entry (LPOE) in Highgate Springs, Vermont project is estimated to be $500,000. One or more artists will be awarded a fixed-price contract for a commission.
Artists who wish to be considered for this GSA art commission must submit application materials to GSA by the SAM Contract Opportunity’s Response Date. Artists may also elect to be considered for all future GSA art commissions by submitting application materials to GSA’s National Artist Registry (Registry). Instructions on how to submit application materials and join the Registry are available on the following Web site:
www.gsa.gov/artinarchitecture
All artists who wish to be considered as candidates for a commission at the new Highgate Springs Land Port of Entry (LPOE) in Highgate Springs, Vermont, must have their application materials submitted and received by GSA by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on 1/3/2025. Artists’ submissions received after the deadline will not be considered for this project but will be eligible for consideration on future GSA commissions alongside the other artists on the Registry. Artists already on the Registry need not resubmit but may elect to update their information prior to the deadline.
GSA evaluates artists based on the following criteria: the media, materials, content and style of the artist’s past work, along with the artist’s past performance and experience with commissions or projects similar to the one described in this synopsis.
Shortlisted artists will be contacted and asked to submit additional information, including a statement that the artist can perform the work associated with the GSA commission within the identified budget. GSA will count the combined weight of all the selection criteria as significantly more important than price.
At a minimum, the scope of services for this commission will require collaboration with the lead designer selected for the building project; development of preliminary and final concepts; fabrication of the artwork; participation in meetings and conservation reviews as necessary; and the installation of the artwork at the project site.
GSA will prioritize commissioning artworks in accordance with 41 FMR 102-77.21.
