The Municipal Art Commission’s (MAC) mission is to serve as a catalyst for artistic growth and aesthetic excellence in our communities, and in doing so, enrich the lives of our residents.

By City Charter, MAC responsibilities include the approval of art on, or extending over, any City property; the design of buildings, bridges, fences, and other structures built by the City; and certain privately owned signs, skywalks, or other structures that extend over public property. The Charter also provides that no existing work of art owned by the City can be moved or altered without MAC approval except under emergency conditions. 

How to Attend a MAC Meeting

MAC meets virtually at 9 AM on the first Friday of each month. Anyone is welcome to attend. Agendas and meeting links are posted on the City Clerk’s page one or two days prior to the meeting.

To receive email reminders of upcoming MAC meetings:

1. Go to the City Clerk’s web page.
2. Click the “Sign In” link in the top right-hand corner.
3. Click “Sign Up.” Provide a User Name and Password and enter your email address to receive notifications.
4. After creating your account, return to the “Sign In” link on the City Clerk’s web page and sign in.
5. Under the Calendar Alerts heading, click on the “Add New Calendar Alert” link.
6. In the Search Terms box enter “Municipal Art Commission.”
7. For frequency, choose "daily" to ensure you do not miss a meeting announcement.
8. When you receive a notification email, follow the links within it to access the Municipal Art Commission agenda and video conference link.

The One Percent for Art artist selection panels will use the following evaluation criteria to select semifinalists. All evaluation criteria are weighted equally. Each criterion is worth 1 point in the 7-point callforentry.org judging system.

Eligibility:

• Collaborators and teams are eligible to apply within a single application. Resumes/CVs of all collaborators must be uploaded to CaFÉ as a single PDF with multiple pages.
• All applications must be submitted through the CaFÉ Call for Artists.
• Eligibility is limited to professional visual artist teams or artists at least 18 years of age.
• Artists who’ve been previously commissioned through the City’s One Percent for Art program within two years of their past project’s contract execution date are not eligible.
• Full-time, permanent City employees, General Services Department project consultants, and their employees and sub-consultants are not eligible.

Artistic Excellence: Works of art in the artist's portfolio are original, innovative, and of exceptional quality and enduring value.

Prior Experience: Artist's and/or collaborator’s portfolio illustrates a track record of progressively significant projects or comparable professional or community-based creative experiences. Demonstrated experience working with diverse community stakeholders is also desired.

Appropriateness to Site and Project: Works of art in the artist's portfolio indicate that the artist is likely to be sensitive to the social, economic, cultural, historical, and physical context of the site, either existing or planned.

Low Maintenance and Durable: Works of art in the artist's portfolio utilize materials and processes likely to contribute to the longevity of public works of art, especially for projects that will be located outdoors, or the artist is willing to adopt such practices by collaborating with a partner who has relevant specialized expertise.

Letter of Interest: Has the artist introduced you to their art practice and/or their team and convinced you they are a good fit for this particular commission?

Additional Question to Score Applications: Can you visualize this artist's work in this location, and are you convinced that this artist/art team should move to the RFP phase and create a proposal for this location?

Selection Process Overview

1. A Call for Artists may be a request for qualifications (RFQ) or request for proposal (RFP). The One Percent for Art program usually distributes an RFQ as the first phase of selecting art for a project.
2. Artists that meet minimum qualifications for the project are considered by the project’s art selection panel.
3. The selection panel nominates a shortlist of semifinalists to submit proposals (sketches or models).  
4. The selection panel chooses a winning proposal and an alternate to present to the Municipal Art Commission (MAC) for approval.
5. Once MAC approves, a contract is developed for the winning artist. All contracts $400,000 and above must be approved by City Council.

Contracts with the City may contain municipal, state, and federal requirements and stipulations.

Artists seeking assistance with City contract requirements should visit KC BizCare’s website. For questions outside of BizCare’s scope of services, artists may be referred to other resources. BizCare and other City employees and/or contractors are not authorized to give legal advice to artists. Artists may find it useful to consult with an attorney while discussing contract terms with the City.

City requirements may include but are not limited to:

• Acquiring a business license
• Registering as a vendor with the City
• Ensuring that municipal revenue tax to the City is current
• Developing a budget to include all aspects of design, fabrication, transportation, installation, and lighting, which may include costs for:

• Permits
• Excavation, site remediation, and landscaping
• Electrical work and fixtures such as lighting
• Approval by a licensed structural engineer
• Travel expenses
• General liability insurance
• Commercial auto insurance

• Contracts over $160,000 may be subject to Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), Minority and Woman Business Enterprise (M/WBE), and Small Local Business Enterprise (SLBE) guidelines

State requirements may include but are not limited to:

• Registering with the Missouri Secretary of State to conduct business in the state of Missouri
• Worker’s Compensation and managing related documentation
• Notarized affidavit of compliance with federal e-Verify requirements
• Contracts over $75,000 must meet Missouri’s Prevailing Wage Law and require managing related documentation

Federal requirements may include but are not limited to:

• W-9
• e-Verify