Denver Arts & Venues Requests Proposals for Civic Center Park Monument Audit

Denver Arts & Venues requests proposals for a monument audit for art pieces in and around Civic Center Park.

Funding for this project comes from The Monuments Project, a multi-year $500 million commitment from the Mellon Foundation aimed at transforming the nation’s commemorative landscape to ensure that our histories are completely and accurately represented. In May of 2023, Denver Arts & Venues and the Department of Parks and Recreation combined efforts and were awarded a joint grant from the Mellon Foundation’s Monuments Project to further the City and County of Denver’s investigations of monuments and commemorative spaces in Denver’s Civic Center Park. 

The purpose of this audit is to plan and facilitate a historical audit of approximately 21 existing artworks and monuments in Civic Center Park and the surrounding area and uncover any incomplete information in city records. The audit should include biographies of the artists, models and critical parties involved in the creation of the works, demographic information of those individuals, names of benefactors and donors and their connection to Denver’s communities and social groups, the social, cultural and historical impacts of the artworks and monuments, and gaps in the stories and narratives represented by or missing from the monuments, along with other data such as timelines, materials and provenance. 

“Some of the monuments in Civic Center Park are more than a century old and reflect ideals and narratives that we must reconsider,” explained Tariana Navas-Nieves, deputy director for Denver Arts & Venues. “This grant will allow us to thoughtfully proceed with research, community input, contextualization, dialogue and education, so we can expand the narratives of history, reveal accounts that have not been brought to light nor shared, and determine the best path forward not only for these artworks, but also for the future of commemorations.”

Proposals will be accepted through BidNet, the Rocky Mountain E-purchasing System, through which the City and County of Denver accepts formal bids for commissions and contracts. Proposals should be submitted by April 30, 10 a.m. The budget for the monument audit project is $175,000. 

Denver Arts & Venues will host a pre-proposal meeting on April 10, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Interested parties should register for this virtual meeting on Eventbrite. The meeting will cover project backgrounds and goals, and the application process for this RFP.

Applicants should be high-level, competent consultants with experience in historical research, knowledge of civic monuments, experience in researching historically underrepresented communities, and project management skills. Not only will this project involve academic research, but also analysis, videography and photography, collaborative meetings, reporting and interviews. The project budget should cover all expenses including translation and interpretation, and subcontracting with any videographers or photographers, historians, archivists, copy writers, graphic designers and others as needed. 

For more information on this and other opportunities to work with Denver Arts & Venues, please visit www.artsandvenuesdenver.com/about/work-with-us.