--- title: 'RFQ | O''Hare Airport Public Art Opportunities: Concourse D' description: >- National RFQ for integrated public art at seven sites in O'Hare Airport's new Concourse D, Chicago. Commission budgets $300,000–$500,000 per site. url: 'https://www.artsume.com/programs/eded6a43-1e9a-462a-a466-e5d2a7634f76' type: program status: closed createdAt: '2026-09-04' updatedAt: '2026-10-01' programType: Public art organization: City of Georgetown organizationUrl: 'https://www.artsume.com/o/city-of-georgetown-arts-and-culture-program' deadline: '2026-09-30' location: >- Chicago O'Hare International Airport, New Concourse D, Chicago, IL, United States isOnline: false compensationRange: >- Commission budgets of $300,000–$500,000 per site (total art budget $2,500,000 across seven sites); $2,000 honorarium per finalist to develop a conceptual design proposal. disciplines: - public art - sculpture --- # RFQ | O'Hare Airport Public Art Opportunities: Concourse D **Hosted by:** City of Georgetown **Type:** Public art | **Location:** Chicago O'Hare International Airport, New Concourse D, Chicago, IL, United States | **Deadline:** September 30, 2026 ## About This Program > "Integrated public art for Chicago O'Hare International Airport's New Concourse D" The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) in partnership with the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) invites professional artists (both individual artists and artist teams) to submit qualifications for consideration for integrated public art opportunities in seven (7) locations at Chicago O'Hare International Airport's New Concourse D, currently under construction. Artwork project budgets vary by site opportunity, from $300,000 - $500,000, as detailed in this request for qualifications (RFQ). Each art budget is inclusive of all costs and fees associated with the artist's execution of the public art commission for the specified site, from beginning through completion, including but not limited to design development, engineering, fabrication, site preparation, delivery, installation, insurances, and other related expenses. Seven (7) site opportunities across Concourse D have been identified for integrated public art: Site 1. Orchard Ceiling ($500,000) — light-based art integrated with the perimeter of the ceiling structure, overall diameter 93', skylight diameter 40'; Site 2. Orchard Threshold ($300,000) — suspended three-dimensional artwork, height 12', width 42'; Site 3. Skyline Garden Enhanced Seating: Interior ($300,000) — suspended three-dimensional artwork of suitable materials to comply with weight limits; Site 4. Skyline Garden Enhanced Seating: Exterior ($300,000) — durable, ground-mounted exterior sculpture; Site 5. North End Walls ($500,000) — 2-dimensional or low-relief 3-dimensional wall-mounted components, each wall 27' high by 32' wide, visible from the seating area below, the sterile corridor above, and from the passenger windows of aircraft on the airfield; Site 6. Sterile Corridor Wall & Ceiling ($300,000) and Site 7. Sterile Corridor Escalator Cove ($300,000) — wall-mounted or suspended, 2-dimensional or low-relief 3-dimensional components. This is a request for qualifications (RFQ). It is not an invitation for a new commission or a request for proposals. Following the review of RFQ applications, a request for proposals (RFP) will be issued to the selected finalists. Each commissioned Artist will be responsible for coordinating with DCASE and the design team to verify artwork is code compliant and does not impede site function or facility operations, and to confirm all dimensions, engineering calculations, final dimensions and engineering prior to fabrication and installation; and with the CMAR (Construction Manager at Risk) and CDA's PMO (Project Management Office) to verify artwork is buildable and constructible within the existing constraints of Concourse D design and to coordinate all installation with Concourse D Construction and Activation. ## Eligibility & Requirements - **Geographic Eligibility:** National - **Disciplines:** public art, sculpture - **Note:** Submission Limit: 1 **O'HARE AIRPORT PUBLIC ART OPPORTUNITIES: CONCOURSE D** | This opportunity is open nationally to professional artists and artist teams living and working in the United States. Artists and artist teams who have demonstrated a history of completing large-scale public art projects, and/or creating artworks suitable for acquisition and display in an airport facility, are encouraged to submit qualifications. | ### Additional Requirements Application must be submitted digitally via the CaFÉ online application system and include: 1. Letter of Interest — 1 page describing the applicant's connection to the project, relevant experience, and conceptual approach (upload as a PDF file); 2. Work Samples — 6–10 images of past large-scale public art projects, plus optional 1 video (up to 2 minutes) with accompanying 2-3 sentence description; 3. Annotated Image List — including thumbnail image, title, media, year, dimensions, location, project budget, project timeline (start and end dates), and commissioning entity for each image (or video) uploaded to Work Samples (upload as a single PDF file); 4. Résumé or CV — 1–2 pages per artist; team applications must include one résumé/CV for each team member in a single PDF file; 5. Team Roles — required if applying as a team: outline of responsibilities of each team member (upload as a single PDF file). Data provided in the Work Sample must match data provided in the Annotated Image List. Only applications received through the CaFÉ online application system will be deemed complete and be reviewed. ## Compensation & Benefits Commission budgets of $300,000–$500,000 per site (total art budget $2,500,000 across seven sites); $2,000 honorarium per finalist to develop a conceptual design proposal. **Includes:** Commission fee, Honorarium COMMISSION FOR ARTWORK (per site): Artwork budgets vary by site, from $300,000 - $500,000. Each public art commission budget is inclusive of all costs and fees associated with the artist's execution of the public art commission for the specified site, from beginning through completion, including but not limited to design development, engineering, fabrication, site preparation, delivery, installation, insurances, and other related expenses. HONORARIUM (per finalist): Each finalist will receive a $2,000 honorarium to develop a conceptual design proposal for one of the seven site opportunities. Total Art Budget: $2,500,000. ## Timeline - **Opens:** August 19, 2026 - **Deadline:** September 30, 2026 ## Contact **Email:** publicart@cityofchicago.org ## How to Apply Apply at: https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=17678