Friendship Village of Dublin Public Art Commission

Friendship Village of Dublin & Dublin Arts Council - Request for Qualifications

Friendship Village of Dublin - Public Art Installation

Dublin, Ohio

Call for Ohio-based Artists

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS — Friendship Village of Dublin (FVD), in partnership with Dublin Arts Council (DAC), is seeking to commission an Ohio-based artist and/or artist’s team to create a site-specific public artwork installation at Friendship Village of Dublin, a continuous care retirement community providing independent living, assisted living, health care, and memory care in Dublin, Ohio.

The commission is facilitated and co-authored by FVD and DAC in a public-private partnership. FVD community voices are centered throughout the process, and FVD is funding the project through philanthropic support. DAC will administer the call and collaborate with FVD staff and residents in the selection of semi-finalists.

This installation will be both site-specific and unique in its connection and responsiveness to the FVD community. The selection committee is open to reviewing concepts for permanent, temporary, and/or moveable installations. Artists proposing temporary installations should clearly identify the anticipated lifespan and maintenance requirements of the work. The artwork is expected to celebrate and acknowledge the vibrancy of life at FVD and the seasons of life, nature, change, and community.

COMMUNITY CONTEXT — Dublin, Ohio is a suburban city located 20 minutes northwest of Columbus. It is home to 50,000+ residents and 4,300+ businesses, including FVD.

- Dublin is a multigenerational suburban city with 80% of residents having either a bachelor’s or graduate degree.

- Dublin is a “Global City of Choice;” Dublin City Schools reports the third highest immigrant student population in Ohio, the sixth largest English Learners program, and a student population knowledgeable in 70+ languages.

- Dublin is consistently ranked one of the safest U.S. cities and was named one of America’s Top 20 Creative Class Cities.

- Dublin’s community is known to be very active and engaged with civic life, with a large number of volunteers per capita.

The city also features:

- Many city parks and the Scioto River, which connect residents and visitors  with nature just steps from neighborhoods, restaurants, mixed-use developments, and pedestrian-focused infrastructure.

- “The Link,” a pedestrian bridge that is the longest single-tower S-shaped suspension bridge in the world, spans the Scioto River, and bridges the quaint historic district with the mixed-use, walkable Bridge Park District.

- Major annual events, including Jack Nicklaus’ The Memorial Tournament (PGA tour) and the Dublin Irish Festival (one of the nation’s largest Irish cultural celebrations).

FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE OF DUBLIN — Friendship Village of Dublin (FVD) is one of central Ohio’s premier senior living care facilities and communities within Dublin, Ohio. FVD offers an intentional multi-faceted approach to the aging process, with the vision that aging should be a journey of possibility, purpose, and fulfillment. Their mission is to care for, engage, and inspire our community to reimagine and maximize quality of life at every age.

RESIDENT EXPERIENCE AND VALUES — FVD residents and staff describe the campus as positive, wonderful, caring, dynamic, diverse, and incredibly friendly, while describing themselves as mature, alive, imaginative, demanding, happy, and aging with grace. They engage in a life rich with growth, change, activities, fun, lifelong learning, and connection, with the hopes of finding community, security, care, comfort, and belonging. Residents encounter a wide range of feelings, experiences, and possibilities when living at FVD. If residents were to give FVD a motto, it might be “We don’t stand still,” “‘Do it!” or “It takes a village :).”

Life at FVD looks different for everyone, with experiences ranging from therapeutic activities, exercise, learning, movie-watching, gardening, socializing, doing nothing, attending classes & lectures, playing games, going on trips, or creating art in the various classes offered. FVD residents treasure their beautiful grounds, with the carefully designed landscaping, gardens, and walking paths. Some of the residents’ favorite spots, memories, and places to bring visitors include the community gardens, walking paths, library, gazebo, pool, bistro, clubhouse, courtyard, firepit, and bocce court.

WHAT DO FVD RESIDENTS WANT PUBLIC ART TO DO? — Residents expressed the desire to see public art…

- Complement, amplify, and connect with the nature, life, and beauty within the FVD gardens and landscape.

- Encourage accessibility on the campus through multi-sensory engagement, inclusive public spaces, wayfinding, spontaneous community gatherings, or performance-based events.

- Connect FVD to the broader intergenerational Dublin community.

- Acknowledge the impermanence and cycles of life, grief, happiness, growth, and change that surround FVD.

- Encourage holistic wellness in the physical, mental, emotional, social, intellectual, and environmental realms.

Residents shared comments like…

- “A new piece of art will make me more knowledgeable, and perhaps smile a bit more. Also, there will be much conversation.”

- “I like the connection of art and stories.”

- “Art inspires me. Art enriches me.”

- “[Art] might let my imagination run amok.”

SITE DESCRIPTION — The landscaping and gardens at Friendship Village Dublin are cherished by residents, staff and visitors. The landscaping manager has a clear aesthetic vision for the grounds, while also recognizing the value and social connection the gardens bring to senior citizens. A resident committee oversees several community gardens, home to accessible, raised plots available for residents’ use. The gardens drive community gatherings, activity, interest, and pride among residents. 

The exact location of the artwork has not been predetermined. Artists may propose locations throughout FVD’s campus in collaboration with the FVD community and Dublin Arts Council during the preliminary site visits (schedule/timeline below). Final site selection will occur during concept development and design review.

View Videos Showcasing the Grounds

DUBLIN’S ART IN PUBLIC PLACES — Dublin, Ohio’s Art in Public Places program was established in 1988 through a partnership between the City of Dublin and the Dublin Arts Council (DAC), with the mission of enriching public spaces and fostering community connection through art. Today, the collection has expanded to include more than 60 permanent, temporary, and interactive works by both national and international artists. DAC maintains that public art should inspire, provoke questions, invite interaction, and encourage creative discovery. In addition to stewarding the City of Dublin's public art collection, Dublin Arts Council collaborates with community organizations and private partners to encourage the thoughtful integration of publicly accessible art throughout Dublin.

Testament to this mission, a committee of FVD residents passionate about public art served as the catalyst for this call to artists. The committee’s care, curiosity, and dedication to expanding the public art footprint at FVD has served as the foundation for this resident-driven public art commission.

OWNERSHIP AND STEWARDSHIP — The commissioned artwork will become the property of Friendship Village Dublin. Friendship Village Dublin will assume responsibility for the long-term ownership, maintenance, and stewardship of the artwork. Dublin Arts Council's role is to administer the artist selection process, facilitate community engagement, and provide public art expertise throughout the commission.