Jobs
ESTUARY RESIDENT ARTIST
ESTUARY RESIDENT ARTIST
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
The Estuary Artist-in-Residence will focus their proposal along the Juan Méndez ravine in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Estuary Artist-in-Residence refers to any individual with artistic abilities who can carry out the described project. The project will last for one year, beginning March 1, 2025. This application is open to all forms of artistic expression.
Estuario hopes to receive a comprehensive proposal that considers the social, environmental, economic, and cultural context of the Juan Méndez ravine. Furthermore, it must take into account Estuario's ongoing efforts to engage those responsible for maintaining the ravine's natural environment and its infrastructure to address issues related to the aging of this infrastructure and the resulting exposure of the community to contaminated water and the risk of channel collapse in sections of the ravine. The Artist-in-Residence project should focus on promoting awareness of climate resilience, equity, cultural empowerment, and water quality within the context of the Juan Méndez ravine restoration project.
Estuario will implement a strategy for citizen participation and the involvement of all interested parties in addressing the problems of the Juan Méndez Ravine related to its gray infrastructure and improving the quality of life. The Artist-in-Residence will support this effort through their proposal. The execution of this proposal will be carried out in close collaboration with the communities surrounding the Juan Méndez Ravine and other stakeholders, primarily those responsible for managing the region's natural resources and water infrastructure (Municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works, Puerto Rico Aqueduct Authority, and the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources).
Juan Méndez Ravine Project
The Juan Méndez stream is located in the municipality of San Juan, north of the New Millennium Forest and behind the Capetillo Community Urban Garden and Forest. Its course runs through the communities of Capetillo, Villa Capri, Dos Pinos, Manuel A. Pérez, Truman, Israel, and Cantera. It flows into the San José Lagoon.
Unfortunately, this ravine is known for being the channel through which illegal wastewater (sewage) is discharged, affecting a population of approximately 51,000. The situation worsens during rain events. These discharges not only impact the ravine's ecosystem and the health of those who come into contact with them, but also disrupt the balance of San José Lagoon and its aquatic life.
Urban activity in the heart of the San Juan metropolitan area, public health, mental health, and economic activity depend on responsible investment in the restoration of the Juan Méndez ravine. Ensuring environmental justice throughout the San Juan Bay Estuary watershed depends on the complete restoration of this ravine and its surrounding area.
The Estuary is undertaking the effort to begin its restoration through the integration of nature-based solutions and investment in robust infrastructure that can withstand the impact of events.
Resident Artists of the Estuary
Estuary's resident artists create artistic expressions to engage citizens in the conservation and restoration of the estuary watershed in a creative and culturally relevant way. Through dialogue and the exchange of ideas, they raise environmental awareness and facilitate the development of a resilient watershed. Estuary recognizes art as a social asset that reaches the diverse people of the San Juan Bay Estuary and its watershed. We believe that the experiences generated by the resident artists increase knowledge and capacity for environmental decision-making, integrating all stakeholders in a culturally competent manner.
Since 2018, the Estuary has relied on the support of the artistic community to carry out its projects. This collaboration began after Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the island in 2017. Integrating the artistic community into our projects was, and continues to be, absolutely essential to managing the recovery and restoration process in a culturally competent manner. Estuary's Resident Artists are part of the effort to reconnect communities with their ecosystems and foster knowledge through experience. Exposing citizens to natural resources through art is directly linked to environmental conservation. The expectation is that Estuary's Resident Artists will integrate into a community or sector and carry out the proposed project in close collaboration with residents, businesses, and visitors. To date, ten artists have collaborated with Estuary, engaging at least five different communities with participants of all ages in the San Juan metropolitan area.
This year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized the outstanding work of this collaboration between Artists-in-Residence and Estuary and awarded additional funding to continue implementing this strategy. In early 2024, the EPA, in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the White House, launched the EPA Artist-in-Residence initiative in response to President Joe Biden’s Executive Order on the Arts and Humanities. Its goal is to make the arts more accessible to people in underserved communities, amplify emerging voices through the arts and humanities, and expand opportunities for artists.
ABOUT THE ESTUARY
The San Juan Bay Estuary Conservation Corporation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that manages the San Juan Bay Estuary, known as the Estuary. The Estuary joined the National Estuary Program (NEP) in 1994 and is the only tropical, non-continental site within the NEP under Section 320 of the Clean Water Act. The Estuary's mission is to restore and conserve the waters and associated ecosystems of the San Juan Bay Estuary and its watershed as a sustainable driver of social and economic development. The Estuary's work is guided by the Estuary Plan (officially known as the San Juan Bay Estuary Comprehensive Management and Conservation Plan).
In November 2021, the United States Congress passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act (BIL) to invest in the nation's infrastructure and resilience, with a primary focus on environmental justice and climate change. Estuary will use BIL funds to begin the planning process for the Quebrada Juan Méndez (QJM) restoration project.
IMPORTANT DATES
- October 1, 2024 – Publication of the Call for Resident Artists of the Estuary
- October 29, 2024 at 2:00 pm – Information session required**
- November 30, 2024 – Deadline for submitting Letter of Intent.
- January 13, 2025 – Deadline for submitting proposal (if the person is invited)
- January 17, 2025 Interviews with artists and field visit
- February 3, 2025 – Announcement of selected project
- March 3, 2025 – Selected project residency begins
A mandatory virtual information session will be held. The first session will be on October 29, and there will be additional opportunities to participate in other information sessions before the deadline for submitting the letter of intent. To confirm dates and attendance, please register for the “Estuary Artist-in-Residence Opportunity Orientation Meeting” on the Estuary events page: https://estuario.org/eventos/
For questions or concerns, please write to [email protected]
SELECTION CRITERIA
The following criteria will be used for the final selection:
- Experience in the development of artistic projects that collaboratively or participatively involve the public or communities in their design and/or execution.
- Familiarity and knowledge about the communities that border the Juan Méndez ravine.
- Experience executing artistic projects that incorporate the environmental context into their approach.
- Experience working on issues related to climate change, environmental justice, or other problems faced by similar communities in relation to bodies of water.
- Leadership skills and experience in group management.
The artist selected to fill the Resident Artist position must:
- Be over eighteen years of age, be eligible to work legally, and live in the United States.
- Having knowledge of and close ties to the metropolitan region of Puerto Rico.
- Have experience in community development and be able to moderate group discussions, document projects, and contribute to the development of new tools and strategies through reports, blog posts, photographs, and recordings.
ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS
time extensions
Estuary, at its own discretion, may modify and/or extend the deadlines for carrying out the aforementioned task, and these changes and deadlines will be communicated to all applicants who sent a notification of interest.
Reservations
This Request for Proposal does not commit Estuario to award a contract, to cover the costs incurred in preparing a Proposal in accordance with this RFP, or to procure or contract for works, and may request additional information and/or clarifications.
Public records
All proposals submitted in response to this Request for Proposal become the property of Estuary and the public records, and as such may be subject to public review.
Right to cancel
Estuario, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to cancel this Request for Proposal for any reason or no reason, in whole or in part, including, but not limited to, the selection schedule, submission date, and submission requirements. If Estuario cancels or revises the Request for Proposal, Estuario will notify all potential consultants in writing.
Public information
Selection announcements, contract awards, and all data provided by Estuario will be protected from public disclosure. Consultants wishing to disclose information to the public must receive prior written approval from Estuario. Estuario, at its sole discretion, will determine the publication and disclosure of information related to this Request for Proposals and any final work products resulting from it.
Start Date:
(START DATE)
March 3, 2025 – Selected project residency begins
Compensation:
(COMPENSATION)
Compensation will be determined based on the proposal received and approved. The proposal must include the development, presentation, and implementation of the project in all its facets (conceptualization, work plan, budget, management, procurement, etc.).
How to apply:
(HOW TO APPLY)
The application comprises two parts: a letter of interest and a full proposal. The full proposal is by invitation only. Both should be sent to [email protected] by the deadline.
Part One: Letter of Interest
- Please describe in detail your interest in collaborating with Estuario as an artist-in-residence. This letter should be a maximum of two (2) pages, single-spaced, 12-point font. Please be sure to describe how your experience aligns with this opportunity. Please use the following format to title your letter: Lastname_Firstname_AR.doc.
- Include a descriptive list of the work samples.
- Include your Resume – If submitting a proposal for more than one person, please submit a resume for each artist.
Part Two: Full Proposal (By Invitation Only)
- If selected, the person will be required to submit a complete proposal, which includes:
- Detailed project description, for example (65 points): Explain the pieces or artistic/musical/culinary work that will be created; the methods that will be used and activities that will be carried out to create integration and public awareness; the methods that will be used and activities that will be carried out to fulfill the project, the place and the entity or institution in which you intend to work; explain how your project would support the Estuary's undertaking effort to achieve the restoration of the Juan Méndez ravine.
- The timeline I would be following for the project (10 points).
- Strengthen your proposal as you see fit; this can be through visuals or sketches to explain the proposed project (10 points).
- Detailed budget for the entire project. This must include compensation for the artist, materials, travel (at least one trip to Washington, DC to present the project with the NEA/US EPA), and any other services/products necessary to carry out the project. (15)
Sources of funding:
(SOURCE OF FUNDS)
EPA Grant CE-99206929-2
The Corporation for the Conservation of the San Juan Bay Estuary is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that operates the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership. The Corporation for the Conservation of the SJBE provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or genetics. MBE/WBE and other certified minorities and small businesses are encouraged to apply.
