Department of Cultural AffairsCity of Los AngelesCall for Letters of Interestfor the exhibition, storage, and maintenanceof the Occupy LA Artifacts. Introduction:The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) seeks to identify an organization or organizations to take conditional possession of one or both wooden structures used during the Occupy LA protests. The wooden enclosures were erected by the City of Los Angeles during the recent Occupy LA protests and occupation of the City Hall South Lawn. Background:The Occupy movement is an international protest movement, which is primarily directed against economic and social inequality. The first Occupy protest to be widely covered was Occupy Wall Street in New York City that began onSeptember 17, 2011. By October 9th, Occupy protests had taken place or were ongoing in over 95 cities across 82 countries, and over 600 communities in theUnited States. As of December 1st, the Meet up Page “Occupy Together” listed2,686 Occupy communities worldwide. In Los Angeles, Occupy LA encamped on the City of Los Angeles’ City Hall South Lawn. During the Occupy LA encampment period on the South Lawn, two wooden structures were built and erected by the City to surround and protect monuments located within the area. These plywood enclosures immediately became a canvas for paint, aerosol, and collage images that convey the ideas and experience of the Occupy LA participants. These wooden enclosures, therefore, became artifacts of the Occupy LA movement. As such, these wooden enclosures (Occupy LA Artifacts) are now perhaps cultural artifacts and works of art, evoking the spirit of an event of national/international importance and attention. As is the case with many of the important historic works of art reflecting the social and political upheavals of the1960’s and 1970’s, these works are the tangible remnants of events that are now part of the history of Los Angeles. The City of Los Angeles wishes to see that the Occupy LA Artifacts are publicly displayed in the near future and protected for future audiences. Eligibility:This Call for Letters of Interest is open to public and private entities, including but not limited to museums, galleries, arts organizations or educational institutions, with access to facilities and resources to exhibit the Occupy LA Artifacts on a periodic basis and store and maintain the same on a long term or permanent basis. Costs:As stewards of these important artifacts, the selected entity or entities will absorb the costs associated with their exhibition, maintenance and storage. Selection Process:DCA will convene an independent selection panel to review the Letters ofInterest. One or two entities will be selected to receive one or both of the four wall cubes. Criteria:The responding entities must demonstrate the professional capacity to publicly exhibit, store and maintain the artifacts. Consideration will be given to the respondent’s ability to present corresponding exhibition information that provides context regarding the artifacts’ creation and imagery in relation to the Occupy movement, and the sociopolitical and historical value of the Occupy LA Artifacts. Rights and Responsibilities:The Department of Cultural Affairs reserves the right to decline or reject all submissions and cancel this Call for Letters of Interest. The selected entity or entities shall be responsible for professional preservation, storage and public exhibits of the Occupy LA Artifacts. The transfer of possession of the Occupy LAArtifacts is conditioned upon the obligations of the selected entities stated herein and does not transfer any property rights therein. Under all circumstances, theCity of Los Angeles retains legal title to, and the right to retake possession of, theOccupy LA Artifacts at no cost to the City for whatever reason, including but not limited to that the selected recipient(s) of the Occupy LA Artifacts is unable or unwilling to maintain, store and preserve the same properly. Selected entities shall carry adequate insurance related to the Occupy LA Artifacts as accepted by the City’s Risk Manager. Risk of loss is transferred to selected entities along with transfer of physical possession of the Occupy LA Artifacts. Upon taking possession of the Occupy LA Artifacts, the chosen entities shall enjoy all rights and obligations of possession of the physical artifacts and shall indemnify and hold harmless the City for the entities’ possession and use of theOccupy LA Artifacts Selected entities may or may not charge admissions for viewing of the artifacts at public display and exhibits of the same. The issue of admission charges will be reviewed in the context of the applicant’s overall Letter of Interest.Rights not expressly granted herein are reserved by the City of Los Angeles. Disclaimers:The City of Los Angeles disclaims warranties of all kinds, including but not limited to the warranties of merchantability and fitness for particular purpose. Selected entities are not, and shall not hold themselves out, as agent(s) of or as entities whose services/goods are endorsed by or associated with the City of LosAngeles. The transfer of possession of the Occupy LA Artifacts shall not be construed as a permit to display the same as exterior signs in violation of theZoning Code, nor a waiver of violation of any law.. Technical Information:The Occupy LA Artifacts are painted on 16’ x 4’ x 4” panels comprised of plywood permanently attached to framing braces. (Images of the Occupy LAArtifacts attached.) These wall panels are constructed to be attached side-by side with bolts on the inside of the structures. The larger structure measures 24’ wide x 16’ tall and is created by 6 side-by-side panels on each face. These images are labeled A through D. The smaller structure measures 8’ wide x 16’ tall and is created by 2 side-by-side panels on each face. These images are labeled E through H. Please refer to the accompanying images when preparing your Letter of Interest and specify whether you are interested in both structures or if just one, which one. Submission Requirements:A complete Letter of Interest on your letterhead and signed by an official of your organization must include: 1. Information and background about the applicant organization/entity including the principal leadership, history and mission, including the relationship of same to the stewardship of the Occupy LA Artifacts (maximum two pages).2. Information on the exhibition facilities and resources available to display the Occupy LA Artifacts in a safe environment (maximum one page).3. Information on the resources to store and maintain the Occupy LAArtifacts when they are not on display (maximum one page).4. Information on the ability to contextualize the Occupy LA Artifacts while on display as indicated in “Criteria” above (maximum one page).5. Any other information about the projected plans or interest in the OccupyLA Artifacts by your organization (maximum one page).6. Please include your preference for both structures or just one (if just one, please identify which one) as referenced by the accompanying images. All materials and ideas submitted in the Letters of Interest shall become property of the City of Los Angeles. Questions?Contact Pat Gomez at (213) 202-5555 or DCA.publicart@lacity.org in the Department of Cultural Affairs Public Arts Division. Deadline:Letters of Interest must be received by Monday, February 6th, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONSPlease mail or deliver your Letter of Interest to: Department of Cultural AffairsPublic Arts DivisionAttn: Occupy LA Letter of Interest201 N. Figueroa Ave., suite 1400Los Angeles, CA 90012 Or, Letters of Interest may be emailed to DCA.publicart@lacity.org, please put“Occupy LA Artifacts” as the subject heading and look for an email confirming your Letter of Interest has been received. All incomplete Letters of Interest, or Letters of Interest received after Monday,February 6th, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time will be returned to the sender. Occupy LA artifact images Large Structure – Each image is 24’ wide x 16’ highIMAGE “A” (Has door on left-hand panel)IMAGE “B”IMAGE “C”IMAGE “D”Occupy LA artifact imagesSmall Structure – Each image is 8’ wide x 16’ highIMAGE “E” IMAGE “F”IMAGE “G” IMAGE “H” (Has door on right-hand panel)Photo Credit: Kayte Deioma
