Metro Arts approves $100,000 RFP for permanent ‘Empowerment Collection’ at NICE youth campus

The Metro Arts Commission voted to approve a request for proposals to create an “Empowerment Collection,” a permanent set of wall-mounted artworks for the Nashville Youth Campus for Empowerment (NICE).

Masania Osei of the Office of Public Art presented the plan, which staff said will install pieces along first- and second-floor corridors, waiting rooms, gathering spaces and the cafeteria so the public interacts with the work daily. The commission’s recommendation names William Massey among selected artists and frames the project as trauma-informed and curated to the needs of families and juvenile justice users.

Staff said the RFP will be a local call limited to Davidson County and surrounding counties (Wilson, Rutherford, Williamson, Cheatham, Robertson and Sumner). The total commission budget is $100,000; staff set site-work, professional hanging, framing and installation costs at not to exceed $70,000. Metro Arts will be responsible for mounting, museum-quality framing and placement, with local vendors handling fabrication and framing.

Commissioners asked about submission rules, including whether artists can submit work already for sale. Osei said applicants will submit a portfolio and samples and that the RFP allows one proposal per applicant; the selection process will include multiple engagement sessions for applicants between January and March. Commissioners also confirmed the professional-artist definition used for eligibility (minimum age 18, at least two years of exhibition or commissioned public-art experience, and exclusion of undergraduate work).

Commissioner Lefkowitz moved to approve the RFP; a second was given and the commission approved the motion by voice vote.

The decision clears the way for staff to publish the RFP and begin the selection and installation process. Staff said they will steward site logistics, coordinate with juvenile-court staff for site access and begin outreach to local artists. No timeline for installation was specified at the meeting.