Swords into Plowshares, a project of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center (JSAAHC), was conceived with the aim of transforming Charlottesville’s Robert E. Lee statue into a new form of public art that reflects the community’s values of inclusivity, healing, and beauty. Over the past seven years, the Swords into Plowshares project has shaped the national conversation around toppled Confederate statues by modeling a community-engaged process of creative transformation. The culmination of this public art undertaking will acknowledge historic trauma while (re)presenting an artistic expression of democratic values.
This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is the first step in the process of commissioning an artist and team to design, fabricate, and install this new work(s) of art.
The successful work(s) of public art will challenge current conventions of the monumental form and serve as a welcoming place for healing, reflection and recovery for all members of our local community and its visitors. The new work(s) will also be in conversation with the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers and the Katherine Foster memorial at the University of Virginia, the Contemplative Site at Monticello, and the Memorial to the Enslaved planned for Montpelier. It will respond to global monuments which harken back to memory and contemplation such as Berlin’s Memorial to Murdered Jews of Europe and Stumbling Stones, as well as the National Memorial to Peace and Justice in Montgomery, AL.
Organization: Jefferson School African American Heritage Center
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Contact: [email protected]
Application Deadline: April 25, 2025 at 11:59PM (PT)
Application Fee: $10
Project Budget: The total budget for the project is estimated to be $4,000,000-$5,000,000* and includes all costs associated with the project including design and engineering fees, all reimbursable expenses for the artist/team, mock-ups, materials, fabrication, utilities, surveys, testing, engineering, construction, commissioning, and owner contingency.
Site Details: Exact site details will be provided to the selected semi-finalists in advance of preparing their final proposals. Each one will also have the opportunity to view/study the site in person during their visit to Charlottesville in the Spring of 2025.
Eligibility: The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center is seeking RFQs from creative individuals or teams with a history of success in large-scale public commissions. Through a juried process, up to five applicants will be selected as semi-finalists to receive $10,000 to develop a proposal for the creation of a significant public artwork crafted from the melted remains of Charlottesville’s former Robert E. Lee statue.
Submission Guidelines: RFQ Applications must be received via SlideRoom.
Application Requirements: The following materials must be uploaded:
- Credentials: A resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV) demonstrating professional history and skills or experience. If applying as a team, all team members must submit resumes.
- Statement of Interest: A brief introductory narrative that also provides insight about your interest in this project.
- Images of recent work, completed in the last 10 years: Up to ten (10) images or three digital video or movie files (2- 3 minutes each maximum).
Annotation should include: Artist/creative team participants, title, date, media, dimensions, location of project, additional collaborators, whether permanent or non-permanent, museum/municipality/organization that commissioned the project, and project budget for all submitted images.
Learn more and apply: Swords into Plowshares Request for Qualifications