Call for Artists
The Alabama Historical Commission is seeking qualifications for an artist commission that will honor the last known African captives trafficked to the United States through the transatlantic slave trade: the Clotilda survivors. The memorial will convey dimensions of the survivors’ lives and legacies—celebrating their resilient and determined spirits amidst violent dislocation, enslavement, and discrimination. It will preserve collective memory, honor heritage, and offer public space for healing.
The creative framework for the memorial will be developed through a collaborative process that will engage the community founded by the Clotilda survivors and other formerly enslaved people: historic Africatown and the expansive diaspora.
Project Title:
Clotilda Memorial Alabama Historical Commission
Commissioning Organization:
Alabama Historical Commission (AHC)
Total Project Budget:
$2,000,000
RFQ Application Deadline:
August 9, 2026, 11:59pm CST
Project Timeline:
June 29, 2026–2028
Geographic Eligibility:
Open to local, national, and international artists and artist teams. Artists and artist teams are asked to clarify their connection to the project’s subject matter in the letter of intent.
Background and Narrative
The year 2019 saw the identification of the Clotilda’s wreck in the depths of the Mobile River. The Clotilda was the last known ship to traffic enslaved Africans to the United States in 1860. Although the “importation” of African captives to the United States was banned in 1808, the Clotilda’s illegal slaving voyage showed that the transatlantic slave trade persisted. The Clotilda’s “human cargo” consisted of 110 people, almost entirely children and young adults, who endured violent—and ultimately permanent—separation from their homeland in West Africa. With a knowledge of recent freedom, the Clotilda survivors endured five years of brutal enslavement on Alabama plantations and steamboats. After emancipation from slavery, a group of Clotilda survivors and US-born freedpeople came together to found an independent community north of Mobile, Alabama, known as “African Town” in 1866. Other survivors laid roots in communities across Alabama’s Black Belt and other areas of the South. Throughout their lifetimes, Clotilda survivors proudly asserted their African identities, sharing their memories, cultures, languages, and values from their homeland with family members and the many people who were inspired by their stories.
The Alabama Historical Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, is committed to preserving the Clotilda, recognizing it as an invaluable artifact that evidences a difficult chapter in human history. The shipwreck serves as a powerful reminder not only of an illegal slaving voyage, but of the experiences of millions of Africans and African descendants whose lives were shaped by the transatlantic slave trade. The Clotilda survivors’ legacies live on in their families and in the institutions and communities they built—rooted in Africatown, extending across Alabama, the United States, and the world.
See the project website with additional historical background information and resources: theclotildamemorial.info/history
The memorial is a continuation of longstanding efforts to preserve and uphold the memory of the 110 individuals forced aboard the Clotilda and the estimated 12.5 million people trafficked to the Americas via the transatlantic slave trade. It is with recognition and honor of these meaningful legacies that the Alabama Historical Commission has selected Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Civic Projects Architecture, and Room For Magic to collaboratively facilitate the community-engaged design. This team specializes in designing with communities to advance public understanding of complex history and the surrounding world.
- Create a permanent, sensorially compelling, and engaging public art memorial that centers and preserves the experiences of the Clotilda survivors.
- Promote dialogue about the injustice of the transatlantic slave trade, while offering space for hope and inspiration rooted in fortitude, resilence, mutual care, and spiritual/cultural continuity.
- Convey the dignity of the survivors while honoring the gravity of the histories and experiences connected to the Clotilda.
- Honor the specificity of the Clotilda survivors’ experiences while recognizing the resonance of their stories for many local, national, and global communities.
- Express a sense of place that authentically engages past, present, and future.
- Design a commemorative form that can be observed and experienced both at a distance and up-close.
- Consider the passage of time and ensure the piece can function throughout the entire day/night cycle and a variety of weather conditions with minimal maintenance needs.
- Adhere to safety, budget, and regulatory requirements while upholding creative integrity and durability.
Below are select quotes from a recent community engagement session where participants were asked to respond to the prompt: How do you want someone to feel when they experience the memorial?
- “Awe of the travesty, jubilation of survivorship.”
- “Healing, restorative justice, ancestral connection.”
- “For descendants, peace, healing, pride.”
- “Connection to past and present—and, yes, overwhelmed with awe and emotional feelings.”
- “Transformative—to be transformed through the emotions of that spiritual encounter.”
- “Capture a rainbow of emotions.”
- “What they had to endure must be conveyed.”
- “Not just focused on the horrors of the trip but also the way the captured were able to survive and thrive.”
- “Created an indelible memory, not just a tourist attraction.”
Finalists will receive summaries of the community engagement sessions, including quotes from community members, for inspiration. This process is subject to community collaborative community feedback.
RFQ
| Item | Date |
|---|---|
| RFQ Released | June 29, 2026 |
| Deadline for Questions on the RFQ to theclotildamemorial@gmail.com | July 13, 2026 (11:59pm CST) |
| Virtual Info Session (recorded) | July 16, 2026 |
| RFQ Closes | August 9, 2026 (11:59 PM CST) |
| Finalists Selected and Notified | September 5, 2026 |
RFP
| Item | Date |
|---|---|
| RFP Distributed | September 5, 2026 |
| Mid-Point Check-In | September 25, 2026 |
| Finalist RFP Submissions Due | October 18, 2026 |
| Finalist Presentations | October 28, 2026 |
| Awardee Notified | November 2, 2026 |
| Contract Negotiation | November 3–December 18, 2026 |
| Project Fabrication | 2027 |
| Delivery & Installation | Target Late 2027–Early 2028 |
| Grand Opening | 2028 |
The location of the memorial will have historical significance to the story of the Clotilda survivors and the adjacent communities. The construction of the memorial must be designed and engineered to withstand the outdoor conditions of Southern Coastal Alabama. Considerations for this wetland environment include, but are not limited to, high moisture, seasonal flooding, erosion, active and prolific flora/fauna, and hurricane conditions (heavy rain, category 5 winds, flying debris, etc).
Technical Considerations: Durability, safety, low-maintenance materials, all-weather resistance, required lighting/electrical access, and ADA compliance.
Total Budget Allocation: $2,000,000 USD
This amount includes: artist fee, subcontractors, fabrication, materials, shipping, travel and accommodations to the site, insurance, and installation.
Engineering and permitting are considered separate fees which will be managed by the Alabama Historical Commission (AHC).
Invited finalists will each be paid $2,000 to develop site-specific proposals for the RFP stage.
Artist Eligibility and Qualifications:
- Demonstrated history of completing complex, large-scale, site-specific, permanent, outdoor public art projects of comparable budget, scale, and scope (and/or the ability to conceptualize, communicate, and support the delivery of a public artwork).
- Clear understanding of and connection to the Clotilda survivor story(ies).
- Strong understanding of public art considerations; including materials, fabrication, installation, maintenance, and public safety.
- Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse set of communities, stakeholders, and project teams.
- Commitment to creating inclusive, engaging, and accessible artwork.
- Flexibility, patience, and sensitivity when dealing with complex and traumatic subject matter.
- Proficiency in adhering to timelines and budgets.
- Above 18 years of age and not concurrently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs.
- Willingness to travel to the site for installation and cultural context required.
Artist Role: The artist(s) selected for this project will design, fabricate, and install a Clotilda Memorial that incorporates the findings from the community engagement efforts, summarized by the Project Team, into their vision for the artwork. Artists will manage the design, fabrication, shipping, and installation of the memorial with support from RAA, Civic Projects, and the Alabama Historical Commission.
Compliance: Artists must be able to comply with all relevant federal, state, and local codes (e.g., insurance and safety regulations). Maintain Professional Liability (E&O) insurance with a minimum limit of $1,000,000 per claim and in the aggregate.
Non-Discrimination Policy: Include a statement confirming compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and non-discrimination policies.
Applicants will be reviewed and shortlisted through a rubric-based evaluation process. The rubric will be designed based on input from community members and key partners of the Clotilda Memorial Alabama Historical Commission. The selection of finalists will be based on a competitive review of the following:
- Artistic excellence: demonstrated vision, professional process and presentation, and quality craftsmanship in examples of past work; examples provided should be relevant to how the artist will approach this public art opportunity.
- Creative process: examples of past work should illustrate the artist(s) unique approach to their artistic design process; examples provided should be relevant to how the artist will approach this public art opportunity and demonstrate a pragmatic approach to project development and installation.
- Skill: demonstrated experience with artistic medium and fabrication (or management of fabrication and production) and executing large-scale outdoor artwork (or other relevant experience), effective communication strategies, including updates with all key stakeholders, delivering contractual milestones, and managing allocated budgets in a timely fashion.
- Meaningful relationship: with the creative and conceptual aspects of their artistic process and the purpose of this project as expressed in the Letter of Interest (LOI).
Submission Requirements
A checklist of all documents required for a complete application.
1. Letter of Interest (LOI) / Statement of Interest
A one (1) page Letter of Interest (LOI) stating why the Clotilda Memorial Alabama Historical Commission opportunity is meaningful and connected to the applicant’s work, as well as potential approach to this project.
If the artist does not have a demonstrated history of public art, please share your ability to conceptualize, communicate, and support the delivery of a public artwork.
Describe your approach toward working collaboratively with communities, stakeholders, cultural organizations, project teams, and/or diverse constituencies as demonstrated through past projects.
2. Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
A resume or curriculum vitae (CV) (not to exceed 2 pages).
If applying as an artist team, provide a resume or CV for each team member and a list of key team members and their roles/affiliations in one PDF.
3. Images of Past Work / Work Samples
Six (6) to ten (10) examples of past large-scale public art (or other relevant projects) and infrastructure projects by the artist or artist team’s lead artist(s).
Video (optional): One (1) video, edited to no more than two (2) minutes in length, may also be submitted, but is not required.
4. Annotated Image List
An annotated image list that includes the title, media, year completed, dimensions, location, project budget, timeline, and client or commissioning entity for each corresponding image.
The annotated image list may include thumbnails of submitted images but does not replace the need to upload individual image files in fulfillment of number 3 above.
Image annotations may include very brief descriptions of how the image illustrates one or more of the selection criteria.
If a video is submitted, please include two to three (2-3) sentences to describe its context.
Submissions due:
Aug 9, 2026 11:59 PM CST
Information Session:
July 16, 2026 at noon CST [RSVP Here]
Deadline for Questions:
July 13, 2026 at noon CST