CaFÉ qualifications reviewed by a project advisory panel; up to four finalists per site receive a paid proposal invitation.
Program history & cadence
2026 O’Hare Concourse D call listed September 30, 2026 as its deadline and anticipated 2028 installation. Current application acceptance is unverified. The separate DuSable Park January 2026 call is historical.
A documented program is not a current invitation to apply. Selection routes and program history reflect the linked dated sources. Confirm current availability, eligibility and application terms with the organizer.
Program context & project planning
How the program works
The portfolio stage precedes paid concept development
Chicago’s 2026 O’Hare Concourse D RFQ illustrates a staged commissioning process. An advisory panel reviews qualifications, selects up to four finalists per site and invites them to develop proposals. Finalists receive a $2,000 concept honorarium and more detailed technical information before presenting. The September 30 deadline has passed. The documented route helps artists distinguish initial evidence of experience from later site-specific design work.
Does the artist’s portfolio make the relevant scale, completed role and delivery experience easy to evaluate?
Large airport budgets include delivery obligations
The Concourse D brief allocates $300,000–$500,000 per site as inclusive execution budgets. Engineering, site preparation, transport, installation and insurance sit alongside design and fabrication. The artist must coordinate with the airport design and construction teams, verify dimensions and structural requirements, and avoid interference with airport operations. This published example explains why the headline commission amount cannot be treated entirely as an artist fee or fabrication allowance.
How much of the total remains for the artwork after engineering, access, installation and project administration?
Different airport sites need different physical solutions
The seven Concourse D sites span light-based work, suspended sculpture, outdoor ground-mounted sculpture and wall-mounted components. Each has distinct spatial or weight constraints, and the RFQ emphasizes views from different passenger positions. A portfolio suited to one location may therefore be a poor fit for another. The practical lesson for a buyer is to define attachment conditions, viewing distances and operating constraints separately for each art location.
