Grand Portage Land Port of Entry Art in Architecture

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Art in Architecture Program commissions American artists (citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents or Permanent Workers of the United States) to create publicly scaled and permanently installed artworks for Federal buildings nationwide.

GSA announces an opportunity for a Federal art commission in conjunction with the new construction of the Grand Portage U.S. Land Port of Entry in Grand Portage, Minnesota.

GSA will design and construct a new U.S. Land Port of Entry (LPOE) to replace the outdated Grand Portage U.S. Land Port of Entry. The LPOE, once complete, will house local operations for Customs and Border Protection, consisting of multiple buildings to process individuals crossing the border from Canada. The new LPOE facility is expected to be a long-term facility to ensure border security.

GSA allocates one-half of one percent (0.5%) of the estimated construction costs of new or modernized Federal facilities for art commissions. The art budget for this project is estimated to be between $215,000 to $385,000. One or more artists will be awarded a fixed-price contract for a commission.

Artists who wish to be considered for this GSA art commission must submit application materials to GSA by the SAM Contract Opportunity’s Response Date. Artists may also elect to be considered for all future GSA art commissions by submitting application materials to GSA’s National Artist Registry (Registry). Instructions on how to submit application materials and join the Registry are available on the following Web site:

https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/design-and-construction/art-in-architecturefine-arts/art-in-architecture-program/art-in-architecture-national-artist-registry

All artists who wish to be considered as candidates for a commission at the U.S. Land Port of Entry in Grand Portage, Minnesota, must have their application materials submitted and received by GSA by 5:00 PM Eastern Time, June 2, 2026. Artists’ submissions received after the deadline will not be considered for this project but will be eligible for consideration on future GSA commissions alongside the other artists on the Registry. Artists already on the Registry need not resubmit but may elect to update their information prior to the deadline. 

GSA evaluates artists based on the following criteria: the media, materials, content and style of the artist’s past work, along with the artist’s past performance and experience with commissions or projects similar to the one described in this synopsis.

Shortlisted artists will be contacted and asked to submit additional information, including a statement that the artist can perform the work associated with the GSA commission within the identified budget. GSA will count the combined weight of all the selection criteria as significantly more important than price. 

At minimum, the scope of services for this commission will require collaboration with the lead designer selected for the land port of entry project; travel to the project site; development and presentation of preliminary and final concepts; fabrication of the artwork; participation in meetings and conservation reviews as necessary; delivery and installation of the artwork; professional documentation of, and detailed maintenance planning for the artwork at the project site. For informational purposes: Artists selected for the contract award must be Permanent Residents or Citizens of the United States of America. Artists selected for the contract award will be required to have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) at the time of award. Instructions for creating an account and activating registration in SAM may be found at www.sam.gov. Artists selected for the contract award will be required to renew the registration in SAM on an annual basis for the duration of the project.

In accordance with Executive Order (EO) 13934, agencies should prioritize the commission of works of art that portray historically significant Americans or events of American historical significance or illustrate the ideals upon which our Nation was founded.