Brownsville Gateway U.S. Land Port of Entry Art in Architecture

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

GSA is announcing an opportunity for a Federal art commission in conjunction with the new construction of the Brownsville Gateway U.S. Land Port of Entry in Brownsville, Texas.   

GSA is designing and constructing a new U.S. Land Port of Entry to replace the outdated Brownsville Gateway U.S. Land Port of Entry. The Land Port of Entry, once complete, will consist of multiple buildings for Federal inspection personnel who facilitate the transit of individuals and vehicles permitted entry into the United States from Mexico.

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 $550,000 to $800,000. 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:

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 Brownsville, Texas, must have their application materials submitted and received by GSA by 5:00 PM Eastern Time, December 21, 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. However, SAM registration is not needed at the time of submission of application materials to GSA’s National Artist Registry. 

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 13934, Building and Rebuilding Monuments to American Heroes, GSA will 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.