Request for Proposals: LA-Paris Performance-Poetry Collaboration

The City of Los Angeles DCA seeks a nonprofit, literary-arts partner for a collaborative, performancepoetry project that will be produced in conjunction with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Planning for this project will begin in February 2024, and include videotaping in early September 2024, post-production in late September 2024, and online posting for Los Angeles audiences in October 2024.

The staged, performance-poetry event at the Place du Châtelet in Paris, France will take place in September, toward the end of the Paris 2024 games. The event will feature a thematic 12-hour long “poetry-relay” program of a series of live poetry readings and spoken-word and sung performances with music by a wide range of artists. This imminent opportunity is designed to include participation of six to eight Los Angeles-based literary artists at this showcase event, in the spirit of “passing the torch” from the Paris 2024 Olympic games to the Los Angeles 2028 games.

To ensure success of this project, the selected nonprofit literary arts partner will collaborate with the City of LA DCA by:

• Enrolling two expert staff members in a DCA-facilitated panel to identify six to eight Los Angeles poets to participate at the performance-poetry event in Paris (panel to take place February – March 2024)
• Provide creative/administrative fees, travel and meals, and related insurance coverage for the six to eight selected artists, plus for a videographer (up to nine persons in total), to participate at the Paris event
• To monitor the editing and creation of a documentary video of the event which will be premiered on the partnering nonprofit website for Los Angeles audiences.

Eligible respondents are nonprofit organizations headquartered in Los Angeles County that have:

1. Three (3) or more years of experience presenting poets from Los Angeles as well as other countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and/or South and Central America demonstrating a knowledge of global exchange, and
2. Expertise in selecting diverse sets of high-quality poets (by age, cultural identity, gender, etc.) who have already produced and/or can create new works on a given sports and arts-related theme (such as athletic-participation, Olympic heroes, and/or sports), and
3. Three (3) or more years of experience producing, podcasting, and/or posting videos of staged events on its website or other virtual location that function as either primary or documentary programs to promote the art of poetry, and
4. Ability to name two staff members with expertise in poetry and literature (full or part-time, who are poised to advance their skills in international exchange) who will dedicate approximately 30 hours (collectively) of administrative time between February and October 2024 to co-select one (1) diverse artistic-delegation to participate in a staged event in Paris, France; which will be videotaped and post-produced as a co-sponsored online-program (linked to the DCA website) butpremiered on its website, and
5. An overall operating budget of no less than $100,000 per year over the past six years, preferably with a chronology of three years with at least one government grant from either the City of Los Angeles Department of cultural Affairs or the LA County Department of Arts & Culture, which demonstrates a history of stability with recognition from community-panelists, consultants, and/or peers.

Qualified organizations are invited to respond to this RFP by clicking on the "Next" button below. Before proceeding, please review the RFP for additional information about this opportunity. 

LETTER OF INTEREST

Please address your organization's competitive qualifications for this opportunity based on the following five eligibility criteria:

1. Three (3) or more years of experience presenting poets from Los Angeles as well as other countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and/or South and Central America demonstrating a knowledge of global exchange, and
   
   
2. Expertise in selecting diverse sets of high-quality poets (by age, cultural identity, gender, etc.) who have already produced and/or can create new works on a given sports and arts-related theme (such as athletic-participation, Olympic heroes, and/or sports), and
   
   
3. Three (3) or more years of experience producing, podcasting, and/or posting videos of staged events on its website or other virtual location that function as either primary or documentary programs to promote the art of poetry, and
   
   
4. Ability to name two staff members with expertise in poetry and literature (full or part-time, who are poised to advance their skills in international exchange) who will dedicate approximately 30 hours (collectively) of administrative time between February and October 2024 to co-select one (1) diverse artistic-delegation to participate in a staged event in Paris, France; which will be videotaped and post-produced as a co-sponsored online-program (linked to the DCA website) butpremiered on its website, and
   
   
5. An overall operating budget of no less than $100,000 per year over the past six years, preferably with a chronology of three years with at least one government grant from either the City of Los Angeles Department of cultural Affairs or the LA County Department of Arts & Culture, which demonstrates a history of stability with recognition from community-panelists, consultants, and/or peers.

Final Review

Please take a moment to review your responses above, including video URL/hyperlinks, for completeness and accuracy. When ready to submit, click on the "Submit Response" button below.