The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NMHLA) is inviting you to respond to this Request for Proposals. NHMLA plans to select an experienced artist to develop and fabricate a new puppet to be used in regular programming at the museum.

The Performing Arts program is dedicated to providing the communities of Los Angeles County with performances that explore and interpret the intersection of history, art, and science using puppetry and its associated arts. The program currently produces the popular Dinosaur Encounters and Ice Age Encounters performances alongside a wide variety of other museum theater offerings based on events and exhibits. The program strives to exemplify and iterate upon the museum’s vision in all of its endeavors— to inspire wonder, discovery, and responsibility for our natural and cultural worlds.

Project Goals and Technical Requirements:

The selected contractor will work with NHMLA paleontological staff to develop and create a marionette interpretation of a sauropod dinosaur, the precise species will be determined at the beginning of the development process. Core requirements include:

• The total budget for the puppet must not exceed $10,000.

• The puppet must match those visual characteristics outlined during development with paleontology staff.

• Puppet is capable of interacting regularly with guests of all ages.

• Puppet should coexist aesthetically with other Dinosaur Encounters puppets.

• Puppet control design must be ergonomic and practical for repeated use during 30 minute performances.

• Puppet weight should fall under 15 pounds.

• Puppet must be delivered, meeting all aforementioned requirements, to NHMLA by March 1st, 2018

Bidding Procedure:

All proposals are due by 4:00pm on December 15, 2018. No faxed proposals will be accepted. Emailed proposals are preferred, but hard copies are accepted. All proposals should be sent to The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County C/0 Ilana Gustafson at the following address: 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, 90007. All questions or comments concerning the Request for Proposals should be addressed to Ilana Gustafson, Manager of Performing Arts at igustafson@nhm.org.