City of Capitola - 41st Avenue Streetscape Public Art Project

The City of Capitola's Art and Cultural Commission is seeking an artist or artist team to create public art for the streetscape along Capitola's 41st Avenue commercial corridor. The 41st Avenue Public Art Project site is the streetscape in the thriving regional shopping district along the three commercial block section bounded by Clares St. to the north and Brommer St. to the south, approximately 0.6 miles. An estimated 44,000 cars travel through this stretch daily. The medians in the center of the roadway contain large trees and present the greatest opportunity for public art such as a series of 2 or 3-dimensional artwork elements.

The public art project budget is $200,000, divided between design development and fabrication/installation. The design budget is expected to be approximately 12.5% of the total budget. The project budget includes a mandatory 10% contingency on the construction budget for unforeseen conditions. The artist is to design to a total fabrication and installation budget of approximately $175,000. This opportunity is open to artists working or living along the west coast of the United States in California, Oregon, and Washington. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have all necessary permits to work in the United States at the time of submittal. Artists working in all mediums may be considered, but the ultimate implementation must be artwork able to withstand outdoor conditions with minimal maintenance.

This is a concept proposal selection with two phases. Phase One involves review of submittals and selection of up to four finalists. Phase Two requires selected finalists to prepare a detailed concept proposal and will be paid an honorarium of $900 upon completion of the preparation and presentation. Each finalist is expected to make an in-person concept proposal presentation to the 41st Avenue Public Art Project Committee. The City of Capitola will offset basic travel costs related to this presentation. Selection criteria include aesthetic excellence of past projects, appropriateness of prior concepts as they relate to public art and project goals, experience in creating public artworks in collaboration with stakeholder groups, experience developing artworks in outdoor environments, and experience in construction materials and methods appropriate to the project scope. The City of Capitola will contract with the selected artist using a standard design-fabrication agreement.