City of Fremont - Entrance Gateway for the Large Group Picnic Area

The City of Fremont is seeking qualifications and proposals from professional artists over the age of 18 residing in the western United States for a contemporary and innovative gateway feature for the Large Group Picnic Area project, located at 40500 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont, CA. The public art budget, including design and artwork delivered-in-place, is estimated at a maximum of $26,000.

The Large Group Picnic Area is a proposed project within Fremont's Central Park, adjacent to the City's Water Park, with capacity for approximately 800 guests. The Art Review Board has identified the picnic area's entry plaza for the location of the entrance gateway. The gateway shall be designed to create a clear sense of arrival and welcoming in a contemporary and innovative method, aiming to elicit a sense of relief, wonder, awe, and delight from visitors. Theming for the artwork could include the representation of water. The artist's scope of work shall include gates at a minimum; embellishments made to the adjacent concrete block pilasters on which the gates will be mounted and the surrounding pavement may be included. Only artwork made of durable materials, such as concrete and/or metal will be considered. Sustainability and the reuse of materials is encouraged. The maximum $26,000 budget shall include design, materials, manufacturing, installation, structural calculations, permits and permitting fees, possible insurance and bonding, travel, and coordination with contractor and staff.

Applicants must submit a letter of interest, an updated resume (3 page maximum), up to 7 images of previously installed work with budgets, and one conceptual art proposal (preferably an annotated sketch). The selection committee will evaluate submissions based on strength of previous work in similar environments, suitability to the project, durability of materials, demonstrated ability to complete public art projects of similar scale, strength of conceptual proposal, and strength of resume and letter of interest. Three to five finalists will be selected for interviews, which may be conducted in-person or by video conferencing. The final artist will be selected after the interview. Questions must be submitted in writing by email to [email protected] by February 24, 2017 at 1:00 PM PDT.