City of Oakland: 17th Street BART Gateway Project

The Oakland Public Art Program and the Oakland Redevelopment Agency are seeking an artist to collaborate on the transformation of the 17th Street BART station entrance into a memorable, distinctive arts-centered gateway for Oakland's Uptown arts and entertainment district. The project site is located between Telegraph Avenue and Broadway. The qualified applicant must have demonstrated experience working with a six- or seven-figure budget, as part of a design team, on integrated architectural design, and preferably with experience in the creation of light-based or new media art installations. The total budget for artwork project costs, including the artist's design fees, is $600,000.

The selected artist will collaborate as a member of the design team led by project architects Sasaki Associates and other stakeholders on improvements to the site and contiguous sidewalks and building façades. The artist will design and fabricate artistic enhancements to animate the space and create a safe, inviting, engaging entry into the Uptown District. The artist will also create a major, integrated light-based and/or media-based public artwork with significant visibility from a distance to draw people to the site from both Broadway and Telegraph Avenue during day and evening hours.

This is the first permanent commission for the "Luminous Oakland" program, through which the City is commissioning light-based and new-media-based public art for the Uptown District. The project is open to professional artists residing in the United States. Submittals will be pre-screened for compliance with requirements. A selection panel will review materials and select up to five artists for interviews. The panel will award an extra point to artists who live and/or work in Oakland. Selection will be based on professional and artistic qualifications, appropriateness of medium and style, relevant experience in collaborative design processes, familiarity with public agencies and review processes, and demonstrated ability to execute the work within the proposed schedule and budget. Applications must be submitted online through the CaFÉ website with 10 images. There is no application fee.