City of Palm Desert Roundabout Sculpture RFQ

The Cultural Arts Committee invites artists to create a signature sculptural installation for the roundabout at the north end of San Pablo Avenue. The selected artwork will serve as a visual landmark and reinforce the corridor's evolving identity as a vibrant, design-forward public space. Artists are encouraged to consider scale, visibility, and durability in their concepts, and may propose either a single large-scale piece or a series of coordinated elements. Works that incorporate lighting to enhance nighttime presence are strongly encouraged. Water and kinetic features will not be considered.

The roundabout is located at the northern end of San Pablo Avenue, directly adjacent to the east entrance of College of the Desert, within a dense civic and community campus that includes Palm Desert's Civic Center Park, sports fields, skate park, event lawn, dog park, YMCA, Palm Desert Community Center and Gymnasium, and City Hall. The site is highly trafficked by students, families, city staff, and residents. This location offers high visibility from multiple directions and serves as a symbolic entry point to the City's civic and cultural center.

The project budget is $200,000. The selected artist or artist team will be responsible for all fees including artist fee, design, engineering, materials, fabrication, shipping/transportation, construction oversight, travel, hotel, mileage, insurance, taxes, and other associated costs. The City will be responsible for installation costs, uplighting costs, and permit fees. Up to five artists will be selected to create a design proposal, maquette, and presentation. All artists selected to present their concept proposals to the Cultural Arts Committee will receive an honorarium of $1,000 inclusive of all expenses. Finalists must submit conceptual design drawings/renderings with dimensions and placement, a narrative including title and medium, proposed timeline with milestones, itemized project budget estimate, material description with durability information, fabrication plan, lighting details if applicable, foundation design explanation, and maintenance plan. The selection process includes a pass/fail completeness review, ranking by the Cultural Arts Committee, shortlist presentations, community engagement survey, and final selection by City Council. Applications must be submitted by September 4, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. MDT. Jury review will occur September 15 through November 12, 2025. Shortlist notification is the week of November 17, 2025. Finalist presentations are scheduled for January 14, 2026.