City of Palo Alto Public Art Opportunity: Junior Museum & Zoo

The Palo Alto Public Art Program is seeking professional artists or artist teams working in diverse media for a permanent public art project at the Junior Museum & Zoo (JMZ), located at 1451 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA. The estimated public art budget is between $150,000 and $200,000. The call is open to professional artists over the age of 18 residing in the United States. All applicants must have all necessary documentation and permits to work in the United States at the time of submittal.

The new JMZ construction project will include a 40,000 square foot museum and zoo facility with multiple spaces for artwork integration: the exterior entry courtyard (2,660 SF), the 450-foot wall facing Rinconada Park, the netting over the Loose-in-the-Zoo area, and the building facade. The entry plaza may include artwork for paving, seating areas, and dividing gates. Additionally, wood from trees removed during construction will be salvaged and available for artists to utilize for public art purposes. The public art should support the JMZ mission to engage children's curiosity for science and nature, and the final artwork must be accessible to the public in the free areas of the JMZ facility.

Qualifications are due February 1, 2017 at 3:00 PM PST. Applicants must submit a letter of interest, an updated resume (5 pages maximum), and up to 6 images of previous work via the CaFÉ system. The selection committee will evaluate submissions based on strength of previous work in similar environments, suitability to the Junior Museum and Zoo, durability of materials, degree of audience engagement, and demonstrated ability to complete public art projects of similar scale. Three to five finalists will be selected for interviews, with finalist interviews scheduled for the week of March 6, 2017.