Fremont Pool Public Art Project

The City of Oakland is seeking an artist or team to design, fabricate and install a new work of art in conjunction with renovations for the Fremont Pool, located at 4550 Foothill Boulevard near Fremont High School in Central East Oakland. The selected artist(s) will develop vibrant and colorful artwork in a permanent material such as fire-fired tile for two vertical exterior façade panels on either side of the pool entry, each measuring approximately 4' x 20' (160 square feet total). The artist or team will also be asked to propose a means to engage community youth in the design process or other art-enrichment capacity in conjunction with the creation of this artwork. This is a fast-track project to be completed in time for the pool's scheduled summer re-opening in June 2009.

This project is open to practicing, professional artists living or working in the Northern California Bay Area region, defined as the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Solano and Sonoma. Artists working in all permanent visual media are welcome to apply. The revised public art budget for this project is $60,000, which includes all artist/artist team design and collaboration fees; fabrication of work; transportation of work to site; and on-site design application, installation, and/or artwork integration oversight as needed. The selected artist(s) will be required to hold an Oakland Business Tax Certificate for the duration of the project and provide proof of insurance for commercial general liability, automobile, and worker's compensation as applicable.

Submission deadline is January 6, 2009. Applications must be submitted online through www.callforentry.org. The selection process includes a pre-screening for RFQ compliance, followed by a Selection Panel review to recommend up to five finalists. Finalists will be interviewed and the panel will recommend one artist or artist team to receive the commission. The Public Art Advisory Committee, Cultural Affairs Commission and City Council must approve the recommended artist(s)/team(s) before contracts can be executed. The artwork must be durable, resistant to vandalism, and reflect and complement the surrounding community.