Sculpture for Palmdale Transportation Center Roundabout

The City of Palmdale seeks a sculpture for the central island of the recently renovated roundabout at the Palmdale Transportation Center. The roundabout serves as a functional traffic feature and highly visible gateway to the city. The selected sculpture will welcome visitors and reflect Palmdale's cultural identity.

Community feedback favored a sculpture honoring Palmdale's aerospace legacy and evoking pride, with visual themes drawn from the local desert landscape—such as Joshua trees, yucca, poppies, and the lake—as well as the city's iconic views of mountains, sunsets, stars, and wide blue skies. The sculpture must be family-friendly, original, and constructed of durable materials able to withstand harsh desert weather conditions (high winds up to 110 mph and extreme temperatures) with a projected lifespan of 20-30 years. The sculpture must fit within an 8' by 8' circular footprint, not exceed 17 feet in height, weigh no more than 3,000 pounds, and must not obstruct vehicle visibility. The sculpture should not be kinetic or interactive. All deliveries must be Free on Board (FOB) to the installation site.

The all-inclusive budget is $104,000, covering artist fee, fabrication, welding, engineering, equipment rentals, transportation, installation, and all other project expenses. The selected artist will receive a $450 stipend to submit a color sketch or digital image of the proposed artwork to scale. Artists must be 18 years or older and reside in California. A complete application includes artist's resume, 6-10 examples of previous work in sculpture design/fabrication/installation, 3 professional references, and a statement of interest. Applications due November 16, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. MST. Jury review: November 17-25, 2025. Artist interviews required November 26, 2025. Selected artist will be notified December 3, 2025, with concept design due December 18, 2025.