Tahoe Public Art Trail

Tahoe Public Art (TPA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization registered in California and Nevada that enhances the cultural landscape of the Tahoe region by providing dynamic art experiences inspired by the Lake Tahoe Basin's natural beauty and heritage to create momentum towards local environmental preservation efforts.

The Tahoe Public Art Trail program has a lake-wide, basin-wide permit to place temporary and mobile environmental art installations at public, private, and resort locations around Lake Tahoe. Temporary installations can be exhibited for up to one year (12 months) per location; TPA has secured a dozen art sites so far in California and Nevada. The program is designed to have a transformational effect on the greater Lake Tahoe community through art created by local, national, and international artists that collectively educate, inspire, and activate locals and visitors alike to protect and improve the extraordinary natural, recreational, and cultural resources of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Applicants must have successfully completed at least two temporary or permanent public art commissions and/or can demonstrate more than five years of professional experience creating site-specific art installations in the public domain. Professional artists living and working in the United States are eligible to apply. Professional artists who are non-US residents must be able to demonstrate ability to work in the United States or note if they would need to apply for an O1B Artist Visa. Artists must be 18 years or older to apply. Applicants can submit proposals for existing works of art or proposals for new works of art. Each artwork must be a "temporary environmental art structure" that encompasses the public's relationship to the local environment (cultural, ecological, historical, social) in the Lake Tahoe Basin and is installed in a way that does not have a detrimental impact on the installation site.

Work sample requirements: 3-12 images, 0-2 audio files, 0-4 video files, with a total of 3-18 samples. Applicants must submit an artist statement (3,000 words or less), artist resume/CV, project budget, and photo, video, or audio samples of existing work or conceptual renderings for proposed new work. Proposals should include an estimated project budget with clear line items. For existing works of art, TPA will cover a monthly artist fee, transportation/shipping, travel, accommodation, installation, deinstallation, insurance, publicity/promotion, signage, opening reception, and maintenance. For new works of art, TPA will cover an artist commission fee, materials, fabrication, transportation/shipping, travel, accommodations, installation, deinstallation, insurance, publicity/promotion, signage, opening reception, and maintenance. Applicants must agree to track and calculate all CO2 emissions from start to finish of the installation/deinstallation process and provide a report so TPA can invest in clean energy offsets to ensure the installation has a zero carbon footprint. If the proposed artwork requires a footing, pedestal, or other base, the artist will be responsible for submitting structural engineering documents to demonstrate safety as per Nevada and California state standards. Proposals will be evaluated based on artist capabilities, aesthetic and technical quality, relevance and impact to the Lake Tahoe Basin, connection to the greater Lake Tahoe community, size/scale, structural integrity, budget and timeline feasibility, and environmental sustainability.