Washington Street Underpass Public Art Project

The San Benito County Arts Council, together with Caltrans and the City of San Juan Bautista, is seeking artists and/or artist teams to create and install public art for a Clean California Beautification Project at the State Route 156 and Washington Street underpass in San Juan Bautista. The project is part of Governor Newsom's California Comeback Plan.

Artists are invited to submit qualifications to create a mural on the exterior façade and interior vertical walls of the underpass (approximately 3,150 square feet of surface area), as well as 2D or 3D site-specific elements integrated with the mural theme to be incorporated into concrete slope paving areas. Community input surveys revealed preferences for realistic representation (58%), depiction of local stories and histories (48%), and painted murals (80%). Recurring themes include Indigenous peoples, native plants and wildlife, San Juan Bautista's cultural influences, agriculture and farmland, and children, joy and hope. Submissions that are overtly sexual, political or religious in nature will not be reviewed.

Artwork must demonstrate high aesthetic quality, thematic responsiveness to the neighborhood, artist experience with large-scale public art projects, durability in outdoor environments, concept originality, technical feasibility, and compliance with Caltrans Transportation Art Guidelines. The total project budget is $160,000, inclusive of all costs including concept refinement, site preparation, materials, artist fees, insurance, and travel. Selected artists must waive their rights of integrity to commissioned artwork as pertains to its removal or repair, and artwork materials must have a minimum lifespan of five years. Up to 3 finalists will be selected for virtual interviews (May 9-20) and receive a $500 stipend. The selected artist will be notified by May 23, 2022, with final design development occurring June-November 2022 and artwork installation January-June 2023.