The City of Santa Clarita (City) is seeking artwork to be permanently located at Santa Clarita’s Old Orchard Park. The City intends to select one artist or team of artists to design and fabricate an original, site-specific sculpture.

 The all-inclusive budget for this project is $46,000. Artist(s) are invited to submit portfolios of past work for consideration.

Site Information

The City of Santa Clarita is centrally located, just 30 minutes north of downtown Los Angeles with more than 9,000 acres of rolling open space and 100 miles of picturesque Santa Clarita trails and paseos designed for commuting and recreational use, including walking, riding, jogging, and skating. The regional river trail serves as the backbone of the trail system in this Southern California city. Together with connecting trails, you can access parks, entertainment, and shopping venues. Spending quality time with family and friends is easy to do at one of our many parks, along our trails, and exploring our open space and nearby lakes.

The City’s Old Orchard (Park) is a small municipal park. The park, located at 25023 Avenida Rotella, is expected to receive enhanced play area features, modernization of building improvements, updates appropriate to current building codes, and phasing plans for future integration of a stormwater infiltration system on the west side of the park as part of the plans. The new design is also expected to reduce water usage by nearly one-third through the removal of non-essential turf areas and the planting of native and drought-tolerant plants served by a low-volume irrigation system.

DESIGN GUIDELINES:

• Creativity and innovation of design are encouraged.
• The artwork must be an original design.
• The artwork must be suitable for viewing by all ages.
• The artwork should be site-specific, considering aspects of the unique physical, cultural, natural, and/or historical features of Old Orchard Park and the City of Santa Clarita while planning and creating the artwork.
• The artwork may not be used for advertisement or to promote business, product, or viewpoint.
• Designs must not include any breach of intellectual property, trademarks, brands, business names, corporate or organizational branding or images of drugs.
• Artwork can be of any medium, but artists should consider structural and surface soundness and materials that can withstand outside and uncovered weather conditions as well as inherent resistance to theft, vandalism, and excessive maintenance and repair costs. Artists will be required to outline in their proposal the suggested maintenance schedule.
• The Artist Selection Committee will evaluate artist submittals based on the strength and appropriateness of artists’ past completed work

PROJECT GUIDELINES:

• Artwork must fit in a pre-determined location.
• Artwork must fit on the pre-determined concrete area measuring at X feet. ­­­
• Sculptures should be no less than 6 feet and no more than 15 feet in height excluding the base.
• Sculptures should weigh no more than 3,000 pounds.
• The artwork must be installed in a manner with sufficient anchoring to prevent it from being removed, broken, or overturned due to wind or an earthquake. The City will review the artist’s proposed installation plans and will request additional information from a California-licensed engineer (hired by the artist) to address safety concerns the City may have.
• The City will provide a plaque near the artwork, that indicates the name of the artist and title of the artwork.
• Artwork must be constructed of durable materials that are able to withstand the harsh weather conditions of the desert (high winds and extreme temperatures).
• Artwork must comply with standard engineering practices and requirements.
• Artwork will be evaluated to require that it does not present a hazard to public safety, and must conform to ADA standards.
• Delivered artwork that differs significantly from the artwork represented will be disqualified.

TENTATIVE TIMELINE

• December 2023 – Semi-finalist notified (30 days to develop proposal)
• January 2024 – Semi-finalist interviews
• February 2024 – Arts Commission and City Council review and approval
• March 2024 – Selected finalist notified (to start contract process)
• Spring 2025 – Installation

LOCATION:

The identified location will be at Old Orchard Park, address 25023 Avenida Rotella, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.

BUDGET:

Semifinalists

Up to five (5) artists will be invited to create site-specific artwork proposals and will receive a $1,000 honorarium. Each artist will be scheduled for a 30-minute virtual interview with the Artist Selection Committee to present their final proposal.

Presentation and Interview will include:

• Concept of the site-specific artwork, which follows the Design and Project Guidelines
• Maintenance and conservation of artwork
• Budget
• Questions and answers from the Artist Selection Committee

Selected Finalist responsibilities:                                                  Engineering

• The City requires installation drawings and instructions for the artwork from a California-licensed engineer to be submitted to the City for approval. City staff will work with the artist to gather the required documentation. The artist is required to provide this information in a timely manner and be available for questions or meetings with City staff and the Engineer.
• Artwork must comply with standard engineering practices and requirements.
• Artwork will be evaluated to require that it does not present a hazard to public safety and must conform to ADA standards.

Installation

• Installation has to be per the engineered plans and required material, process, and tools.
• The artist is responsible for the delivery of artwork per the scheduled date.
• The artist is responsible for the installation of the artwork with City supervision and approval of the process.
• The artist is responsible for providing a maintenance guide for the proper care of the artwork.
• The artist is responsible for all associated expenses related to design, fabrication, and transportation.
• The artist is responsible for travel and hotel accommodations.
• If a protective coating to address environmental or vandalism concerns is deemed necessary, this must be covered by the artist.
• Artwork must be installed in a manner with sufficient anchoring to prevent the artwork from being removed, tipped, broken, or overturned due to wind or an earthquake.
• The artist is responsible for the cost and coordination of a qualified Deputy Welding Inspector for site welds during installation. City Staff can provide a list of qualified Deputy Welding Inspectors.
• Power for the sculpture itself is not available onsite.  If the sculpture requires power then it is suggested that it include a solar component.

Insurance

• The selected artist will be required to include insurance coverage for the installation period only. Insurance is due at the time of the contract signing.

ARTIST RESOURCES / SANTA CLARITA COMMUNITY:

Links regarding the community and history of the Santa Clarita area:

·       City of Santa Clarita Park Directory https://www.santa-clarita.com/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/38/1386

·       City of Santa Clarita – www.santa-clarita.com

·       Public Art App - https://scpublicart.goodbarber.com/

·       SantaClaritaArts.com - http://santaclaritaarts.com/

·       Visit Santa Clarita - http://visitsantaclarita.com/things-to-do/outdoor-recreation/bike-rentals/

·       Demographics - https://www.santa-clarita.com/city-hall/departments/community-development/demographics

Community Profile - https://www.santa-clarita.com/city-hall/30th-anniversary 

Application Requirements

The required materials must be submitted electronically through CAFE.

1. Resume or CV
2. Up to five (5) images of previous sculptural artwork. At least one example must be an existing public artwork completed by the artist.
3. Image descriptions identifying title, materials, location, and project budget.
4. Application questions in place of a cover letter and artist statement.

• What drew you to this project?
• What experience do you have in public art?
• Is there any qualifications, experience or previous work would you like us to consider?

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

·       Visual impact of submitted past projects

·       Interpretation and creativity of submitted past projects

·       Composition and design of submitted past projects

·       Craftsmanship of submitted past projects

·       Clarity of project-specific intent, relevant professional experience, and artistic vision, as expressed in resume, CV, and application questions

·       Design criteria and eligibility guidelines met

Eligibility Criteria

Artists 18 years of age or older are invited to submit an individual or collaborative artist application.  The artist must have a US mailing address for payment to be mailed to and must fill out a W-9.

Artists are required to have completed at least one sculptural public art project with a minimum $30,000 budget.