CALL FOR ARTISTS – Central Park Community Center, Fremont, California

The City of Fremont is seeking the professional services of artists who are interested in being considered for a commission for the new iconic Central Park Community Center in Fremont, California. The proposed community center will be a new modern park building nestled within a 430-acre park. 

Fremont and Site Description

Fremont, California is a very diverse and innovative city in the heart of the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, surrounded by regional parks. Its population is approximately 230,000 people, and it has been named “Happiest City” by WalletHub five years in a row. The new community center is planned to be a destination building adjacent to Lake Elizabeth, at the heart of the city’s crown jewel park, the 430-acre Central Park, offering expansive views of the hills and Mission Peak.

Project Description

The proposed Community Center will be the community’s new public social hub located in a park in the heart of the city. The building will include a lobby, fitness/dance rooms, arts and crafts rooms, a community meeting room, and an “outdoor living room” in Phase 1, which is fully funded. Phase 2 of the project, which may be funded with the first phase, will include an event hall, outdoor terrace, and ceremonial lawn. See Exhibit A for the Site Plan, Exhibit B for the building floor plans, and Exhibit C for the building elevations.

Opportunities for Art

The artwork should create both a sense of place and arrival. Several opportunities exist for integrating art at this site, both indoors and outdoors, as shown in Exhibit D. The artwork is proposed to be concentrated at the building entrance to create a “place” through a critical mass of artwork. The project architect has suggested multiple options and locations for art, starting at the entry plaza, leading into the high-ceilinged lobby, and also at the outdoor living room. Other opportunities for art are shown in the Phase 2 area, but the artist(s) may choose to further concentrate the art at the entrance, even if Phase 2 is funded. The art may take the form of sculpture, wall art, bollards, suspended sculpture, decorative paving, shade elements, lighting features, custom furniture, or other art forms. View the fly over video for reference. Please note: this fly over video is a conceptual design only. 

Artists are encouraged to use the available spaces to create an immersive experience and consider the scale of the buildings and the site.

Multiple artists may be selected for this project. Selected artists will have the opportunity to work with the architect and/or landscape architect throughout the course of the project to integrate the artwork as much as possible. To further ensure integration and to assist with compliance of the California State law, the selected artist(s) will likely contract (as a subcontractor) with the City’s general contractor for the final art installation.

Eligibility:

Open to professional artists 18+ years old with experience executing their ideas from concept to completion and working in the public realm, preferably with public agencies. 

Application Requirements

Artists must supply the following materials to complete an application:

1.    Work Samples. Provide up to ten (10) images of artist’s past work comparable to the opportunity outlined in this RFQ.

2.    Work Sample Descriptions. Descriptions will help the Art Selection Committee understand the artwork samples. Upload a document describing the submitted samples or complete the fields in the work sample uploads. For each item, provide information from the list below.
o Title
o Date Completed
o Location of Artwork
o Description of Artwork
o Commissioning Body
o Cost

o Artist’s role (as solo artist or team member; if team, role must be described)

o Materials
o video link for corresponding piece, if relevant

3.    Resume. Provide a current professional resume (3 pages max), emphasizing professional Public Art experience and/or experience in working with public agencies. 

4.    Statement of Interest. Describe why this opportunity is appealing to you and how your work can enhance the Central Park Community Center project (300 words max). 

5.    This phase of the Call for Artists is to review past work. Do not submit a proposal for a concept with your application. Artists who submit proposals will be disqualified and their submission will not be reviewed. Proposals are defined as a physical description of an artwork for the site and/or a visual illustration of an artwork for the site. 
 

Artist(s) Selection Criteria and Process:

The goal of the RFQ/RFP process is to cast a wide net and propose a variety of art types and interest for the project. The Art Selection Committee may select one artist or multiple artists in their final selection.

Artist(s) selection will be done in two rounds.

Round 1:  The Art Selection Committee (Committee), comprising City Staff and an Art Review Board representative(s), will conduct a blind evaluation of submissions (work samples, resumes, and artist’s statements) based on the following criteria (in no particular order):

1.    Strength of previous work in similar environments

2.    Suitability to the Central Park Community Center project

3.    Durability of materials

4.    Demonstrated ability to complete public art projects of similar size

5.    Artist’s understanding of the project and compelling nature of the artist’s statement

Based on the criteria enumerated above, the Committee will recommend multiple artists to the Art Review Board to advance to the second round of the selection process.

Round 2:  Artists selected from Round 1 will be invited to meet with the project team for a group Q&A session, and provided a stipend of $500 to develop a proposal. The Q&A session is designed to allow the artists to learn more about the project and possibly explore project feasibility with the project team. Three weeks after the meeting, proposals will be due. Based on the proposals, the Committee will invite some artists for an interview. The Art Review Board will make its final selection of artist(s) based on a combination of the first and second round materials, the interviews, and project budget negotiations with each artist(s). Minimum art awards will be $25,000, with a maximum of 100% of the remaining project art budget (~$330,000 or ~$470,000, minus the stipends).

Selected artist(s) will work directly with the project team.

Budget:

The total project art budget is $330,000 - $470,000, with a minimum $25,000 award to selected artists. Currently, the Community Center project has full funding to move forward with Phase 1, which would avail $330,000 to the total art budget. If Phase 2 is also funded, an additional $140,000 would be available, for a total of $470,000. The funding of Phase 2 will be determined at a later date. These budgets will include all expenses including design, collaboration, project coordination and management, structural design and permitting (if necessary), fabrication, installation, travel, insurance, etc.  The Artist is expected to meet the project’s schedule and allocated budget. The final budget for each artist will be determined at the end of the process, as artists are selected and awards negotiated.

Working Project Schedule                                                    

January 28              Questions regarding RFQ due by 1pm PT

January 31              Call for Artists Qualifications closes

Feb 19                    Selection of Artists invited to provide art proposals (RFP)

Week of Feb 24        Artists to meet architect & project team for group Q&A session

Week of Mar 17        Artists’ proposals due (3 weeks from meeting)

Mar 31 – Apr 11       Artist interviews and negotiations (2 weeks)

April 16                   Selection of Project Artist(s)

Community Center Construction Timeline (proposed, subject to change)

          February – September        Design and reviews of construction documents

          September – December       Bid of project and award of construction contracting

          December – June 2026        Construction (18 months)

Questions:

Any questions or comments regarding this RFQ must be submitted in writing by email to Tara Bhuthimethee, Parks Planning and Design Manager, at tbhuthimethee@fremont.gov and received via email by 1:00pm PT Tuesday, January 28th, 2025. Any inquiries received after this time will not be accepted and will not receive a response.

Application Requirements

Application Requirements

Artists must supply the following materials to complete an application:

1.    Work Samples. Provide up to ten (10) images of artist’s past work comparable to the opportunity outlined in this RFQ.

2.    Work Sample Descriptions. Descriptions will help the Art Selection Committee understand the artwork samples. Upload a document describing the submitted samples or complete the fields in the work sample uploads. For each item, provide information from the list below.
o Title
o Date Completed
o Location of Artwork
o Description of Artwork
o Commissioning Body
o Cost

o Artist’s role (as solo artist or team member; if team, role must be described)

o Materials
o video link for corresponding piece, if relevant
 

3.    Resume. Provide a current professional resume (3 pages max), emphasizing professional Public Art experience and/or experience in working with public agencies. 
 

4.    Statement of Interest. Describe why this opportunity is appealing to you and how your work can enhance the Central Park Community Center project (300 words max). 

This phase of the Call for Artists is to review past work. Do not submit a proposal for a concept with your application. Artists who submit proposals will be disqualified and their submission will not be reviewed. Proposals are defined as a physical description of an artwork for the site and/or a visual illustration of an artwork for the site. 

 

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility:

Open to professional artists 18+ years old with experience executing their ideas from concept to completion and working in the public realm, preferably with public agencies.