Thank you for your interest in the Mare Island Artyard sculpture exhibition. We are currently planning our 5th year of art installations that will be on public display from late-May 2025 through mid-May 2026 on Mare Island in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Mare Island is a peninsula that was home to the oldest Naval Base on the West Coast. It still has an active ship port, residential communities, nature preserve, a brewery, distillery, and is a destination for special events including concerts, races, and the annual Bay Area Maker Faire. Previous years we have curated directly from artists/fabricators that build art for Burning Man and similar events, but we are widening our search. We are seeking art that is contemporary, imaginative, and suitable for a very broad general public. The Mare Island Artyard is free and open to the public, so your artwork will receive many views from people of all ages and backgrounds.

Project Details:

Local Edition will be selecting five (5) self-standing sculpture installations to receive a stipend from between $5,000 - $10,000 depending on the size and quality of the art. We will supply the heavy equipment for install/deinstall including crane and VR Forklift as needed, as well as skilled equipment operators that have experience handling and installing sculptural art. Artists are responsible for their own sculpture assembly team/crew.

The display area for the artwork is along the Napa River waterfront on asphalt. It is an area that is open to the public from 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM seven days per week (open later if there are night events). There is a popular brewery on the waterfront and various events take place on the promenade throughout the year. After closing hours, promenade access is closed to the public until the following morning.

Timeline (subject to change):

• February 21, 2025 - Applications due
• February 24 through March 10, 2025 - Curatorial team review and selection of finalists
• March 17, 2025 - Finalists and alternates notified
• May 15, 2025 - Anticipated installation date
• May 13, 2026 - Anticipated deinstallation date

Application Requirements

Artists must provide all of the following items with their submission in order for consideration -

• Artwork must already be built (no spec work is accepted)
• A minimum of 3 clear & recent images of the artwork
• Artist bio & short description of the artwork
• Medium, dimensions, and tech specs of the proposed art
• Construction overview addressing artwork durability in regards to weather and public safety for a display duration of 12 months
• Installation requirements for you to install. Remember, must be self standing.

Artists may submit several artworks for consideration per application. 

Eligibility Criteria

Construction: All works are staged in public spaces for an extended time and this requires rigid construction of the artwork. At times, the weather will be extremely hot and shift to very cold and rainy. Pieces that require anchoring into the ground will not be considered due to the environmental limitations of the Naval Base as well as engineering safety standards. *Certain pieces may require engineering specifications, stamped by a certified and licensed engineer.

Design: The artwork should be large-scale in size and made for public display. Nothing macabre or that only looks good at night.

Environment: Mare Island is located between the Napa River and the San Pablo Bay with typically warm to hot sunny weather and light winds. During the winter, the peninsula can be stormy, wet, and cold, so the technical feasibility, rigidity, and durability of your artwork is of utmost importance. A construction overview of durability is required with your submission. For some structures or sculptures, it may be required to provide stamped engineering drawings. Our website will show examples of previously chosen work. Pieces that are best viewed in the daytime are what we are seeking; however, if your piece of art does have LED light components there is access to power and we can have your art illuminated at night during special events. 

Duration: You must commit to keeping your installation on display for a period of 12 months from mid-May 2025 through mid-May 2026 (precise installation and strike dates will be worked out with the selected artists).

Agreements: Local Edition must receive a signed agreement and W9 from the artist in a timely manner once selected.

Curatorial Team: The curatorial team includes Local Edition Creative and their client, Mare Island Company. Local Edition conducts the initial review of submissions to ensure the applications are complete and meet the artistic and technical requirements for the exhibition. The curatorial team will collectively select artworks that align with the concept and goals of the exhibition.

Selection Process: Application review is currently in progress. Advance submissions are encouraged before the deadline on February 21, 2025. All artworks are finalized by April 1st, 2025.