Call Description

In 2023, we kicked off a series of park poster commissions to celebrate San Mateo County Parks’ centennial and highlight the amazing parks in the County system. To date, we have commissioned six Park Posters which have been met with an overwhelming positive response. We now seek three professional or emerging artists to design the next three posters in our series. 

The poster design shall capture the essence of the specified county park. Selected artists will receive a $2,500 commission for their work, paid in two installments.

We are seeking artists to design posters for 1) Coyote Point Recreation Area, 2) Devil’s Slide Trail and 3) Sam McDonald Park. In the future, we expect to commission artists to design posters for additional parks on a rolling basis.

Each park poster will be designed by a different artist. Unifying design details will be incorporated into each design, such as consistent border size, the park’s name, and San Mateo County Parks Foundation’s name in a consistent font at the bottom of the design, as shown in the six posters already commissioned and in the attached "site details."

The goal is to engage the arts community and create lasting designs that capture and celebrate the essence of each park. The chosen artist should be familiar with their assigned park and have the ability to spend time there to learn more about it. Artwork must include recognizable landmarks or park features. Artists should expect to engage with staff and stakeholders to learn more about the goals and criteria for the posters.

Coyote Point Recreation Area is a 149-acre bayside park located in San Mateo, featuring hiking trails, picnic facilities, playgrounds including the iconic Magic Mountain, and the CuriOdyssey science museum and zoo. It offers stunning views of San Francisco Bay, a revitalized sandy beach designed for universal access, and is an excellent spot for birdwatching, fishing, kite flying, aquatic sports like kite boarding, and watching planes land at SFO. Coyote Point is one of the most popular parks in the County. 

Devil’s Slide Trail is a 1.3-mile paved multi-use trail located just south of Pacifica that is part of the California Coastal Trail. It offers spectacular ocean views along a former stretch of Highway 1. Its dramatic coastal cliff setting was once a treacherous drive, and is now a safe, accessible path for pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians. The trail is exceptional for wildlife viewing, particularly whale-watching, and is considered one of the best places along the California coast to see dozens of marine bird species. 

Sam McDonald Park is an 850-acre hidden gem in the Santa Cruz Mountains featuring towering redwoods, grassy knolls, and connections to miles of trails across multiple parks. The park is named after Sam McDonald, a beloved Stanford University employee who worked there for 50 years and who was the only Black man to own property in the redwoods for many years. He bequeathed his 430-acre redwood property to be enjoyed by children, honoring his legacy of generosity and devotion to youth. Because of its historical significance, in January 2026, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has put forth a nomination for consideration on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it offers a peaceful forest retreat with old-growth redwoods, the Jack Brook Horse Camp, Ollie Mayer Hiker’s Hut, and youth campsites. 

About San Mateo County Parks Foundation
The San Mateo County Parks Foundation’s mission is to inspire people to care for, learn about and enjoy our parks. Established in 1998, the Parks Foundation provides additional financial support for the recreational, environmental and educational programs and projects of the San Mateo County Parks Department. This has included events like Summerfest, Coyote Nights and Bicycle Sunday; habitat restoration at Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve and Huddart Park, youth field trips to the parks, and new park amenities like trails signs, bike fix-it stations and shade shelters. With this new effort, we look forward to engaging the arts community.

The San Mateo County Parks Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization committed to conserving and improving the quality of our county parks for current and future generations to enjoy.

Review Process and Timeline:

Step 1: Application period opens January 12, 2026, inviting any artist(s) interested in the project who meet the artists’ evaluation criteria to submit their qualifications and portfolio. Application period will be open between January 12 and March 2, 2026.

Step 2: A jury will review submitted applications and select several artists for informal interviews in late March or early April. The jury will consist of 6 members from the local arts community and representatives of SMC Parks and the Foundation.

Step 3: The jury will deliberate and select one artist each to design posters for Coyote Point Recreation Area, Devil's Slide Trail and Sam McDonald County Park. All entrants will be notified by mid-April.

The selected artists will each receive a $2,500 commission for their work - $1,000 paid upfront at the start of the project and $1,500 paid upon successful completion of the artwork and production of a high quality digital scan. Final, submitted artwork will become the property of the San Mateo County Parks Foundation. The Foundation reserves the right to use the artwork in future marketing efforts and for possible reproduction in other formats. The Foundation also reserves the right to adjust any deadlines as needed.

Application Requirements

This call for entry is open to all professional and emerging artists who live or work in the Bay Area region - San Mateo County, as well as Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma Counties - and who are 18 years of age and older. Due to the nature of this project, we will not consider applicants who live out of the area. Submissions must be delivered no later than 11:59 PM PST on Monday, March 2, 2026.

The submission must include:

1. An artist statement limited to two pages and with the following:

• Your interest in this specific project (or describe your connection to the park)
• Professional and artistic qualifications as demonstrated by past projects, as well as appropriateness of applicant’s style to the project
• The aesthetic direction you envision for your poster and your working approach to developing the artwork
• What you bring to the project as an artist and your experience with designing posters and/or with other projects of similar scope and size
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with Parks Foundation project managers in a design-team context
• Any other comments that might help differentiate you as a candidate

2. A resume/CV that includes your name, address, phone number, email, and website URL as applicable.

3. At least three references from past projects (can also include instructor or mentor references) with contact information and connection to artist(s).

Please note: Selected artists will be asked to submit a bio and an inspiration statement for our website.

Eligibility Criteria

Medium: All two dimensional mediums except photography. Final original artwork will be submitted as well as a high quality digital file for poster production. Artwork must translate well to a poster. Saturated colors are preferred.

Specifications: Final posters will be 11”x17” and vertical. See layout template in "site details".

Open to all professional and emerging artists who live or work in San Mateo County, followed by the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma, who are 18 years and older and legally able to work in the United States. Upon review of materials, three artists will be selected, each to design a poster for one of the first three selected parks.

Ineligible Applicants:

• Members of our jury and their immediate family
• San Mateo County Parks Foundation staff and board members
• County of San Mateo elected officials
• San Mateo County Parks staff
• Applicants who live outside the Bay Area counties outlined above
• Previously commissioned SMC Park Poster artists