About the City of Napa
Napa is the seat of Napa County and the gateway to the legendary Napa Valley wine region. The City has recently experienced a development renaissance, and Downtown Napa offers many shopping, entertainment, and dining opportunities.  In addition to tourism, Napa is also known for its late-1800s and early-1900s architecture, a riverfront promenade, active arts scene, musical entertainment venues and nationally recognized annual events (e.g., BottleRock, Festival Napa Valley, Napa Valley Film Festival).

About the Project
The City of Napa supports the placement of public art in the community through a variety of different programs created to contribute to a more livable and visually stimulating environment. In 2010, the City established its Public Art Ordinance, which included the creation of a Public Art Steering Committee (PASC) and the Public Art Master Plan (Master Plan).  The PASC makes recommendations to the City Manager and City Council about which public art projects should be undertaken using the Public Art Fund.  In 2017, the PASC recommended that the City light one of its Downtown Bridges as a public art project.  The City Council approved this project and its recommended budget of $100,000.  The City is now seeking qualified public artists who are interested in being considered for the project, and who can develop a future proposal for the project.

Project Location: Downtown Napa’s Riverfront Area
The Napa River and Napa Creek border the eastern edge of Downtown Napa.  There are several bridges in the downtown as well as a riverfront promenade.  The image below highlights areas where opportunities for lighted art is a possibility.  

Project Goals
The City aims to accomplish three primary goals via this project:

• enhance Downtown Napa’s image as a world-class destination;
• celebrate the river/creek as a sustainable asset within the public realm; and
• encourage residents and visitors to congregate outdoors and enjoy Napa’s riparian environment.

Project Constraints
City staff has identified opportunity areas for the placement of the lighted public art.  These opportunity areas are preliminary, and the City is open to similar locations proposed by artists.  However, some restrictions the artist should be aware of include the following:

a)     Maintaining the Structural Integrity of Bridges.  Most of Napa’s bridges are cast concrete arch bridges so drilling into bridges is restricted or extremely limited.

b)     Abiding by Flood Control District Restrictions and Regulations.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently completed the Oxbow Bypass Channel project, which created the Oxbow Commons Area.  This area was designed to divert flood waters into the Commons a from the Napa River during rainy seasons.  Therefore, no placement of art (or any electrical equipment) is allowed in this sensitive area (see green shaded areas in the map above).

c)     Understanding Permitting Requirements.  Because of the nature of the project location, several permitting agencies could be involved in the review and approval of the selected art installation.  Such agencies might include City of Napa, Napa County Flood Control District, Caltrans, California Department of Fish & Wildlife, CA Regional Water Quality Control Board, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

d)   Public Art Master Plan.  This project should also comply with the goals stated in the City’s Public Art Master Plan.

Call for Artists
This RFQ is part of a multi-phase process by which the City of Napa seeks to identify and select a qualified public artist to create and install a lighted public art project within Downtown Napa’s riverfront area.  The City seeks qualifications from experienced public artists (or artist teams) who specialize in public art lighting design.  This individual or team of individuals must be able to:

a)     design an art lighting project for the public realm/riverfront;
b)     work within multiple, complex physical constraints (e.g., structural considerations, environmental restrictions, and various permitting requirements); and
c)     collaborate with agency staff to ensure the pragmatic design and successful installation of the project; and
d)     design and implement the project within a budget.

2. Request for Qualifications

2.1 Eligibility
This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is open to professional artists or teams with experience in the design, fabrication, and installation of public artwork that has lighting incorporated as a critical focus of the artwork. Artists must have experience in producing a minimum of two permanent, exterior public artworks similar in scale and complexity to this project. The artist must demonstrate: 

2.2 Submission Deadline  
Complete responses must be received before 5 p.m., on Friday, February 16, 2018. 

2.3 Projected Schedule  
The City has tentatively set the following schedule:

RFQ Release: Monday, January 16, 2018
RFQ Submission Deadline: Friday, February 16, 2018
RFQ Review by staff and panel deadline: on or before Friday, February 23, 2018
Finalist(s) invited to respond to RFP: on or before Monday, February 26, 2018
Finalists proposals due: Friday, March 30, 2018

2.4 Qualifications Review
City staff will screen applications to ensure compliance with the minimum qualifications stated in this RFQ.  Following this preliminary review, a selection panel will vet qualifying submissions and will select up to 3 artists (or artist teams) who will be invited to prepare proposals for the project.  

2.5 Review and Selection
This RFQ is being used for pre-qualification purposes.  The qualifications review committee will check responses against the evaluation criteria (see Section 3 below). Responses not meeting all mandatory evaluation criteria will not be considered for review. Qualified respondents will be provided with a copy of the RFP if one is issued.

2.6 Inquiries
All inquiries related to this RFQ are to be emailed to:

Shari Cooper, Development Project Coordinator
Email: scooper@cityofnapa.org

Information obtained from any other source is not official and should not be relied upon.  

3. Evaluation Criteria
Artists will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Interest in the project and ability to create artwork that is unique to the site;
• Years of experience in public art and lighting design in the public realm;
• Quality of portfolio that is directly related to this public art specialization;
• Demonstrated proficiency and technical knowledge of the materials and techniques;
• Proven ability to deliver the project requirements on time and budget; and
• Experience and success in creating public artwork in collaboration or cooperation with design teams and under the auspices of a public agency.

4. Submission Requirements
ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE MADE ONLINE AT https://www.callforentry.org/

● Create an account (if you do not already have one)
● Log in 
● Click on “Apply to Calls”
● Find “City of Napa Public Art Bridge Lighting Project.” 

There is no charge to join CaFÉ or to submit for this call for entries. 
 
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Incomplete Submissions will not be considered. Complete Submissions must include the following:

1. Letter of Interest. A letter stating the artist’s interest in the project; 

2. Images. Artists may submit between10-15 images maximum. Images should accurately represent the artwork size, including height, span, and ground clearance.  The artist must include at least one image per listed project.  Images submitted will only be used for evaluation purposes.

3. Image list & Description. For each artwork submitted, please provide a short description (up to 5 sentences) of the piece and any aspects of the work that may not be obvious in the images, or any other relevant information.   Artists should provide an image list including the following for each artwork: 

○ Title
○ Date of Completion
○ Medium (Please Be Specific)
○ Dimensions (Height X Width X Depth)
○ Project Budget and Actual Cost

4. Resume. A resume outlining the respondent’s experience, the experience of key team members (if applicable) and a brief response to the qualification review criteria.

5. Future RFP Process. 
Artists selected for an RFP process will be required to provide the City of Napa with:

a) All team member identification;
b) Public Art Concept Design;
c) Public Art Budget Breakdown; and
d) Estimated Schedule for fabrication and installation of the public art.

The stipend amount for the RFP phase of the project will be determined after the initial screening of artist applications.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria