CALL FOR ENTRY

The City of Santa Clarita (City) is accepting applications from artists or teams of artists who would like to be considered for a permanent sculpture or installation artwork for a local community park.  The overarching theme for this call is ‘reflection’ as in meditative, contemplative, and the calm that comes with being in nature.  

The first step in this Civic Art process is to submit the requested application materials. From these submissions the Artist Selection Committee (Committee) will choose five finalists to present their proposed artwork. The proposed artwork should be original, site-specific in its design, complementary to the overall context of the surrounding area, and made with durable, low maintenance material that will withstand the hot weather and other elements of Santa Clarita. Each finalist will receive a $200 honorarium to support the proposal creation. From the five finalists, one artist will be selected for the installment and execution of their artwork. Deadline for requested application material is July 13, 2018.

BACKGROUND: ABOUT THE PARK AND THEME

In 1987, Canyon Country was one of four communities, with Valencia, Newhall, and Saugus, that merged to create the City of Santa Clarita. This project is intended to provide a civic art piece for the Canyon Country community which currently has an approximate population of 59,000 residents. In 2013, Fair Oaks Park, located at 17468 Honey Maple Street in Santa Clarita, California, was opened as part of a newly developed community of residencies. The park’s amenities include a basketball court, child play area, picnic tables, public restroom, and a sand volleyball court. One of the unique features of this park is the large grass field with trees planted throughout the area making it unusable for sports teams but ideal for picnicking, yoga, or finding a quiet retreat under one of the many growing trees. This park is frequented by families who enjoy the children’s playground, those who enjoy the running path, and others who stretch out in the grass field. The retreat like features of this park inspired the chosen theme of reflection, and all interpretations of, thoughtfulness, meditative, and the calm that comes with being in nature.

ELIGIBILITY

Artists 18 years of age or older are invited to submit proposals individually or collaboratively.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Call for Entries submitted to CAFE will be judged on artistic merit, capability, budget, and impact as evidenced by past work and supporting materials. The Committee who judges the applications includes one Arts Commissioner, an arts expert, a professional arts administrator, a local professional artist, and a community member. The Committee will review submissions submitted to CAFE and then select five finalists to create and then present their proposals to the Committee after which a winner will be selected. Artists will only be asked to create a proposal if they are a chosen as one of the five finalists. 

GUIDELINES

Submissions are accepted for individual and collaborative works.
We are asking artists to submit past projects and artwork through CAFE to be considered for the selection of five finalists. We are not asking for this project's proposal as this time. Artist may share past projects proposals. If chosen as one of the five finalists from the CAFE submissions each artist will then be asked to create a proposal with artwork which may include but is not limited to freestanding sculpture and site-specific installations. Final proposals should include artwork with materials appropriate to an outdoor environment and should not negatively impact natural habitat, wildlife, or park guests. All finalists’ proposals will be required to submit additional material maintenance and conservation information.

BUDGET

Artist is responsible for all associated expenses related to design, fabrication, transportation, and installation. Artists should factor these costs into their $25,000 budget. Please include a specific budget in your proposal.

INSTALLATION

The selected artwork is planned to be installed in fall 2018. Costs related to transporting and installing the work will be the responsibility of the artist unless otherwise stipulated. Limited assistance from the City’s Public Works department is available on a case-by-case basis at the park’s discretion. The City will provide signage, a mobile/web presence associated with the work, and basic maintenance of the site. Upon installation, the City will assume limited liability for any gross damage (unrepairable by the artist) or theft of the artwork, excluding ceramic, glass, and other fragile sculpture materials or damage resulting from faulty construction or materials.

DURATION

Duration of installed artwork should reach the level of permanency, which is defined as a minimum of 25 years. Work is to be continuously displayed during this time. The City reserves the right to request that the artist remove or repair work at any time during this period if circumstances require. At the end of the duration, the artist retains ownership of the work.

PROMOTION

The artwork will have a public dedication ceremony to launch its addition into the City’s civic art collection. The City retains responsibility for advertisement of work through SantaClaritaArts.com and other social media sites. Any additional desired advertisement will be the responsibility of the artist.

APPLICATION MATERIALS:

DEADLINE
July 13, 2018

You must set up an account with CaFÉ in order to submit your entry. CaFÉ will guide you through the application process. Submissions must include the following items listed below. Please put first and last name on each document.

1. Resume

2. Artist statement

3. 15-20 images of past work. Video (three maximum) and audio (two maximum) are accepted. You are encouraged to include a rendering of past  proposed projects as one of your images or videos but this is not required.

4. Description List: Budget for past projects and description for each project. 

REQUIRED ONLY BY SELECTED 5 FINALISTS ONLY (to be presented to Committee)

1. Proposal should be clear and specific, outlining a plan. Consideration should be given to location or site, materials, mission of park, connection to natural world, etc.

2. Budget should support activities, purchases, and costs related to proposal

3. Maintain and Conservation Information form

NOTIFICATION

You will be notified by email of application status and the five selected finalists will be invited to present their proposal to the Committee by August 28, 2018. No phone calls, please.