Womanhood is a public art and digital media project that will commission interactive, educational, and accessible artifacts and public artworks to promote the historical recognition and representation of women across all intersectional identities in Santa Clara County and beyond. 
 

CALL SUMMARY  

Art Builds Community (ABC) and The County of Santa Clara Office of Women’s Policy (OWP) are seeking artists and artists teams for the Womanhood project. Artists and artist teams of all disciplines are encouraged to apply for a prequalified roster to create public artworks that recognize women’s roles in the region and beyond. The project goal is to ensure equitable and inclusive representation of women from all economic, employment, and cultural backgrounds by artfully highlighting their accomplishments. The roster will be used to recommend appropriate artists for permanent and temporary public art opportunities from Womanhood and Art Builds Community projects. Artists will be selected for projects based on their previous experience and demonstrated artistic practice. 

BUDGET  

Budgets for permanent and temporary projects will vary. Project budgets will be inclusive of, but not limited to artist fees, fees associated with design and renderings, consultants, fabrication, storage, transportation, installation, and insurance provisions. The budget for temporary projects will range from $1,000 to $5,000. Permanent projects may have a ranging budget of $30,000 to $500,000. 

TIMELINE 

We will be accepting qualifications based on the rolling deadline below. CaFÉ platform observes Mountain Time submissions are due Mountain Time. 

The Online Information Sessions will provide opportunities for interested artists to get a further overview of the  Pre-qualified Artist Roster Request for Qualifications, application process and guidelines, as well as to ask any questions. The sessions will be recorded and sent out to those who are unable to attend during the following dates above. 

CONTACT  

Please reach out to info@artbuildscommunity.com for:

• any questions about the Prequalified Artist Pool
• assistance with your application
• to attend the online information session

STAY IN TOUCH  

Artists interested in other public art opportunities are encouraged to visit the Womanhood website at www.womanhoodproject.org or follow the project on: 

 
Instagram: @womanhoodproject 
Facebook: /womanhoodproject.org 
Twitter: @womanhoodnow 

ABOUT WOMANHOOD 

Womanhood is a public art and digital media project that will commission interactive, educational, and accessible artifacts and public artworks that recognize the historical contributions of Santa Clara County women to the region and beyond. Launched and supported by the County Board of Supervisors, the project will artfully promote the accomplishments of women from all economic, employment, and cultural backgrounds. 

Womanhood will employ artists from all disciplines as storytellers, revealing women’s histories as explorers, trailblazers, artists, and essential workers. Each year this project will commission artists to create works that illuminate women’s stories, build interest, and stimulate community engagement. Artists-in-Residence will create temporary and online artworks and mentor youth digital storytelling workshops. An online mapping platform will enable community members to identify locations where women’s contributions may be recognized through public artworks, naming and renaming of significant sites. A permanent digital archive will connect the projects to place, engage the public, and promote education, exploration, and play. For further information: https://womanhoodproject.org 

ABOUT COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA OFFICE OF WOMEN’S POLICY 

The County of Santa Clara Office of Women’s Policy (OWP) is a County Executive Office within the Division of Equity and Social Justice. The mission of the office is to bring a gender lens to policy decision-making, build a pipeline to leadership, and demand equity in governance. OWP believes that people thrive in a community that is equitable, gender-responsive, and supports the advancement of women and girls. For further information: https://womenspolicy.sccgov.org/home 
 

ABOUT ART BUILDS COMMUNITY 

Art Builds Community (ABC) is a women-led, public art planning and consulting firm that brings critical thinking and artists’ perspectives to the creative design of cities, buildings, and infrastructure. For further information: https://www.artbuildscommunity.com/  

Application Requirements

APPLICATION DEADLINE AND REQUIREMENTS  

Application deadlines are listed in the timeline above. All applications must be submitted online through CaFÉ. To submit your RFQ on the CaFÉ platform, you will need to create a free artist account. 

There is no application fee for artists to submit their applications. Once accepted into the Prequalified Pool, applicants will be able to update their application by submitting a new form during the same round. All submitted application information, including artist’s resume, images of previous projects, and annotated descriptions will be automatically archived and saved and can be accessed by Womanhood in the future. 

All applications should include the following:  

• Artist Statement should outline your interests, describe your art practice, provide a summary of your relevant experience as an artist, and address how that experience may qualify you for public art commissions. If applying as a team: please clarify collaborations and outline roles. (No more than 2 pages)
• Resume or CV, artist teams must submit each participant’s resume – no more than 2 pages each.
• Artistic discipline. Artists and artist teams working in more than one discipline may indicate all disciplines they work in.
• 3-6 images of previous work including completed projects and most recent commissions. Please submit a body of work that you feel best represents yourself as an artist and that can speak on your professionalism, and quality of work. Successfully completed projects or renderings for projects that are in process are preferred, proposal renderings are also welcomed – please label your images according.
• 2-3 Audio or Video clips of previous work or in support of your work, included as links for viewing/listening. This is required for artists whose works are multimedia-based (ie. film, music, animation, etc). Content should be no more than 5 minutes each. If the content exceeds 5 minutes, only the first 5 minutes will be viewed
• Annotated image/video/audio descriptions including title; date; location; materials; art budget; whether it is a completed piece, rendering, or in-process; and a brief description (up to 5 sentences). For team applications, please indicate the lead artist for each project.

ARTIST SELECTION PROCESS + CRITERIA 

All artists approved for the prequalified pool will be notified by email. An Artist Selection Committee consisting of arts professionals from different disciplines and community members will convene to recommend artists and artist teams for any appropriate public art opportunities as they arise in 2022. Artists and artist teams will be contacted prior to any selection panel process to confirm their interest and availability for a particular commission opportunity. 

The committee will narrow down a shortlist of 1-3 artists/artist teams to be interviewed. During the interview, artists will present past comparable work, experience, and answer any questions that the committee may have regarding the presentation. Artists will also be asked to describe how they will approach the project and work with the community. 

Selection criteria for public art opportunities will be based on: 

• Complete application submitted prior to the application deadline.
• The submitted application demonstrates evidence of professionalism.
• Eligible artists/artist teams must demonstrate a record of consistent art practice.
• Relevance of past artwork.
• Experience or ability to work on public art projects.
• Eligible artists/artist teams must have a collaborative spirit, cultural sensitivity, and experience in working with diverse communities.

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY  

The call is open to all practicing artists and artist teams who live or work in the San Francisco Bay Area with a preference for artists from Santa Clara County or who demonstrate a close relationship with the county and its communities.  Women artists across all intersectional identities are encouraged to apply*. Artist teams must be majority women or women-led.   

*Women of all intersectional identities include BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), women of color, LGBTQ+ women, transgender, and nonbinary identities, women who express and feel freely and fluidly, and women across all diverse languages, abilities, status, and immigration backgrounds.