Call for Artists: BART Plaza Public Art Sculpture

The City of Berkeley, in collaboration with the Downtown Berkeley Association, is reissuing this Request for Proposals to California-based artists interested in exhibiting an existing sculpture for a period of approximately one year in the newly renovated Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza which will open to the public near January 2018.

This project proposal was originally sent out for the month of June 2017 with the projected opening of the BART Plaza set for November 2017. Since then, BART has projected the construction to be completed by January 2018, allowing the Civic Arts Commission more leniency on the duration of the Call for Artists. This reissuance will allow more applicants to join those who have already applied, increasing the diversity of sculptures available to the Berkeley community.

With over 40,000 commuters a day, plus a steady amount of pedestrians streaming through downtown, the new Downtown Berkeley BART plaza will offers an exciting high-profile opportunity for an artist to display an existing artwork in this important civic space.   The renovated BART plaza will serve an important place-making function for the downtown area and will improve access for residents, employees, students and visitors.

The Downtown Berkeley BART Station and plaza are in the heart of Berkeley's Arts District, an area rich with live theatre, music, dance, visual and cinematic arts. The Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Aurora Theater, U.C. Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse, The Jazz Conservatory, and the East Bay Media Center are all within a few blocks of the plaza. Moviegoers enjoy a variety of independent and popular films as well as special film festivals sponsored by nearby theaters. The soon-to-be-rebuilt Civic Center Garage will have an installation art display gallery built into its entrance. U.C. Berkeley and the Greek Theatre are within walking distance of the plaza.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility is open to professional, practicing artists/teams who reside in California. Entries not meeting eligibility guidelines will be withdrawn from consideration. Please refer to the Request for Proposals under "Artist Selection Considerations" for more information on eligibility. 

PROJECT BUDGET

The project budget for the temporary sculpture display is $25,000 inclusive of all associated costs such as artist fee, transportation of artwork to and from the project site, installation and deinstallation costs, as well as any required engineering, permit and insurance costs. The selected artist must engage a professional, licensed art handler or contractor for the installation and deinstallation of the sculpture .

PROJECT SCHEDULE

The display of the sculpture will begin sometime near January 2018 and will continue for approximately one year. The project schedule is subject to change.

SITE DESCRIPTION

The entire plaza has been designed to support artwork weighing up to 25,000 pounds. Given this flexibility the artwork may be installed at the location deemed most appropriate by the City in consultation with the artist. Placement considerations will include pedestrian flow as well as maximum visibility of the artwork.

Please refer to the Request For Proposals document for full details