REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: City of Napa Vinyl Window Mural

The City of Napa opens a Request for Proposals for a lead artist(s) to design a temporary window mural to be displayed on a prominent and high trafficked location on Main and Pearl St. downtown Napa.  This call is open to California residents in Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Marin, Contra Costa, San Francisco, and Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties and open to all backgrounds and cultures.

1. Overview  

Land Acknowledgement

It is important to acknowledge the land on which this public art will be located.  Napa has a rich cultural heritage, which began with the inhabitation by Native Americans of the Wappo people along the Napa River over 10,000 years ago.  It was followed by the Mexican settlement beginning in the 1820s and early American settlement between 1846 to 1849.  Due to the abundant natural resources in Napa Valley, the Wappo inhabitation was one of the longest indigenous inhabited regions in California.  The City of Napa recognizes the tribal nations who first lived in the Napa area and believes it is important to preserve their history, identity and culture as part of the Napa community.

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 Lighted Art 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. The City of Napa Public Art program is developing new ways that public art can engage the community and create a unique experience for tourists and locals.

The City of Napa opens a Request for Proposals for a lead artist(s) to design a temporary window mural to be displayed on a prominent and high trafficked location on Main and Pearl St. downtown Napa.  This call is open to California residents in Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Marin, Contra Costa, San Francisco, and Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties and open to all backgrounds and cultures. The City of Napa believes the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other marginalized groups should be centered in the arts. We encourage artists who identify with these communities to apply. Artist(s) applying need to demonstrate the ability to execute a successful 2D project based on project goals below.

This public window mural is to be submitted as photo-based artwork to be digitally reproduced printed onto vinyl media that will cover large windows. Artists may create work specifically for this call or may reformat existing work. The work can be a painting, illustration or photography artwork and the artist will need to provide a high-resolution digital files suitable for large format printing (see project location and details) and proportionate based on the proposed art location. The City of Napa will be responsible for the fabrication and installation of the vinyl media.  There is no specific theme for this project.  The goals and core values for this project are to be aligned with our City’s Public Art Master Plan.

Project Goals:

It is important for public artwork in Napa’s urban center to offer a source of inspiration and pride for tourists and the community alike, as the valley navigates consistent growth and revitalization.  It is important that we inspire, invigorate, and encourage new ideas that serve as a catalyst for creativity.

The City aims to accomplish the following:  

• Create an exciting, appealing and harmonious public environment by integrating art into public spaces.
• Preserve and enrich Napa’s cultural environment
• Enhance the character of Napa through visibility of community valued artwork
• Stimulate the downtown economy through increased pedestrian activity and positioning Napa as an art destination.

Project Location and details: 

The City of Napa is looking to beautify a high trafficked area in Downtown Napa at a vacant store front on Main Street and Pearl Street by commissioning a 2D artist(s) to create a temporary vinyl window mural. The work submitted must be photo-based artwork provided as high-resolution digital files suitable for large format printing. The City of Napa will be responsible for the fabrication and installation of the vinyl media.

For the selected artist, artwork will need to be sent as the following:

• .5 in of bleed space
• Fonts and images supplies by the artist
• Files coded to CMYK
• Files in either AI or PDF format
• Files are to be made directly to the window sizes

a) Location: 1201 Main Street Napa, CA 94559 . See attached Site Plan for Images

b) Artwork Area: Window dimensions 53 feet x 7 feet with variations on each window panel. Dimensions of each panel will be sent to selected artist.

Project Constraints

Some restrictions the artist should be aware of include the following:

The mural is subject to removal by the City or property owner at any time during or after the installation.

Artwork is ineligible, for any one or more of the following reasons, if the artwork:

• Contains: copyright, logo, brand or business name, address, phone number
• Is plagiarized, stolen, or copied from another source
• Is or can be construed as an obscene, political, or harmful matter

Call for Artists

This RFP is a process by which the City of Napa seeks to identify and select a qualified artist(s) and their proposal to create a temporary window mural in downtown Napa.

The City seeks qualifications from artists (or artist teams) who specialize in 2D art.  This call is open to California residents in Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Marin, Contra Costa, San Francisco, and Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties and open to all backgrounds and cultures. This individual or team of individuals must be able to:
Submit high resolution images with submitting a design proposal along with examples of past work

collaborate with agency staff to ensure the pragmatic design and successful installation of the project; and

design and implement the project within the allocated artist stipend.

Artist Stipend

The selected artist will receive a stipend of $2,000.

Request for Proposals 

Eligibility 

This Request for Proposals (RFP) is open to artists or artist teams.

Submission Deadline   

Complete responses must be received before July 28TH, 2023

Projected Schedule   

The City has tentatively set the following schedule:

• RFP Release: June 26, 2023
• RFP Submission Deadline: July 28, 2023
• RFP Review by staff and art selection panel deadline: August 30, 2023
• Final Muralist selected and Project Installation:  October 1 – December 31, 2023

Inquiries 

All inquiries related to this RFP are to be emailed to:

Meredith Knudsen, City of Napa Public Art Coordinator

Email: mknudsen@cityofnapa.org

Evaluation Criteria 

Artist(s) will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Artist(s) should display experience in executing a successful 2D public art project.
• Artwork design(s) proposed should enhance the beauty, creativity and community in downtown Napa.
• This project is to comply with the goals stated in the City’s Public Art Master Plan.

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 Vinyl Window Mural RFP”

There is no charge to join CaFÉ or to submit for this call for entries. 

Incomplete Submissions will not be considered. Complete Submissions must include the following:

Letter of Interest 

A letter stating the artist’s interest in the project, addressing concept, proposed design and how you approached this project.

Images 

Artists may submit between 1-20 images maximum. Images should accurately represent the artwork size. Images should include examples of previous works and images of the proposed artwork for the project site.

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)

Resume 

A resume outlining the applicant’s experience, qualifications and the experience of key team members (if applicable)

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, addressing concept, design and how you approached this project.

2) Images 

Artists may submit between 1 – 20 images maximum. Images should accurately represent the artwork size. Images should include examples of previous works and images of the proposed artwork for the project site.

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)

4) Resume (optional) 

A resume outlining the applicant’s experience, qualifications and the experience of key team members (if applicable)

This Request for Proposals (RFP) is open to California residents in Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Marin, Contra Costa, San Francisco, and Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties.