RFQ
Chinatown Artist Registry
The San Francisco Arts Commission acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone. We affirm the sovereign rights of their community as First Peoples and are committed to supporting the traditional and contemporary evolution of the American Indian community and uplifting contemporary indigenous voices. RACIAL EQUITY STATEMENT
The San Francisco Arts Commission is committed to creating a city where all artists and cultural workers have the freedom, resources and platform to share their stories, art and culture and where race does not predetermine one’s success in life. We also acknowledge that we occupy traditional and unceded Ohlone land. Fueled by these beliefs, we commit to addressing the systemic inequities within our agency, the City and County of San Francisco and the broader arts and culture sector. This work requires that we focus on race as we confront inequities of the past, reveal inequities of the present and develop effective strategies to move all of us towards an equitable future.
Project Overview
San Franciso’s Chinatown is one of the most historically and culturally dynamic neighborhoods in the United States. Its rich history intertwines with San Francisco’s own story, with records of Chinese participants present at Portsmouth Square during the celebration of California's admission into the Union in 1850. Chinatown has stood in the same location for over a century, maintaining a concentration and continuity of history unparalleled in other ethnic communities of the city.
The resilience of Chinatown was evident after the 1906 earthquake when the district was quickly rebuilt in its original location amid threats of displacement. Led by merchant Look Tin Eli, rebuilding efforts imagined a new Chinatown aesthetic, contributing to the colors, architectural details, and pagoda-style towers synonymous with Chinatowns today. Beyond the facade, San Francisco's Chinatown is the densest neighborhood west of the Mississippi. It is home to one of the City’s largest Single-Room-Occupancy (SRO) populations, as well as primarily monolingual seniors and families living below the poverty line. As a vital immigrant gateway, the neighborhood’s culture includes the lived everyday experiences of residents, small businesses, organizations, and traditions that merge practices from immigrant homelands and adaptations to life in America.
Amidst challenges and triumphs, Chinatown has nurtured a vibrant arts culture throughout its history. In the context of this legacy, and through the City’s 2% Arts Enrichment Ordinance, new public art will be commissioned for various capital improvement projects in significant locations throughout Chinatown, including Portsmouth Square, Chinatown Public Health Center, and the Him Mark Lai Branch Public Library.
Project Description
The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) invites artists and artist teams residing in the United States to submit qualifications to the Chinatown Artist Registry to be considered for upcoming public art opportunities in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco. Artists with a meaningful connection to Chinatown––whether they currently reside, have resided in Chinatown, have a relationship with the neighborhood, share culture and values with Chinatown, or have another significant connection to Chinatown––are encouraged to apply."
The Chinatown Artist Registry will be used to select artists to be commissioned for a range of public art projects associated with current and upcoming construction in Chinatown, including improvements to Portsmouth Square and renovations to the Chinatown Public Health Center and Chinatown / Him Mark Lai Branch Library. The Registry will be used for these and other upcoming projects through 2027.
The Arts Commission seeks visual artists working in a variety of media and artistic approaches to include in the Chinatown Artist Registry. Artists whose practice includes direct engagement of the community in the design or making of the artwork are also encouraged to apply. Past public art experience is not required.
Applicants to the Chinatown Artist Registry will be considered for the following artwork opportunities:
- Portsmouth Square (花園角改善工程)
- Human-scale sculpture located at the park’s entrance on Washington and Walter U. Lum.
- Art Walls located on the large interior wall of the clubhouse and the adjacent exterior wall by the building entrance from the plaza.
- Chinatown Public Health Center Renovation (華埠公共衛生局翻新工程)
- One (1) exterior art wall located on the building façade at street level on the corner of Mason and Broadway Streets, adjacent to the clinic entrance.
- Three (3) interior art walls located in the Center’s registration and waiting areas.
- Two-Dimensional Artwork Program allowing for the direct purchase of existing 2D artworks to be framed and mounted along interior corridors on all three floors.
- Chinatown Him Mark Lai Branch Library Renovation (華埠麥禮謙分館翻新工程)
- Wall-mounted two-dimensional artwork that is integrated into five arched niches located along the west wall of the Library’s Historic Reading Room.
Selection Process
HOW WILL THE REGISTRY BE USED?
The Chinatown Artist Registry will be used to select artists for public art opportunities in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco. Artists are selected based on the appropriateness of the artist’s media and experience for the specific project requirements.
For this series of projects, the Arts Commission will convene an Artist Qualification Panel to review applications for the Chinatown Artist Registry. The Qualification Panel will consist of one SFAC staff member and two arts professionals who will review and score the applications to identify the qualified pool of artists to be considered for all Chinatown public art opportunities.
Qualified artists will be added to the Chinatown Prequalified Artist Pool. The Pool will be used to develop short-lists of artists to be considered by an Artist Review Panel convened for each project art opportunity. The Pool may also be used for other artwork opportunities.
Each project’s Artist Review Panel will review their qualified shortlist of artists to identify finalists who will be invited to develop conceptual site-specific proposals after attending an orientation session with the project team and key stakeholders. Each finalist will receive an honorarium for the development of their proposal.
The proposals shall be posted on the Arts Commission website for written public comment prior to the final review panel meetings.
Each project Artist Review Panel will reconvene to consider the finalists’ concepts in an interview format along with any community input and will recommend artist(s) for the project to the Arts Commission.
Each project Artist Review Panel’s recommendation will be submitted first to the Visual Arts Committee (VAC), a subcommittee of the Arts Commission and then to the full Arts Commission for approval. All Artist Review Panel recommendations are subject to approval of the Visual Arts Committee and Full Arts Commission.
All Arts Commission meetings and Public Art Review Panel meetings are open to the public and are posted on the Arts Commission website at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting. To check the meeting schedule for public art projects, please go to our calendar.
ARTIST SELECTION CONSIDERATIONS
Artists and artwork will be selected in accordance with the Mission and Goals of the Civic Art Collection and in accordance with the criteria below. Criteria to be considered when scoring an artist’s application for a commission and/or acquisition of artwork by purchase or commission shall include, but not be limited to, the following considerations. Per City contracting requirements, artist applicants who are registered as a Local Business Enterprise will be given a rating bonus of 10% relative to other applicants.
Qualified artists will be scored and ranked according to these criteria during the Artist Registry Qualification phase:
- Artistic Merit: Artistic Merit may be judged by such measures as originality of concept and artistic vision; the degree to which the work engages the viewer emotionally, intellectually, spiritually; the quality of craftsmanship or mastery of skills and techniques. Artistic merit may also be credited to artwork that reflects a significant or direct relationship between the artist and distinct racial or cultural communities.
- Relevant Skills & Experience: Review Panels and the Commission shall consider the assessed ability of an artist to successfully implement a proposed project, such as the ability to work constructively with other project stakeholders, meet deadlines, willingness to resolve issues as they arise, and generally manage the demands of the project. Cultural competency and/or significant connection between the artist and the project constituency, or experience that may particularly qualify an artist to meet project goals may also be considered.
- Meaningful Connection to San Francisco Chinatown: Review panels will consider the artist’s meaningful connection to Chinatown - whether they currently reside, have resided in Chinatown, have a relationship with the neighborhood, share culture and values with Chinatown, or have another significant connection to Chinatown.
Finalists who are invited to develop conceptual site-specific proposals will also be scored on the additional criteria below:
- Meet Project Goals: The proposed artwork (or the assessed ability of an artist to design a proposal) meets the specific goals of the project as defined in this RFQ and in the Project Plan approved by the Commission.
- The Artwork is Appropriate to the Site: The artwork or proposed artwork is appropriate for its intended display location in terms of scale, media, design or imagery and is judged to be relevant within the context of the surrounding community, and is compatible with the mission and operations of the client department.
- Feasibility, maintainability: Proposed objects shall be evaluated relative to their feasibility and evidence of the artist’s ability to successfully complete the work as proposed. Factors to be considered include, but are not limited to: project budget, timeline, and the artist’s experience. Due consideration shall be given to the structural and surface soundness, and to inherent resistance to theft, vandalism and weathering, and to the cost and amount of ongoing maintenance and/or repair anticipated.
- Contributes to the Quality of the Civic Art Collection: The artwork is judged to support and improve the city’s collection in terms of artistic qualify and diversity of artists represented. The Arts Commission is committed to acquiring art works that reflect diversity in style, scale, media, and artistic sources as well as diverse cultural communities and perspectives. The Arts Commission also encourages exploratory types of work as well as established art forms.
- Public Safety and Accessibility: Artwork shall be evaluated to ensure that it does not present a hazard to public safety and complies Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and with all other applicable building codes.
- Duplication: Artists will be asked to warrant, as a condition of their agreement with the City, that the artwork commissioned or purchased is unique and an edition of one, and shall not be duplicated unless it is part of a limited edition or otherwise stated to the contrary in the artist’s contract with the Commission.
How To Apply
Applications are available through SlideRoom, an online application system for calls for entry. There is no charge to artists for using SlideRoom. Please be sure to allow adequate time to submit your application as technical difficulties can occur. Applications that are mailed, emailed, faxed, or hand-delivered will not be considered. All applications must be submitted in English. For assistance with Chinese to English translation and SlideRoom submittal please contact art@cccsf.us.
Applications will not be accepted after the September 11, 2024, 11:59 p.m. (PDT) deadline.
Application materials include:
1. Resume
- 25,000 characters maximum.
- If you are applying as a team, please include your team/studio resume. If that is not available, please combine the individual resumes (one right after the other) of each team member into one document.
2. Letter of Interest
For your RFQ Letter of Interest you will be asked to respond to the following questions:
- Please provide a brief bio that describes your artistic practice and career highlights. (500 characters)
- Please describe your skills and experience that are relevant to the needs of these Chinatown projects. (500 characters)
- If you have an interest in—or past experience with—art education, youth or community engagement, please communicate how this might inform your approach to the public art opportunity. (500 characters)
- If you are collaborating with another artist, please describe the reason for this collaboration. (300 characters)
4. Meaningful Connection to Chinatown
- Please articulate your meaningful connection to San Francisco's Chinatown. Examples of this connection may include your lived experiences in the neighborhood, relationship with the neighborhood and/or project site(s), and/or understanding of the history, value, culture, or identity of San Francisco Chinatown. (600 characters)
5. Ten images of previous work
- SlideRoom accepts all image file types up to 5MB. Images should at least 72 dpi and no larger than 1280 x 1280 pixels.
- For team application, please indicate the lead artist for each project.
- For more information on images, please check here.
4. Image Descriptions
- When you upload your images, SlideRoom will prompt you to fill out image descriptions. Please include the title, medium, dimensions, and year for each work. You may also include a brief statement (2 sentences maximum) about each work. Please indicate if the work includes direct engagement of the community in the design or making of the artwork.
Check out our How to Apply to Calls for helpful tips on how to submit the most competitive application.
Please note that Arts Commission staff will be available to answer questions about this call until 5 p.m. (PDT) on the deadline date. Questions should be directed to Craig Corpora at craig.corpora@sfgov.org, or 415-252-2249.
SlideRoom technical support is available Monday – Saturday by email, 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM (PST) support@slideroom.com.
TECHNICAL WORKSHOPS
There will be two technical workshops presented by SF Arts Commission and Chinese Culture Center set for the following dates and times below:
- Chinatown Artist Registry RFQ Technical Workshop #1 (virtual)
Date: Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Time: 5-6:30pm
- Chinatown Artist Registry RFQ Technical Workshop #2 (in-person)
Date: Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Time: 5:30-7:00pm
Location: Chinese Culture Center (750 Kearny St, 3rd Fl, San Francisco, CA 94108)
The technical workshops will provide a brief overview of the Chinatown Artist Registry RFQ, review the SlideRoom application process, and be a time for Q&A. You are welcome to attend both the virtual and in-person technical workshops - just note that the material presented will be the same.
*Dates and times are subject to change
STAY IN TOUCH
Artists interested in other public art commissions are encouraged to sign up for the Arts Commission's newsletter.
Eligibility
Eligibility is open to professional, practicing artists who reside in the United States or have representation from a US based art organization willing to contract with the Arts Commission on the artist’s behalf. Entries not meeting eligibility guidelines will be withdrawn from consideration.