Chinatown Public Health Center Renovation Public Art Project Plan
Overview
Background (Capital Improvement Project Overview)
The Department of Public Health’s Chinatown Public Health Center (CPHC) has served its community since 1929, offering primary care for adults and children, prenatal care, behavioral health, pediatric dentistry, community health education, and nutrition services. With no significant upgrades having been made to the building since its opening in 1968, the Department of Public Health is currently prioritizing its modernization. A full seismic upgrade will make the building safer during earthquakes, and mechanical systems upgrades are necessary to replace old equipment and improve the existing ventilation and poor air quality. The project will also remove hazardous materials from the building. The full gut and remodel of the clinic’s interior spaces will create space to co-locate primary care and mental health services; increase the number of exam and consultation rooms; expand the dental clinic; make the building accessible to people with disabilities; and make the building fully electric, providing significant benefits against climate change.
ART OPPORTUNITIES
- Exterior Art Wall Opportunity: Located on the building façade at street level on the corner of Mason and Broadway Streets, adjacent to the clinic entrance. Artwork will measure approximately 360 square feet and may be comprised of a durable material, such as mosaic or ceramic tile.
- Interior Art Wall Opportunities: Three (3) artworks that may be comprised of mosaic or ceramic tile installed on interior walls in the following locations:
• First floor registration area - Artwork wall measures approximately 100 square feet.
• Second floor waiting area - Artwork wall measures approximately 95 square feet.
• Third floor waiting area - Artwork wall measures approximately 110 square feet. - Two-Dimensional Artwork Program: Direct purchase of existing 2D artworks to be framed and mounted along interior corridors on all three floors.
Any remaining artwork budget may go to the purchase of 2D artworks to be installed on available interior walls of the Library.
PROJECT GOAL
- Provide a welcoming, stress-free, and therapeutic atmosphere for CPHC clients and staff.
- Be an expression of the Chinatown neighborhood culture, identity, and values.
- Act as a wayfinder for clients to identify and locate patient registration waiting areas.
- Provide a community benefit, which includes providing opportunities for artists with a meaningful connection to Chinatown.
AE and ARTWORK BUDGET
Total Art Enrichment Amount: $691,400
Total Artwork Amount: $342,000
- Exterior Art Wall: $107,000, inclusive of all artist fees, as well as associated expenses for artwork design, fabrication, insurance, transportation, and installation
- Interior Art Walls: $165,000 ($55,000 per wall), inclusive of all artist fees, as well as associated expenses for artwork design, fabrication, insurance, transportation, and installation
- Two-Dimensional Artwork Program: $70,000 for the purchase of 2D artwork, inclusive of artwork purchase, framing, and installation
Artwork wall structural backing and lighting to be provided for and covered by the Capital Improvement Project budget.
ARTIST RECRUITMENT APPROACH AND ELIGIBILITY
Arts Commission staff, in partnership with the Chinese Culture Center, will recruit artists for the opportunity through the Arts Commission’s upcoming Chinatown Artist Registry Pre-qualified Pool. Professional practicing artists residing in the United States are eligible to apply. Arts Commission staff may also select artists from other prequalified artist lists to be considered.
Recruitment will focus on artists with a meaningful connection to San Francisco Chinatown, which may include if the artist currently resides, has resided in Chinatown, or has another significant connection to Chinatown. Artists will be asked to address their connection as part of the application process, and the review panel will be instructed to consider this connection as part of their scoring criteria.
ARTIST SELECTION PROCESS
After the application deadline the Arts Commission staff will screen applications to establish the pool of artists meeting the minimum eligibility requirements, which are professional practicing artists who reside in the United States.
The eligible applications will be presented to an artist qualification panel consisting of 2 arts professionals and 1 SFAC staff, who will review and score the applications to add to the Chinatown Artist Registry Pre-qualified Pool. SFAC staff will shortlist artists from this Pool, as well as other Pre-Qualified Pools, for consideration by the Artist Review Panel.
The shortlist of qualified artists will be presented to the Chinatown Public Health Center Renovation Artist Review Panel consisting of 1 representative of the client agency, 3 arts professionals, an Arts Commissioner, and 1 community member. The panel will identify 8 finalists who will be invited to develop conceptual site-specific proposals after attending an orientation session with the project team and key stakeholders. These finalists will be paid an honorarium of $3,000 plus travel reimbursement for development of a proposal.
The Chinatown Public Health Center Renovation Artist Review Panel will reconvene to consider the finalists’ proposals in an interview format and will select four artists for recommendation to the Art Commission.
ARTIST SELECTION PROCESS FOR FRAMED ARTWORKS
SFAC staff will shortlist qualified artists from the Chinatown Artist Registry Pre-qualified Pool, and they will be presented to the Chinatown Public Health Center Renovation Artist Review Panel. The panel will review application artwork submittals and select artists to purchase existing works from for recommendation to the Art Commission.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
- SFAC staff presented an overview of the public art project in conjunction with the CIP presentation to the community on February 9 and September 13, 2023.
- SFAC staff will partner with Chinese Culture Center (CCC) for artist outreach of the Chinatown Artist Registry. CCC will also support artists as a community liaison throughout the Artist Selection Process.
- A community representative will serve on the Chinatown Public Health Center Renovation Artist Review Panel and will participate in the Artist Orientation
- The finalists’ proposals will be on display for public comment near the project site and on the SFAC website for two weeks prior to the final review panel meeting
- All review panels, Visual Arts Committee (VAC) and Commission meetings are open to the public.
TIMELINE (Subject to change)
| Community Meeting | February 9, 2023 & September 13, 2023 |
| Project Plan Approval (VAC) | February 21, 2024 |
| RFQ Issued | April 2024 |
| RFQ Deadline | May 2024 |
| Qualification Panel | June 2024 |
| First Project Artist Review Panel | July 2024 |
| Artist Finalist Orientation | July 2024 |
| Finalist Proposals Due | September 2024 |
| Final Project Artist Review Panel | October 2024 |
| VAC Approval | November 2024 |
| Arts Commission Approval | December 2024 |
| Artist Under Contract | February 2025 |
Further Information
Contact Aleta Lee, Public Art Project Manager at (415)252-2251 or by email at aleta.lee@sfgov.org.