RFQ
2023 Art on Market Street Poster Series - Comics 2.0
Project Overview
The San Francisco Arts Commission invites artists and artist teams residing in the United States to submit qualifications for the 2023 Art on Market Street Kiosk Poster Series.
The total budget is $12,000 inclusive of the artist fee, poster designs, digital file preparation, and proofing. The budget does not include printing and installation, which is managed and paid for by the Arts Commission.
Project Description
The Art on Market Street Kiosk Poster Series has commissioned new artwork by artists on an annual basis, since 1992. Each year, the Program commissions three or four artists to create a new body of work that responds to a theme specific to San Francisco. Each poster series is on view for approximately three months and consists of at least 6 unique images that are printed at 68 inches high by 47 ¼ inches wide, and installed in 18 bus kiosks on Market Street between Steuart St. at the Embarcadero and Hyde Street.
2023 POSTER SERIES THEME
Comics 2.0
”Comics are not a genre, but a developing language.” –Chris Ware
The 2023 Art on Market Street Kiosk Poster Series will be devoted exclusively to the comics medium. Artists will have the opportunity to create graphic narratives centered around San Francisco. The content can be historical, personal, fantastical, fiction or non-fiction, but they should engage with and be inspired by the city of San Francisco.
2023’s Art on Market Street Poster is a continuation of theme from the previous year. The participating artists for 2022 are: Frederick Noland, Gaia Weise, Kayan Cheung-Miaw and Vida Kuang, and A.C. Esguerra.Selection Process
Artist Qualification Panel: Applications will be reviewed by an Artist Qualification Panel consisting of a representative from Arts Commission staff and a comics art professional to identify a shortlist of qualified artists that will be considered for the project opportunity.
Artist Review Panel: This list of qualified artists will be presented to an Artist Review Panel consisting of one Arts Commissioner and two arts professionals. After considering the artists’ qualifications, the Artist Review Panel will identify finalists for recommendation to the Arts Commission for approval. The finalists will be invited to develop conceptual proposals after attending an orientation with the Art on Market Street Program Manager. Each finalist will be paid an honorarium of $1000 for development of a conceptual design proposal.
The Artist Review Panel will reconvene to consider the finalists’ concepts in an interview format and will recommend four artists for the project to the Arts Commission.
Arts Commission Approval: The 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 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
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.
- 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 qualify 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: 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.
- 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.
- The Artwork is Appropriate to the Site: The artwork or proposed artwork is appropriate for its intended display location in terms of scale, design or imagery and is judged to be relevant within the context of the surrounding community.
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. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline.
Applications will not be accepted after the May 17, 2022, 11:59 p.m. (PDT) deadline.
Application materials include:
1. Letter of Interest Questions
- Provide a description of your artistic focus, career highlights and qualifications.
- One paragraph briefly describing how you might approach the poster series theme.
2. 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.
3. 10 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 working with media, please click 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.
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, May 17, 2022. Please contact Craig Corpora at craig.corpora@sfgov.org or 415-252-2249
SlideRoom technical support is available Monday – Saturday by email, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. (CDT) support@slideroom.com.
Project Timeline
RFQ Issued April 4, 2022
Application Deadline May 17, 2022
Artist Review Panel Meeting One End of May 2022
Development of Proposals July 2022
Artist Review Panel Meeting Two Mid-August 2022
Visual Arts Committee Approval of Artists August 17, 2022
Full Commission Approval September 5, 2022
Project Artists under Contract October 2022
Anticipated installation dates for each Kiosk Poster Series is as follows:
• January 1–March 30, 2023
• April 1–June 30, 2023
• July 1–September 30, 2023
• October 1–December 31, 2023
*All dates subject to change