RFQ
2026 Art on Market Street Poster Series (Now & Then: Living Memories)
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
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.
The San Francisco Arts Commission invites artists and artist teams residing in the United States to submit qualifications for the 2026 Art on Market Street Poster Series. The 2026 Program will feature the work of four artists/artist teams with each series on view for a period of three months.
The total budget for the 2026 Art on Market Street Poster Series is $12,000 per selected artist/artist team and is 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 Overview
The Art on Market Street Poster Series has commissioned new artwork by artists on an annual basis, since 1992. Each year, the Program commissions 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 15 bus shelters on Market Street between Steuart St. and 7th St.
Project Description
2026 POSTER SERIES THEME
Now & Then: Living Memories
The 2026 Art on Market Poster Series, titled Now & Then: Living Memories, will focus on previously unrecorded, newly unearthed & unconventional San Francisco histories. The name of the series is taken from a 2017 essay by writer, historian and activist Rebecca Solnit, in which she argues for “more history, not less”. Artists are encouraged to use primary sources, such as: libraries, archives, oral histories, historical societies & museums, public records, etc. to create a cohesive series uncovering overlooked histories and memorializing new histories. This project intersects with the continued work of SFAC’s Mellon-Grant funded Shaping Legacy program.
PROJECT GOALS
- The artwork will incorporate and/or reference a primary source, and form a cohesive series that: highlights an overlooked history; memorializes a new history or collection of histories.
Selection Process
Artist Qualification Panel: Applications will be reviewed by an Artist Qualification Panel consisting of a representative from Arts Commission staff and art professional to identify a shortlist of qualified artists that will be considered for the project opportunity.
Artist Review Panel Meetings: This list of qualified artists will be presented to an Artist Review Panel consisting of three arts professionals. After considering the artists’ qualifications, the Artist Review Panel will identify up to 6 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 $1,000 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.
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. Application materials include:
1. Letter of Interest
- Provide a description of your artistic focus, career highlights and qualifications.
- One paragraph briefly describing how you might approach the poster series theme and how it relates to the goals of the project.
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. 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 working with media, please click here (https://help.liaisonedu.com/SlideRoom_Applicant_Help_Center/Completing_Your_SlideRoom_Application/03_Working_with_Your_Portfolio)
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, April 7, 2025. Please contact Paris Cotz at paris.cotz@sfgov.org, or 415-539-6213.
SlideRoom technical support is available Monday – Saturday by email, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. (CDT) support@slideroom.com.
Project Timeline
| RFQ Issued | February 24, 2025 |
| Application Deadline | April 7, 2025 |
| Artist Review Panel Meeting One | Early/Mid April 2025 |
| Visual Arts Committee Approval | April 16, 2025 |
| Proposal Development | Mid April - Late May 2025 |
| Artist Review Panel Meeting Two | Early June 2025 |
| VAC Approval of Finalists | June 18, 2025 |
| Full Commission | July 7, 2025 |
Eligibility
Eligibility is open to professional, practicing artists who reside in the United States or have representation from a US based gallery willing to contract with the Arts Commission on the artist’s behalf. Entries not meeting eligibility guidelines will be withdrawn from consideration.