Chinatown Artist Registry

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.