RFQ_-_SR_99_Steel_Art_Panel_Project.pdf

SACRAMENTO COUNTY

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) FOR A TRANSPORTATION ART

PROJECT

STATE ROUTE 99 STEEL ART PANEL PROJECT

Rendering above is an example of a triptych attached to a soundwall

Submission Deadline: August 26, 2022, 3pm

1. CALL TO ARTISTS

Sacramento County Department of Transportation (County), in partnership with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), invites artists to submit their qualifications for the design of a series of art panels (triptych format) along the State Route 99 (SR 99) corridor. A contractor hired by Caltrans will fabricate and install the art panels based on the selected final artist designs. The selected artists will be required to provide input in the fabrication stage if design issues or questions arise.

The County anticipates contracting with up to 5 artists/artist teams pursuant to this RFQ. There will be 5 art panel installation locations, for a total of 18 triptychs, along SR 99. The locations will be split between 3 community focus areas, each with an associated pre-established workgroup formed by Caltrans. Each workgroup shall work with its own artist or artist team to inform the conceptual development of the artwork.

As community engagement and participation are central to the project, the selected artist(s) will be required to participate in up to four community engagement workshops with their respective workgroups during the design development and fabrication stages of the steel art panels. After initial design development, the selected artist(s) will present a final concept design to the selection committee. If the proposed design is approved, the artist(s) will then finalize the design details.

This project will coincide with another improvement project involving murals, pedestrian lighting, and aesthetic fencing along the corridor. The selected artist(s) shall coordinate as needed with the design team for this adjacent improvement project.

2. ART BUDGET

If selected, each artist/artist team will be awarded a flat rate of $4,000 per design (two designs per location) and will be required to execute an agreement with the County.

There is no reimbursement for material, travel, or other expenses.

3. OPPORTUNITIES AND ART SITES

The SAC-99 (Phase II) Beautification Project will improve and upgrade a 9-mile stretch of SR 99 between the Broadway Undercrossing and the Stockton Boulevard Overcrossing in the City of Sacramento within Sacramento County. SR 99 is a main thoroughfare for South Sacramento residents and provides critical north and south connections to Downtown Sacramento and Elk Grove. SR 99 also serves as a vital interregional connection for residents, visitors, and freight to travel throughout the region. The project has underserved communities within the project boundaries; public engagement and community outreach to these economically disadvantaged neighborhoods is vital to ensure the collaborative goals of the project are met.

A total of 18 triptychs are proposed to be designed and installed at 5 locations, as described in Exhibit 1. Two designs will be selected for each location. As noted above, three Caltrans-designated workgroups are assigned to work with the selected artist or artist teams to collaborate on the designs for each location.

Workgroup #1:

Location 1 – Two (2) triptychs (near Mack Road) Workgroup #2:

Location 2 – Four (4) triptychs (near Florin Road) Workgroup #3:

Location 3 – Four (4) triptychs (near 47th Ave) Location 4 – Five (5) triptychs (near Fruitridge Road) Location 5 – Three (3) triptychs (near 12th Ave)

4. SCOPE OF WORK

A. ARTIST’S OUTREACH WORK

The selection committee will select up to five artists or artist teams. Artists will operate under the direction of Caltrans; in addition to developing designs, they will be required to participate in community outreach and workshops with the respective workgroups assigned to their locations.

The selected artist(s) must have the ability to participate in up to four workshops, and should have a good knowledge of the local area. Previous experience with specific stakeholder groups in the area is a benefit but not a requirement. Sacramento County and Caltrans will manage the contracts and provide technical assistance, where necessary.

Caltrans will handle the workshop logistics (scheduling facilities, invitations, etc.). The selected artist(s) will participate and facilitate the workshop to solicit input from the respective workgroups.

B. ARTIST’S DESIGN WORK

Types of Artwork Considered:

Graphics/ drawings are to be used as the designs for the triptychs.

The designs will be considered Transportation Art and will require the artist to sign a Caltrans Assignment and Transfer of Copyright and Waiver of Moral Rights in Artwork, in addition to an agreement with the County. Refer to Exhibit 3. Caltrans Transportation Art guidelines shall be followed and can be found at:

https://dot.ca.gov/programs/design/lap-landscape-architecture-and-community-livability/lap-liv-j-transportation-art

Transportation Art Designs must:

• Express unique attributes of a community’s history, resources, or character.

• Not display text, such as letters, numbers, etc.

• Not display symbols or icons such as flags, logos, or commercial symbols, except as allowed for “Sponsor Recognition” in the Project Development and Procedures Manual, Chapter 29.

• Not imitate, obscure, or interfere with traffic control devices.

• Be appropriate to its proposed setting and be in proper scale with its surroundings.

• Not create a distraction to transportation system users. It should be large enough to interpret at highway speed, but not demand attention from the motorist.

• Conform to provisions of the California Outdoor Advertising Act (No advertising allowed on state right-of-way).

• Not be previously copywritten or used in another location.

The artists will provide a design based on the following parameters.

Triptych Art Panels is a set of 3 metal panels that together illustrate a complete art design.

Design criteria:

• The design should be achieved with two-dimensional linework that can be cut out from the solid steel panels.

https://dot.ca.gov/programs/design/lap-landscape-architecture-and-community-livability/lap-liv-j-transportation-art https://dot.ca.gov/programs/design/lap-landscape-architecture-and-community-livability/lap-liv-j-transportation-art

• Each individual panel after fabrication must remain one piece.

• No protrusion, bending, or additional layers of material is allowed.

• The design must avoid:

o any thin strip of metal that’s less than 1/2" wide and more than 6” long o weak or delicate connections, such as large shapes cut out with a single thin connection to the rest of the panel o long and sharp pointed ends

Dimensions: Refer to attached draft “Triptych Art Panel Detail” sheet for dimensions per attached Exhibit 2. Please note panel sizes and layout varies based on location.

Material: Panels will be fabricated with 8 Gauge galvanized steel plate, with cutout linework provided by selected artist(s). Finished galvanized panels will be stained with Natina Steel Solution to resemble a weathered steel appearance. No additional paint or colorization is allowed.

All triptychs will be fabricated by a Caltrans contractor.

File format: Artist(s) must provide Design linework in “DXF” format (or other acceptable format by the metal fabricator) to Caltrans for fabrication.

Installation: The design of the cutouts must consider the strength, thickness and mounting of the panels. Each individual panel will be mounted to the sound wall with 6 anchor points as shown, no additional connection will be allowed. Caltrans reserves the right to require the artist to revise the design based on constructability limitations.

All triptychs will be installed by a Caltrans contractor on existing sound walls as indicated in the attached Exhibit 1 and 2.

5. SACRAMENTO COUNTY SELECTION PROCESS

The composition of the selection committee members may vary, but will typically include a member of the Sacramento County Department of Transportation, a workgroup representative, City Art Council, Caltrans and a participating agency stakeholder. At the discretion of the selection committee, the selection process may include an oral interview with prospective artists. If it is determined that oral interviews are necessary, the selection committee will review submissions and identify a short list of artists or artist teams for interview.

If awarded the project commission, the selected artist will be required to attend periodic meetings in Sacramento, present concept proposals to the selection committee and Sacramento County Department of Transportation, and participate in up to four community workshops with the respective workgroups. The selected artist or artist team will be responsible for overseeing the design and delivery of the commissioned artwork design and for working cooperatively with the project stakeholders, County staff, Caltrans representatives, and consultants.

A. ARTIST SELECTION CRITERIA

Artists will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Innovation, quality, and creativity in previous projects/artwork

• Demonstrated experience and professional practice with community outreach and collaboration

• Demonstrated proficiency in graphic design and/or craftsmanship and technical knowledge of steel art making

• Experience and success in creating a public artwork in collaboration or cooperation with multiple stakeholders

B. REQUIREMENTS/ELIGIBILITY

The project is open to experienced professional artists within Sacramento region. The final commission(s) will be awarded based on the artist’s ability to meet the selection criteria noted.

Artists should have proven experience that demonstrates design team and community outreach experience. Professional artists living in Sacramento region are encouraged to apply.

Caltrans Assignment and Transfer of Copyright and Waiver of Moral Rights in Artwork and the County of Sacramento service agreement must be signed by all selected artists prior to performance of the work contemplated in this RFQ.

C. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Completed submissions must be received by August 26, 2022 at 3pm in the County’s eProcurement system OpenGov Procurement via the solicitation link at:

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/saccounty/projects/23598

Failure to submit a response on time may be grounds for rejection; however, the County reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to accept submissions after the due date.

Submissions must include:

• Artist Statement: (Maximum 250 words) Include a general introduction to your work.

Discuss the concepts and ideas you explore in your artwork and how these ideas and issues are presented. If you are applying as a team, the letter should clearly describe the contribution of each collaborator. Teams may present an artist statement up to 350 words maximum.

• Resume: (Maximum 2 pages) Outline your recent experience and accomplishments as an artist. If applying as a team, each member may submit a separate one-page resume.

• Samples of your work - a maximum of ten (10) files: digital images, video, and audio files are all acceptable with corresponding titles to match the Support Description list. Each file should highlight only one project.

• Support Description list: (Maximum 2 pages) For each image/file submitted, list the title, date, size, and medium for studio work. For public art projects include a description, location, budget, and commissioning organization (if applicable). If the project included community outreach, list participating groups and briefly describe the role community played in the project.

• References: Include the name, title, phone number, email, and mailing address of three references who can speak about your work in public art with or without community collaboration.

• Community Outreach Approach: (Maximum 300 words) Briefly describe your approach(es) to involving community in your work. You may focus your description on past project(s) or speak generally about your approach to collaborating and working with community stakeholders. Your approach description should give the committee an ability to understand your conceptual thought process and ability to link your approach to specific https://secure.procurenow.com/login project results. Your Community Outreach Approach is not meant to describe ideas for this particular project as the artist will need further information and to meet with stakeholders in order to reasonably formulate their design concept and approach for community involvement on this project. However, by illustrating past examples of community outreach linked to public art outcomes, this section should give the selection committee a sense of what to expect from the lead artist, should they be selected.

6. ESTIMATED TIMELINE

Selection and contract execution: 8/26/22 to 9/16/22 Community outreach and design phase: 9/16/22 to 10/21/22 Proposed design presented to selection committee: 10/21/22 to 11/4/22 Approval of final design: 11/18/22 Installation (by Caltrans contractor): 6/1/23

7. QUESTIONS

Questions concerning this RFQ should be submitted in OpenGov Procurement via the “Question and Answer” tab. Questions shall be submitted before 5:00pm local time, on August 19, 2022. County will not respond to any questions after this time. An addendum will be issued with the questions submitted and responses by the County

8. ADDENDA

The County reserves the right to modify the RFQ at any time prior to the proposal due date. The County will modify the RFQ only by formal written addenda. Submitted proposals should be based on this RFQ and any formal written addenda. Proposers should not rely on oral statements from County or Caltrans staff. Addenda will be posted in OpenGov Procurement. It is the responsibility of each prospective proposer to assure receipt of all addenda.

The County also reserves the right to withdraw, cancel, suspend, and/or modify this RFQ for any reason and at any time with no liability to any prospective proposer for any costs or expenses incurred in connection with the RFQ or otherwise.

Exhibit #1: Steel Art Panel Locations:

Exhibit #2: Triptych Art Panel Detail

Exhibit #3: Caltrans Assignment and Transfer of Copyright and Waiver of Moral Rights in Artwork

Exhibit #4: County of Sacramento - Sample Service Agreement