City of Emeryville Public Art Program
Doyle-Hollis Street Park, Public Art Fountain Project

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS AND CONCEPT PROPOSAL

The City of Emeryville is soliciting qualifications and a concept proposal from professional artists for a public art fountain at the planned Doyle-Hollis Park. The City of Emeryville Public Art Advisory Committee has identified the installation of a public art fountain in the Doyle-Hollis Park for implementation in 2007-2008 in conjunction with the construction of the park. Because of the highly technical issues in fountain design and construction, the City is issuing a two-stage request for qualifications/proposals to a pre- selected group of artists with past experience in public art fountain design and implementation.

Project Description

The City of Emeryville has acquired a commercial building (the Dutro Company) located on the block bounded by Hollis, Doyle, 61st and 62nd Streets, for the purpose of constructing a community park (the “Doyle-Hollis Park”). Through a community process facilitated by the landscape architecture firm of Gates & Associates, a schematic plan for the park has been approved which consists of an open grassy area in the middle of the site, a place for active recreation for youth, picnic areas, and a site for a restroom at the Doyle Street (east) end of the site, an informal amphitheater/seating area, basketball half-court, lunch plaza, and fountain on the Hollis Street (west) end of the site. Parking around the site will be reconfigured into parallel and diagonal spaces. A schematic plan is included herein as Attachment 1. Applicants are strongly encouraged to access the concept study for the Doyle-Hollis Park, which may be found on the City’s website at: http://www.ci.emeryville.ca.us/news/pdf/booklet.pdf

Project Goals:

The public art fountain project has the following broad goals:

• The fountain is a major element of Doyle-Hollis Park. As a public art fountain, it is meant to encourage park users’ appreciation of public spaces within the city and increase public interest in, and awareness of, public art.
• The fountain should complement and enhance the design and landscaping of the new Doyle-Hollis Park. The design should be site-specific and appropriate for the setting.
• Through its design and function, the fountain should encourage the community to use the park and ultimately foster a sense of place and community identity.
• To address year-round functionality, it should be designed to serve as both a “wet” and “dry” fountain (i.e., when no water is running through it, it should still have aesthetic appeal and usability).
• Fountain shall be designed to be low maintenance, and of durable materials suitable for the location and function.

Eligibility

This project is open to professional artists residing in California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Arizona who have demonstrated experience in designing and producing, or overseeing the production of, site-specific, functional fountains. Artists may apply as individuals or as a team; however, the lead member of the team must meet the minimum application requirements described below and will be the primary point of contact for the project.

Project Budget and Artist / Landscape Architect / General Contractor Responsibilities

The maximum budget for this project is $125,000. The artist’s commission/contract must cover all costs associated with the design, fabrication, delivery, and installation of the fountain, including all required structural, mechanical, electrical, lighting and plumbing drawings, all installation costs associated with these base costs as well as the cost of the public art itself. The City’s landscape architect will design the construction drawings for the overall park construction, but will not be responsible for designing the fountain as part of the City’s contract for the park. Instead, the landscape architect will design the general location for the fountain and will ensure that the City’s general contractor brings electrical power and plumbing to the general zone of the fountain. The artist will be responsible for designing and building the fountain base, installing the fountain’s particular electrical and plumbing lines, and otherwise installing all aspects of the fountain.

A progress payment schedule will be established in the City’s artist contract with the selected artist. Progress payments will be paid to the selected artist or artist team to assist with expenses related to the project. However, the selected artist will be required to submit invoices related to progress payment items. All finalists will be asked to submit a detailed project budget that must be approved by the City before a final contract is awarded (See Conceptual Design Proposal Submittal, below).

City of Emeryville

The City of Emeryville is located at the foot of the San Francisco Bay Bridge. It is a regional retail destination and headquarters for major high-tech and biotech corporations, including Pixar, Novartis, and Ex’pression College for Digital Arts, and draws approximately 20,000 workers daily. Its residential population of 8,500 represents an ethnically and culturally diverse mix of people. Emeryville has one of the largest percentages of artists per capita in the United States and is home to many artist- owned businesses and live-work spaces.

In 1990, the City of Emeryville enacted an Art in Public Places ordinance that requires the inclusion of public artwork in certain municipal and private development projects. Since that time, the City has commissioned numerous works of art, including the installation of art work on numerous traffic signal boxes called “Signs of the Times”,“Neighborhood Convergence”, a series of painted steel sculptures at the Powell Street/I-80 underpass, the "Solar Rose" and "Three Spaces of Respite" sculptures at Civic Center, and. Of particular interest to the Doyle-Hollis Park project is a series of sculptural artwork elements (“Look Closely”) that grace the Emeryville Greenway from 59th Street to Ocean Avenue in the project area. For a copy of the City’s Public Art Walking Map, please contact Amy Hiestand at the City of Emeryville at ahiestand@ci.emeryville.ca.us.

Project Assumptions

The primary goal of the Doyle-Hollis Park fountain project is for an artist or artist team to create a site-specific, public art fountain that optimizes the community's use and enjoyment of the Park. Artists selected to participate in the design process must observe the following guidelines:

1. The location for the fountain is indicated on the map in Attachment 1.
2. All proposed concepts for artwork are subject to approval by the City and must meet all applicable code requirements for public access, safety and security.
3. The schedule for the design, fabrication and installation of the fountain is indicated below. By responding to this invitation to participate, applicants acknowledge that they are able to complete the project within the stated timeline and budget.
4. The selected artist must be able to procure and oversee the work of multiple subcontractors and to coordinate the design and installation of the fountain with the project architect and general contractor.
5. Artists must be able to work collaboratively with representatives from the City and the community in a professional manner. Finalists may be required to attend meetings and make public presentations if requested to do so by the City.
6. All applicants must read and acknowledge acceptance of the terms of the City's public art contract prior to responding to this RFQ. The terms of the contract are non-negotiable and failure to accept the terms of the contract will result in disqualification from the project at the conceptual design proposal phase. The contract may be found at http://www.ci.emeryville.ca.us/econdev/publicart_rfq.html.

Minimum Qualifications

All applicants must demonstrate the following (or: Applicants will be/have been invited to submit qualifications) based on the following:

• Outstanding innovation, creativity, and originality in the development of public art.
• Experience in designing and implementing fountain projects of a similar scale and nature.
• Expertise in identifying and working with materials appropriate for long-term use in an exterior environment that is subject to varying weather conditions and heavy public access.

Selection Process

Phase One: Selection of Finalists

1. Panel Review.
   A Selection Panel will review submissions and select between three and five finalists who will be asked to prepare a more fully detailed conceptual design proposal. Finalists will be selected based on the following criteria:
   • Experience in the design, fabrication and installation of exterior fountains.
   • Design excellence in past work, including originality of concept, site context, and quality of workmanship and materials, as evidenced in images of completed projects.
   • The ability to respond creatively and uniquely to site-specific design challenges, including the social, physical, and environmental conditions and challenges inherent in each project.
   • Demonstrated ability in working with permanent materials appropriate for long- term exposure in a public setting.
   • Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and positively with public agencies, public review processes, and community organizations.
2. Project Orientation.
   Finalists will be required to attend a project orientation to view the Doyle-Hollis Park site, meet with city staff to identify and discuss potential issues regarding the artwork, and discuss issues relative to maintenance and public safety requirements. Finalists will also be required to attend a community meeting during which community members will provide input on the Doyle-Hollis Park project. It is anticipated that the project orientations will take place in late April and will be held on the same date.
3. Conceptual Design Proposal Submittal
   Finalists will be required to submit a more fully detailed Conceptual Design Proposal that includes the following:
   • To-scale renderings of the proposed fountain that illustrate the design, location and orientation of the fountain.
   • A model of the proposed fountain.
   • A written description and/or sample of the materials to be used and written substantiation of their appropriateness for use as a fountain and in an exterior environment.
   • A timeline for the design, fabrication and installation of the fountain.
   • A written budget for all project costs, including but not limited to: subcontracted labor and consultant fees, materials, equipment and supplies; fountain fabrication/construction costs, including engineering or other design documents, costs of any anchoring systems, bases, pedestals, or other installation requirements; delivery, unloading and staging; all applicable fees, licenses taxes and permits; City required insurance; installation costs, and site preparation and restoration, as applicable.
   • Written bids from qualified subcontractors for the services listed above (to ensure that the proposed concept can be fully executed within the stated budget).
   • A brief written narrative describing the concept, theme and intent of the proposal.

   Note: Finalists will be required to submit all or part of the conceptual design proposal materials to City staff for review and evaluation prior to its review by the Selection Panel. Finalists may be asked to submit additional information, clarify information, or make modifications to the proposal, in order for it to be considered acceptable for review by the Selection Panel.

4. Honoraria.
   Finalists will be paid an honorarium of $1,500 for the successful submittal of the conceptual design proposal. The honorarium amount is per artist or artist team; teams will not be paid more than this amount.
5. Travel Reimbursements.
   In addition to the honorarium, finalists living outside of the nine Bay Area counties will be reimbursed in an amount not-to-exceed $500 for reasonable, pre-approved travel costs associated with attendance at the project orientation and an amount not- to-exceed $500 for reasonable pre-approved travel costs related to the presentation of the design proposal to the Selection Committee. These amounts are maximum amounts for individual artists and/or artist teams; teams will not be paid more than these amounts.
6. Ownership of Materials.
   All documents, including sketches, plans, specifications, reports, and all other materials, including models, submitted as part of the conceptual design proposal will become the property of the City of Emeryville upon payment of the honoraria to the artist. Exceptions include material samples, tapes, or other materials presented to illustrate the proposal but which are not integral parts of the proposal.

Phase Two: Selection of Artist/Artwork

After the finalists proposals have been submitted to the City, a City-hired public art conservator will review the proposals and prepare a report with comments for review by the Selection Panel. The Selection Panel will reconvene to interview the Finalists and to review the conceptual design proposals. This meeting will be open to the public and held on a Saturday morning (June 30, 2007). The Selection Panel will forward a recommendation for the artwork to be commissioned to the Public Art Committee. Upon approval by the Public Art Committee, the proposal will be brought to City Council for review and approval. The City reserves the right to award a contract to more than one artist/artist team; to reallocate the project funds; and/or to not to award a contract in response to this RFQ.

Criteria for the final selection of artwork includes, but is not limited to:

• Artistic excellence, creativity and originality of the fountain’s concept.
• The artist's response to the physical, social, and functional nature of the site and the relationship of the fountain design to this site.
• The technical feasibility of the proposed artwork, including minimum maintenance requirements, resistance to vandalism and appropriateness for public use and access.
• An evaluation of the proposed budget, including:
  1. its feasibility for the nature and scope of the project, and
  2. an analysis of whether the artist has done appropriate research and obtained viable cost estimates from subcontractors and suppliers.
• Public response to the conceptual design proposals during the public exhibition period.
• Positive feedback from professional references.

Project Timeline

Benchmark	Not Later Than
Selection panel meets to review applications	Mid April 2007
Required Project Orientation for Finalists	April 30, 2007 at 6 p.m.
Required Community Workshop for Finalists	April 30, 2007 at 7 p.m.
Conceptual Design Proposals Due	Friday, June 15, 2007 by 5 p.m.
Finalist design concepts on display at City Hall	June 20-30, 2007
Finalists' Presentations to Selection Panel	Saturday June 30, 2007, 10 a.m.
Public Art Committee Review and Approval	July 12, 2007
City Council Review and Approval	August 7, 2007
City Enters into Contract with Artist	August 2007
Design Development	August-October, 2007
Final Design Review by Public Art Committee	November 8, 2007
Final Design Review by City Council	December 4, 2007
Fabrication and Installation	February-March 2008

Submittal Requirements

To be considered for this project, applicants must submit the following:

1. NINE (9) collated packets of the following in the order listed:
   1. A Statement of Interest that describes a conceptual approach to this project.
   2. A schematic rendering of a proposed concept for the fountain design.
   3. Professional resumes for each team member. Edited versions of not more than 4 pages, per applicant, are requested.
2. ONE CD containing the following:
   1. A maximum of 10 digital images of relevant project experience per artist. Images should be in JPG format at 72 dpi. Images formatted into a Microsoft Power Point presentation are preferred.
   2. An image list that includes each project's name, location, date of installation, project budget, and commissioning agency.
   3. A copy of the written materials required in A. 1-3 above.
3. 1. One signed copy of the application form, included herein as Attachment 2.
   2. A self-addressed, stamped envelope for the return of materials.
      Applications without a SASE will not be returned and will be destroyed upon completion of the review process.

Please note the following:

• The collated sets may be stapled or bound, please do not staple or bind the other requested materials.
• Please submit written information on 8 12/" x 11" white paper.
• Tapes, brochures, or catalogues may be submitted; however, these materials may or may not be shown to the selection panel, at the discretion of the City.
• Neither the City of Emeryville, its directors, employees, agents, nor consultants are responsible for the loss of, or damage to, any submitted materials.
• The City reserves the right to reject all applications and/or to extend the application deadline.

APPLICATION MATERIALS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN
5:00 PM ON MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2007

SEND TO:

Amy Hiestand
City of Emeryville
1333 Park Avenue
Emeryville, CA 94608
(510) 596-4354