Request for Qualifications - City Arts Gateway
Request for Qualifications -
Downtown Davis/UC Davis Arboretum City Arts Gateway
The City of Davis, in partnership with the UC Davis Arboretum, is seeking to commission a professional artist or team of artists to develop a permanent work of public art as part of the City Arts Gateway Project. This site-specific work will serve as a portal that marks the pedestrian passage between downtown Davis and the eastern entry to the UC Davis Arboretum just south of 1st and D Streets. A budget of up to $40,000 is available for this art opportunity and the deadline for submissions is December 12, 2011.
Background and Location:
In 2006, the City of Davis and UC Davis collaboratively developed the “Downtown-Campus Connections Concepts and Implementation Plan” to improve physical connections between the Mondavi Center District, the Core Campus Arts District, and downtown Davis. The goals of the study included (1) improving and enhancing pedestrian, bicycle, and transit connections; (2) helping to promote and market the campus and downtown area as arts districts and visitor destinations; and (3) enhancing the partnership between the City and University on a mutually beneficial project. The study identified an Arboretum Arts Walk as a key route for connecting pedestrians from downtown to campus arts destinations. The study also identified the East Arboretum Gateway/D Street Connection as a major gateway opportunity. In all the gateway and circulation concepts recommended by the report, integrating public art was endorsed as a means of developing a unified arts, entertainment, and cultural district.
The City of Davis and UC Davis Arboretum have selected the entry area for the new California Native Plant Garden as the location for the commissioned artwork. The site is located near the southwest corner of the Davis Commons parking lot and south of the Aggie Village neighborhood. The site is just south of the house located at 255 Cottage Circle. Awkward pathways and blocking vegetation currently make the site difficult to access and envision. Site improvements will include the removal of some existing vegetation and the reconfiguration of pathways to create a clear pedestrian entry corridor into the garden.
How to Apply:
To learn more about the project and the application and selection process, download the complete Request for Qualifications.
Download the RFP:
city-arts-gateway-artist-rfq.pdf 
Support Materials (added Nov. 29, 2011):
The following links are being provided as supplemental materials to the RFQ document:
- RFQ Questions & Responses
- City Arts Gateway Planning Presentation
- Garden Entry Zone Phasing Plan
- California Native Plant Garden Site Plan
Deadline for Submittal:
All applications must be delivered by 5:00 p.m. on Monday December 12, 2011 to:
City of Davis Community Services
Public Art - Gateway Project
23 Russell Blvd., Suite 5
Davis CA 95616
For more information, please contact the Community Services Department at (530) 757-5626 or csweb@cityofdavis.org.
