The Southern Waterfront needs your art!

Download complete Public Art Program Details | Download a Grant Application

Project Overview
Be a part of enhancing the southern waterfront! The Blue Greenway Public Art Program is a collaborative undertaking of the Mayor’s Office, the Port of San Francisco, the Recreation and Parks Department, the San Francisco Arts Commission, and the Neighborhood Parks Council (NPC). The program is designed to promote innovation and community engagement in the development of the Blue Greenway through the creation of a public Art Trail. It is envisioned that the Trail will eventually become part of a larger citywide public art program that includes both temporary and permanent pieces. The Trail will stretch from SBC Park to the southern border of the San Francisco waterfront and will include the temporary installation of existing, large-scale public art and sculptures and a signage/banner system which provides a consistent image for the Blue Greenway. Projects will be awarded for the best proposals in each area.

The current call is dedicated to submissions for temporary art installations.

Temporary Art Installations
Artists are invited to submit a proposal to place already existing artwork in one of three sites located along the proposed Art Trail. Three projects will be commissioned for a period of approximately six months each and a budget for each project of up to $14,000. Additional projects may be commissioned as funding becomes available. The selected artists/organization will enter into an agreement with the Port of San Francisco for the final design, implementation and removal of the artwork for Sites 1 and 2. Artists will enter into an agreement with the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department for the final design, implementation and removal of the artwork for Site 3. Artists will need to ensure that all sites are restored to their original state once artwork is removed.

Background
In November 2005, the Mayor’s Office and NPC convened the Blue Greenway Taskforce to develop a vision plan and short-term implementation strategy to create a trail and open space network along San Francisco’s southern waterfront. Known as “The Blue Greenway”, this new open space network will be a “green and healthy corridor” that serves as a focal point for local community recreation and completes San Francisco’s southeastern portion of the Bay Trail—a planned 500-mile regional trail encircling the entire San Francisco Bay. The Blue Greenway will provide an improved pathway extending from SBC Park to the southern border of the City that will connect existing parks, green spaces and water access points, and promote the creation of additional open spaces in the area. The route will run along the waterfront to the greatest extent possible, intersecting with landing points of the developing San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail—a planned regional network of landing and launch sites for human powered boats on the San Francisco Bay.

The Blue Greenway will serve as an educational tool, offering information in the form of a published user guide and trail signs on the area’s maritime and industrial history, the Bay environment, and the people who influenced and shaped its development and conservation. A public Art Trail will complement the greenway and will consist of rotating temporary art pieces that engage the community while supporting a broad constituency. We expect this trail to be very popular among San Francisco residents and tourists alike, particularly for residents in the southeast corridor of the City.

Project Objectives
San Francisco is currently developing a temporary public art program as a means to encourage community enhancement and to provide a more flexible, fast-paced schedule for public art projects from concept to execution. Recent experiments with temporary public art include David Best’s art sculpture project at the Hayes Green, and Michael Christian’s “Flock” sculpture at Civic Center Plaza. The proposed Blue Greenway Art Trail will continue this idea on a larger scale, and in a dramatic new setting. This initial Call for Submissions will be a pilot program for an anticipated larger Art Trail consisting of 8-10 permanently rotating temporary art sites and a comprehensive signage system.

The first phase will coincide with the official launch of the Blue Greenway initiative enhancements, scheduled for June 24, 2006. Art projects should serve as magnets that draw people to the developing Blue Greenway in order to explore and appreciate the southern waterfront. Projects should be appropriate in scale and character to the southern waterfront surroundings. While not required, methods of interacting with the public as part of a project are strongly encouraged. Artistic treatments might range from sculptural installations to landscape art, to the creation of an environment where other events or performances may occur. For a description of specific sites, please download complete Program Details

Sponsors