REPORT TO ARTS COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Review and Selection of the Murphy Park Public Art Project
Report
BACKGROUND
In 2013-14, the Murphy Park building was renovated, including improvements to the restrooms, flooring, rooftop HVAC units, kitchen facilities, window coverings, storage spaces and the addition of a preschool space. The $1.3 million project was subject to the Art in Public Places (AIPP) requirement, and $13,000 was allocated in the project budget for a public art component.
A Project Review Committee was established to coordinate the public art component and identify possible types of art and locations for the art. The seven-member Project Review Committee consisted of representatives from the Department of Library and Community Services, the Department of Public Works and a representative from one of the park's user groups, the Sunnyvale Lawn Bowls Club.
Based on the available art budget, current park uses and public visibility of the possible locations, the committee determined that the artwork would be a 2- or 3-dimensional wall piece, such as a mural or wall sculpture, located on one or all of the large walls facing Sunnyvale Avenue, on the western side of the park building (Attachment 1 - Site Plan with Art Locations).
After identifying the best location for the artwork, artistic qualifications were solicited from Northern California artists through a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process. Eighteen artists applied for the commission and the Project Review Committee reviewed the artistic style, originality and professional experience for each of the eighteen artists. The committee selected a short-list of four artists and invited them to develop a design proposal specific to the park and its "Early California" theme.
This report contains the details for three of the four final design proposals. The fourth proposal was disqualified from the competition after it was discovered that the artist did not meet the eligib...
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