The city of Berkeley is seeking artists to design two large public art installations that double as wildlife habitat in a new West Berkeley park and is launching a regional search for creators across Northern California.
The city is accepting qualifications through Jan. 12 for a $150,000 public art contract tied to a park being planned along the former Santa Fe railroad track bed. The project calls for two permanent sculptures, each at least 10 feet tall, that provide nesting space for birds and shelter for non-stinging insects while also serving as visually striking additions to the new green space.
The installations will be placed at opposite ends of two future park sites: Community Garden Park, between Blake and Parker streets, and Urban Farm and Education Park, between Derby and Ward streets. The pieces must be durable enough for long-term outdoor exposure and must include both a bird habitat box and an insect habitat box placed at least 4 feet above the ground.
Artists or artist teams must live within the 21-county Northern California region, which stretches from Sonoma, Yolo and Sutter counties in the north to Monterey and San Benito counties in the south and east to the Nevada border. Applicants must demonstrate experience creating and installing public art and must submit a portfolio of five to 10 completed works.
The city is “strongly encouraging” submissions from artists in historically underrepresented communities, including African, Latinx, Asian, Arab and Native American populations.
The $150,000 award will cover the full cost of the project, including design, environmental research, engineering, fabrication, transportation and installation, city officials said.
A selection panel will review qualifications after the deadline and choose up to three finalists, each of whom will receive a $1,500 honorarium to develop a site-specific proposal. Those finalist designs will be posted online for public feedback before a review panel recommends one artist or team to the Civic Arts Commission, which will make the final decision.
The artwork will become part of the Santa Fe Trackbed to Park Conversion, a four-block project that will transform a former rail corridor into a linear neighborhood park. Funded by a $5 million Proposition 68 Statewide Parks Program grant, the project includes a community garden, dog park, exercise stations, a playground with a tot cycle track, and an outdoor classroom with a teaching garden and orchard.
The park is expected to open in summer 2027.
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