CALL TO ARTISTS
Request for Qualifications

To develop a concept for a 3-dimensional trail marker symbolizing the rich history, culture and natural resources along the Santa Barbara County coast. The trail was established centuries ago by the Chumash Indians and now incorporates the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, California Missions Trail, and the California Coastal Trail. It is anticipated that marker will be replicated on the trail system as it continues north and south of the County.

Project Budget: $4500

We are requesting qualifications from artists interested in creating a sculptural or 3-dimensional trail marker. Three selected artists will receive a $1500 stipend to develop and present a conceptual prototype for new wayfinding markers.

Please Submit the Following

• Profile: Applicant contact information
• Resume: Current professional resume
• Statement of Interest: 500 words or less explaining why the artist is interested in this opportunity and how their practice relates to this project and selection criteria.
• Work Samples: Submit up to 5 digital images that best illustrate qualifications or vision for this project. Files in JPG format and less than 2MB in size.
• Applicants must list the title, date of completion, medium and dimensions of each work sample. Please provide a brief description (75 words or less) of each work sample.

About This Opportunity

Creating the inspiration and vision for a 3-dimensional common trail marker for the three trails will serve as the first step in the development of a larger wayfinding system. This iconic marker will provide guidance through urban and rural environments, and encourage visiting and exploring the California coast from Carpinteria to Guadalupe, with the potential to expand north and south of the County. Funding generously provided by the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission.

Eligibility

Open to artists and designers specializing in sculpting, environmental graphic design, and/or product design skills.  Preference will be given to Santa Barbara County residents and those with successful designs and installations of temporary or permanent public art pieces.

Schedule

Deadline for entry: June 14, 2019
Notification: Late June 2019
Letter of Agreement/Terms of Conditions: Early July 2019
Optional Kick-off/Orientation: Mid July 2019
Conceptual Design Presentation: Fall 2019

Selection Process

Step One:

A selection panel comprised of trail representatives and with public art experience will select three artists from submitted application materials and award each artist $1500 to develop their concept and/or a prototype for the trail marker. The panel reserves all rights to the selection process.

Artist selection criteria will be based on submitted application materials:

• Ability to design distinctive and functional artistic elements appropriate in concept, material, and scale for outdoor and natural environments, and mindful of cultural and recreational sensitivities
• Demonstration of a history of installations of temporary or permanent public art

Step Two:

Once the artists are selected, an opportunity to meet with Santa Barbara County Trails Council and National Park Service will be provided to discuss trail marker opportunities and potential sites. Concept development for the marker will evolve based on the following design parameters:

• The inclusion of a distinctive reference to the Chumash Indians role creating trails that linked coastal villages centuries ago as the foundational element for the three (historic and modern) trails being recognized.
• Integration of the existing identity logos and/or names of the three trails into a 3-dimensional common trail marker
• Creation of a marker that may identify one, two or three trails depending on its location within the network of trails that typically follow the same footstep but occasionally diverge and link back together at a future point
• Provision for a space for a location code
• Durability, including a mechanism for treating potential issues that arise from the situation in the public right-of-way, including weather and vandalism
• The attraction of the look, feel and experience offered by the marker
• Incorporation of clear orientation and directional clues
• Generation of an engaging and memorable design
• The ability of the marker to fit into the surrounding landscape in an aesthetically yet functional manner

Step Three:

Marker Selection: Selected artists will be asked to present concepts to a group that will include multiple stakeholders, including landowners, trail managers, and the public. These meetings will be facilitated to help market the wayfinding idea, potentially select a preferred design, and garner support for installation. If a preferred marker is selected and funded for fabrication, the production of the marker will be preferably in concert with the artist. Santa Barbara County Trails Council retains the option to contract with other fabricators.

Selected Artists' Deliverables:

Final concept design product formatted into 200dpi pdf that may be printed at 30 x 40 for selection review and public presentations.  Scale model desired but not required.

Artist retains the intellectual properties to the marker design but SBCTC reserves the right to use and/or reproduce the images and/or products for marketing, fundraising, public relations, and other such outreach needs.

Background:

In October of 2017, Santa Barbara County Trails Council initiated a long-term project to develop a comprehensive multi-phase wayfinding plan for the footsteps of history along the California Coast: the trading route of the Chumash Indians, the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, the California Coastal Trail, and the California Missions Trail. Discovering and enjoying these routes is complex due to the distance covered, the interrupted sequencing of the trails, the multiple number of properties crossed, and the number of government agencies with jurisdiction over trail segments. For the layperson, it is hard to discern where these trails are, where they share the same footprint, where they diverge, and where they connect.  One-on-one meetings with Federal, state, county, city and other property owners/managers and a well-attended meeting co-sponsored by Santa Barbara County Supervisor Joan Hartmann and the National Park Service supported the need for a wayfinding system. Thanks to a Community Arts Enrichment grant from the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture, concept development for a wayfinding marker as a foundational component of a Countywide wayfinding system is now possible.

Information resources:

• http://www.californiacoastaltrail.info/cms/pages/main/index.html
• https://www.nps.gov/juba/index.htm
• California Missions https://www.missionscalifornia.com/
• Barbareǹo Band of Chumash Tribe http://www.bbcindians.com/about-us.html
• Link to slideshow http://sbtrails.org/docs/sb/santa-barbara-county-long-distance-trails-1-26-18.pdf
• Marker examples http://sbtrails.org/docs/sb/trail-marker-photo-gallery.pdf
• Map showing trail routes in Santa Barbara County: http://sbtrails.org/docs/sb/sb-long-distance-trails-map-1-25-18.pdf

Application materials will not be returned to artists.

Deadline: June 14, 2019, at 5 pm PST
Submit to coastaltrail@nullsbtrails.org

Download a PDF of the Wayfinding Marker Along the California Coast Request for Designer and Artists Qualifications

UPDATE: The following designs were submitted by the artists awarded this opportunity. A couple of additional designs were submitted by designers on a voluntary basis.

http://sbtrails.org/docs/sb/marker/trail-marker-design-turning-time.pdf
http://sbtrails.org/docs/sb/marker/trail-marker-design-nathan-synder.pdf
http://sbtrails.org/docs/sb/marker/trail-marker-design-colleen-kelly.pdf
http://sbtrails.org/docs/sb/marker/trail-marker-design-a-m-design-1.pdf
http://sbtrails.org/docs/sb/marker/trail-marker-design-a-m-design-2.pdf
http://sbtrails.org/docs/sb/marker/trail-marker-design-a-m-design-3.pdf