temporary land art rfq

NatureCulture is a rotating exhibition series that invites artists to create site-responsive installations in parks across the City of Napa. Named for the term coined by Donna Haraway, these exhibitions investigate the interplay between ecology and art and promote new ways of seeing and being with both.

NatureCulture: Art in the Open is the inaugural edition and responds to the riverside ecology of the Oxbow Preserve. Installations may take the form of sculpture or what has historically been called land-art or environmental art. Artworks may be designed to change over time but should be created to exist outside for 2 years with minimal maintenance. Selected artists will receive $1000 honoraria, to be shared if applying as a group, and a production budget of $2,000 (Tier 1), $3,000 (Tier 2), or $5,000 (Tier 3). This opportunity is open to artists and artist teams living in one of the nine Bay Area counties.

Artist Responsibilities

Artists will be responsible for delivering and installing the selected artwork to the site by Spring 2027 and deinstalling by Spring 2029, by appointment, to be coordinated with the City of Napa. Although the artist will be the primary installer and will direct the installation, the City of Napa will provide staff for installation assistance and equipment (if needed) in accordance with the artist’s Art Installation Plan. Artists must provide any and all hardware that is required for the installation, including bolts, brackets, hammer drills, cleaning brushes, etc. Artists will be responsible to pick up their artwork within 30 days of the exhibition’s closing date, to be coordinated with the City. Although the artist is the primary de-installer during de-installation, the City of Napa will provide staff assistance and equipment to de-install artworks if required.

Selected artists must enter into an agreement with the City of Napa. Artists are encouraged to carry insurance to cover potential damage to their artwork.  

Artworks must be structurally safe for the general public, including children. Artworks must be extremely durable in outdoor conditions and low maintenance for the period of the exhibition. Beyond regularly scheduled maintenance by the artist, the City may contact the artist to inform him or her that the artwork is in need of maintenance. In that case, the artist -- or his or her designated representative -- must tend to the artwork within two weeks of receiving notice. If the artist does not respond to the City’s request within the specified time frame, the City may take actions as appropriate and necessary to clean, repair or remove the artwork in order to prevent damage from occurring. If damage to an artwork causes a public safety concern or is a continuing attractive public nuisance that results in undue maintenance calls, the City reserves the right to remove the artwork. The artist will be notified in advance if this type of action becomes necessary.