Shaping Legacy Temporary Public Art Projects

The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for its Shaping Legacy Temporary Public Art Projects initiative. This opportunity is funded by a grant from the Mellon Foundation and represents the final phase of a three-year effort to critically examine the City’s Civic Art Collection, particularly its monuments and memorials. The purpose of this grant is to support up to five temporary public art projects that reimagine San Francisco's public monuments and provide more inclusive, community-focused narratives in public space. Artists and artist teams residing anywhere in the United States are invited to submit proposals that may include sculpture, performance, multimedia art, or educational programming. The initiative emphasizes sustainable practices and encourages applicants to be environmentally conscious in the creation and installation of their work. Project sites must be publicly accessible and may include venues such as Civic Center, community gardens, parks, plazas, waterfront areas, or spaces with cultural significance. Each selected project is expected to be sited in a distinct area of the city and active from April to October 2026. The available artist contract for each selected proposal is $180,000, which must cover all associated costs, including permits, insurance, design, engineering, fabrication, installation, documentation, deinstallation, and maintenance during the exhibition period. The SFAC emphasizes collaboration with local communities and seeks projects that reflect community-centered narratives and histories. Artists should demonstrate a meaningful connection to the San Francisco Bay Area and/or experience collaborating with communities in past work. The selected proposals will be those that align with SFAC’s goals of reimagining monuments as inclusive, participatory, and reflective of diverse histories. Applicants must submit a letter of interest, resume (individual or combined for teams), up to ten images of previous work, image descriptions, and a brief written proposal outlining the temporary public art concept. All submissions must be made through the online SlideRoom portal by June 30, 2025 at 4:59 p.m. PT. No other methods of submission will be accepted. A virtual application workshop will be held on June 6, 2025, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. PT to assist potential applicants. The selection process involves a two-tier panel review, beginning with an eligibility screen and a qualifications panel, followed by a review panel with interviews. Final selections will be reviewed and approved by both the Visual Arts Committee and the full Arts Commission. Selected artists will be contracted by October 2025, and their projects are anticipated to be completed by October 2026. Public panel meetings are open and posted at least 72 hours in advance on the SFAC website. Contact for questions regarding the application is available until 12:00 p.m. PT on the deadline date via email at monumentsandmemorials@sfgov.org. Technical support for SlideRoom is available Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT at support@slideroom.com. The program welcomes projects that are not necessarily tied to existing monuments and allows preparatory work prior to the official project timeline, provided the public activation falls within the specified 2026 window.

Attend virtual workshop June 6. Emphasize community connection and use SlideRoom to apply.