CSUCI Request for Qualifications: Public Art Project at Gateway Hall

Office of the President and Provost Office

Request for Qualifications - California Artists or Artist Teams 

Consideration for a new work of public art for CSUCI's Gateway Hall

California State University Channel Islands

Placing students at the center of the educational experience, California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI)provides undergraduate and graduate education that facilitates learning within and across disciplines through integrative approaches, emphasizes experiential and service learning, and graduates students with multicultural and international perspectives.  Nestled against the Santa Monica Mountains and the Oxnard plain in Southern California, CSUCI is a Hispanic Serving Institution and was awarded the Seal of Excelencia in 2019.  Channel Islands is the only four-year public institution of higher education in Ventura County and 60% of CSUCI students are first generation college students.

Ventura County, CA

Ventura County is one of 58 counties in the State of California. It has a beautiful, temperate climate and its landmass rises from sea level to 8,831 feet at Mt. Pinos in the Los Padres National Forest. At certain times of the year, it is possible to stand on the beach and see snow in the mountains. The county’s coastline stretches a stunning 42 miles and the peaks of the Los Padres National Forest account for 46 percent of the landmass in the northern portion of the county.

Fertile valleys in the southern half of the county make Ventura County a leading agricultural producer. Together, farming and the Los Padres National Forest occupy half of the county’s 1.2 million acres. The mild Mediterranean climate, along with scenic geography, makes the area attractive to the more than 900,000 culturally and ethnically diverse people who call Ventura County home.

The unincorporated areas – along with the ten incorporated cities of Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, and San Buenaventura (Ventura) – rank Ventura as the 11th most populous county in the State. Ventura County has a strong economic base that includes major industries such as biotechnology, health care, education, agriculture, advanced technologies, and tourism.¹

1. Cited Source - Ventura County Org

Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the Gateway Hall Building Public Art Project

The Trustees of the California State University at Channel Islands (CSUCI or University), located in Ventura County, California seeks a qualified California-based artist or artist team through the request for qualification and adjoining request for proposal process to create a permanent work of tiled, cement, or stone-based materials that will physically be a part of the Gateway Hall Building (Gateway Hall), a vital and important new addition to the campus. 

 The University requests a detailed and thorough Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) from artists or artist teams that will be reviewed and scored by the University Artwork Evaluation Committee. 

The SOQ scoring will determine a shortlist of 3-4 firms who will then be sent a Request for Proposal document which will allow them to submit proposals for this project.  The highest evaluated proposer of the RFP process shall be selected to produce a work of public art for Gateway Hall.

The selected artist or artist team for this project will work collaboratively with the campus community to design, create, and install a work of permanent public art for the Gateway Hall portico area of the building. 

Gateway Hall Building Information

Located at the University’s main campus (1 University Dr. Camarillo, CA 93012), the Gateway Hall Building will provide CSU Channel Islands with a new 'front door' that is a beautiful and welcoming space for the campus and surrounding community. The building is a three-story structure at the terminus of University Drive at Santa Barbara Avenue, designed to complement the CSUCI’s traditional Spanish-style architecture with recessed openings and articulated entries.

Gateway Hall provides a clearly visible and identifiable entry with large arched openings into the exterior lobby of the Welcome Center. The Portico or “front porch” portion of this building is a two-story covered entrance way and the initial point of contact for prospective students and guests on campus.  This new main entrance to our campus is an inviting pre-function and meeting space and will be the site of this new work of public art.

There are multiple potential locations for installing this art in the Portico, including walls, arch interiors, ceiling, and floor. Selected finalist artists and/or artist teams will be invited to campus to tour the building (under construction) to understand potential locations and opportunities.

The program for the new Gateway Hall provides approximately 80,000 square feet of renovated existing space and new construction. The project will house Student Services, University Instructional Space, Departmental Labs, Academic Workplace, Gathering Spaces and Extended University. The lab portion of the project includes Mathematics, Computer Science and Mechatronics. These spaces will provide innovative environments for learning, interaction and collaboration.

Statement from the Committee & Overall Project Guidelines

The University Artwork Committee (UARC) is seeking California-based artists and artists teams that will create a work of art that enlightens, inspires, and welcomes all who enter the new Gateway of our campus.  The artwork will be situated in Gateway Hall, conceptualized as the new front door to campus and a key signpost for wayfinding throughout campus – both as a guide to navigating the physical campus as well as a directional aid for understanding our institutional commitments and core values.

Located strategically at the entrance to campus, the artwork will serve as an introduction to campus for prospective students and members of the community, as well as a reminder to current students, faculty, and staff of our unique campus. The artwork should express our core mission of serving the region, especially Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, expressed by our intentional “regional outside inside” framework. As a campus, Channel Islands has a vision for being a catalyst that promotes regional wellness and well-being, a concept we call One Health, where health is multivalent and includes the environment, community, and economy. In particular, Channel Islands strives to promote an all-encompassing vision for wellness in the region that includes equity and justice, physical and mental health, environmental and climate stewardship, thriving communities and organizations, educational opportunity for all citizens, and economic security and mobility. The campus aspires to be a transformational academic force whose diverse graduates provide leadership for human, economic, and environmental well-being in the central coast and beyond. Please see the Discover CSU Channel Islands video for an overview of this vision combined with our unique sense of place.

 The UARC will work within the campus Policy on Artwork, Antiquities and Artifacts as well as the CSU Policy on Art Collection Management.

General definition/vision of a work of public art on the CSUCI campus:

Public art* is artwork of any media that has been planned and executed with the intention of being placed in the physical public domain of CSUCI, in spaces usually accessible to all. Art enhances the quality of life for all and should be part of the daily life of the students, faculty, staff, and community visitors. Exterior and interior public art should expand the academic mission of the University by contributing art works of distinction that are aesthetically interesting and/or thought provoking, accompanied by an interpretive program that makes the works accessible to people of all interest levels. All exterior and interior public art placed on campus should respect and retain the diverse beliefs and values of the University community.

*Please note that public works of art on the CSUCI campus may not contain culturally offensive imagery, political partisanship, advertising, marked religious art, sexual, violent or related content, overtly negative imagery, drug use, or any prohibited CSU activities.

Gateway Hall Public Art Project Description

The timing of this project would allow the selected artist(s) to work with the building architects and construction team to integrate their work into the building as the structure is realized on campus.  The proposed work of art may exist in any aspect of the Portico area of Gateway Hall (schematic drawings can be found at the end of this document).  This includes the “art wall” designated in the diagrams at the end of this document, the interior spaces of the Portico arches, and the final work may even flow out into the Portico floor and include other surfaces. 

The dimensions of these spaces are as follows:

• • “Art Wall”: 14’4” w x 11’0”h
  • Portico Arches:
    • North: 25’4” wide x 27’2” high at peak
    • East: 21’6” wide x 25’5” high at peak
  • Portico floor: 40’ x 35’

The UARC looks forward to reviewing innovative and dynamic portfolios through a statement of qualifications submission process from artists and artist teams that demonstrate how they are qualified to develop works of public art along with campus and local communities to engage vital public spaces and those that inhabit it in captivating ways. Selected finalists will be invited to the campus to tour the installation site and to meet with campus leadership and to understand our unique Channel Islands vision for impacting Ventura County and beyond.

Project Timeline

It is estimated that the final artist or artist team will be awarded this project in early 2025 and the project completed in early 2026.

Project Budget

$150,000 – $200,000 is available for all related expenses of this commission, including (but not limited to) artist fees, artwork fabrication, support structures, insurance, shipping, travel, lighting, installation, documentation, etc.

Eligibility Requirements

The respondent shall be a professional artist and/or artist team living and working in the State of California; artists who belong to a historically underrepresented population are strongly encouraged to apply. Artist or artist teams who do not reside in California will not be considered.

Respondents must have a U.S. Tax ID Number (SSN, EIN, ITIN, or other).

Respondent shall have a previous history of successfully completing public works, a proven dedication to their creative practices, and the ability to work within a fixed budget timeline and crew.

Respondents must meet all provided CSU insurance requirements and limits throughout the entire contracting period.  Vendors who cannot furnish appropriate certificate of insurance documentation will not be considered.

By submitting a Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) Respondents are accepting and acknowledging that the contract will be governed by the CSU General Provisions for Service Acquisitions.  There shall be no negotiations on this matter during the contracting period.

Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) Submission Instructions

Interested artists and artist teams are requested to submit the following materials through the Planet Bids E-bidding platform (see below section for details) for consideration (with all materials in one .pdf document): 

• Resident of California: The artist or artist team shall demonstrate current residency and business operations in the State of California.

• Artist(s) curriculum vitae (CV): The artist or artist team shall submit a detailed and comprehensive CV as part of their SOQ.

• An Overall Artist Statement explaining past works of public art and how past this work demonstrates the ability to envision a strong proposal for this project, including:
  • An explanation of your interest in this project and how your past work might relate to the project;
  • a detailed description of the content, the intended audience, and the expected interpretation of your past public works;
  • a description of how past projects expanded and increased awareness of and sensitivity to the environment these works created;
  • a description of how the past works enriched the public’s cultural environment and celebrate and uphold human creativity, of our region and its history;
  • a description of how your past work enhanced the educational experience of the public;
  • an explanation of the artist's or team's specific skills and professional and personal experience in public art that was brought to past projects which have been proved successful;
  • detailed description on how this artist or team worked with public officials to install past works, including specific details how they approached and executed the technical aspects of past projects.

• Portfolio of 10-15 images in .pdf format of examples of completed public and/or creative works by the artist or artist team, artist's CV, bio, and list of 3 references (in .pdf format)
• Renderings and/or drawings or plans of past works both in process, including explanations of how any safety concerns and any building codes that were addressed either during installation or for the completion of the installation of the work if appropriate
• Detailed Timelines that were followed for past projects including any permits or inspections needed
• Detailed Budgets for past projects (materials & supplies, artist commission, etc.)
• The contact information (names, email addresses, and phone numbers) of three Professional References of individuals that have been witness to or collaborators on past projects and that can testify to your ability to design, create, and realize works of public art.
• Detailed Timelines that were followed for past projects including any permits or inspections needed
• Detailed Budgets for past projects (materials & supplies, artist commission, etc.)
• The contact information (names, email addresses, and phone numbers) of three Professional References of individuals that have been witness to or collaborators on past projects and that can testify to your ability to design, create, and realize works of public art.

Planet Bids E-Bidding Platform Instructions

All SOQs must be submitted electronically via email in Adobe PDF format and uploaded to the Planet Bids E-Bidding Platform, via the response file tab or the general attachments tab, by the deadline listed above.  Any late SOQs will be rejected.  SOQs submitted outside of Planet Bids shall be rejected.

Planet Bids New Vendor Registration form.

Questions & Answers

All questions should be submitted through Planet Bids via the Question & Answer section. 

Deadline for submitting questions for a guaranteed response is 4 PM PST Thursday, September 19, 2024. Applicants are also welcome to attend the Project Informational and Q&A session outlined in the schedule below.

Statement of Qualification Scoring

Gateway Hall RFQ Scoring Rubric

SOQ Point Scoring Criteria: 

Respondents will be evaluated on the qualifications previously listed and the following evaluation criteria above. The section of 3-4 finalists shall be based on this scoring system with points being awarded by selected evaluation members. 

SOQs from artists that reside outside of California will not be accepted. 

SOQ Submission Deadline: 

⇒ October 1st, 2024 by 2pm PST. Late submissions will be rejected. 

Selection Process and Schedule

The UARC will review all properly submitted materials from which a short list of 3-4 finalists will be selected. The short list finalists will be invited to campus for a site visit the week of October 15th, 2024, and will be asked to develop and then present a full proposal, via the RFP process, to the Committee in November 2024 (final date TBD) which will include final concept drawings, overall budget, and timeline. 

All finalists will be awarded an honorarium to help defray the costs of the proposal's development. The honorarium will be applied toward the commission amount for the artist(s) awarded the commission(s). The UARC reserves the right to withhold the award of a commission or re-release the call for if no suitable proposals are realized. 

RFQ Schedule: 

Project Images & Drawings

Gateway Hall North Elevation:

Covered Portico Art Wall Space: