ITALIANATE GARDEN SEATING ELEMENT DESIGN COMPETITION

Lucas Artists Residency Program, Montalvo Arts Center

SALLY & DON LUCAS ARTI STS RESI DENCY PROGRAM
15400 Montalvo Road Saratoga, California 95070

REQUEST-FOR-PROPOSALS

The Sally and Don Lucas Artists Residency Program [LAP] seeks proposals for a
permanent seating installation located in Montalvo Arts Centers Italianate Garden.

Reflecting Montalvos ongoing support for forward-thinking innovative design, the
project will respond to Montalvos unique Mediterranean-inspired historic grounds, as
well as its role in fostering contemporary art practice.

Montalvo Arts Center was built in 1912 by James Duval Phelan, three-term mayor of San
Francisco and California's first popularly elected senator. Montalvo is one of Silicon
Valley's most important cultural assets and among the nation's greatest architectural
treasures. Senator Phelan spoke of Santa Clara County as "a cradle of future American
arts." Upon his death in 1930, he left the estate to the people of California for the
development of art, literature, music, and architecture. Today, Montalvo is a vibrant,
multidisciplinary arts center featuring a ten-acre artist residency complex, two theaters, a
gallery, a historic Villa and outbuildings, and a 175-acre park with hiking trails and
formal gardens. Each year 200,000 people come to enjoy Montalvos park; view the
works of local, national, and international visual artists; attend a wide range of
performing arts events; and participate in education and outreach programs.

Key to our mission is The Sally and Don Lucas Artists Residency Program [LAP] which
is designed to offer local, national, and international artists from a range of disciplines an
environment conducive to individual and collaborative creative practice. The LAP seeks
to support the development of new and challenging contemporary work as well as the
energetic exchange of ideas across varied artistic fields, scholarly disciplines, and cultural
perspectives. Located in the heart of the Silicon Valley, the LAP is particularly interested
in supporting artists eager to develop their practice through experimentation, questioning
and risk-taking, all essential ingredients for artistic innovation and personal growth. The
LAP is situated on the grounds of the Montalvo Arts Center, and housed in 11
contemporary architect/artist designed, discipline specific studios and a commons
building

In upholding the residencys prominent role at Montalvo, we develop programming in
response to themes explored by the Lucas Artists Residency Program that leverage the
arts as a gateway for shared investigation into the concerns of our times. Through
exhibitions in the Project Space Gallery, site-specific Art on the Grounds commissions,
and a robust collection of related multidisciplinary programs, LAP Fellows respond to the
given thematic with works that are conceived, developed, and/or completed while in
residence. Many are participatory and include educational elements, interactive activities,
and public workshops that make visible the creative process.








ITALIANATE GARDEN SEATING ELEMENT DESIGN COMPETITION
Lucas Artists Residency Program, Montalvo Arts Center
SALLY & DON LUCAS ARTI STS RESI DENCY PROGRAM
15400 Montalvo Road Saratoga, California 95070

PROJECT DETAILS
Montalvo seeks proposals for an innovative seating element that will provide an end-
cap to the Historic Italianate Garden. This seating element will act as a place from which
to view the garden, a resting spot for visitors, and at time a gathering area for small
groups. The seating element will be situated in the lower portion of the Italianate Garden,
at the end of the Phelan Cactus Garden, just beyond David Middlebrooks sculpture
Broken Wing, (2004).

The selected seating installation will replace the existing concrete benches that are
currently in this area. The proposed project should accommodate seating for at least 12
people. The seating element will be installed permanently.

The successful proposal will respond thoughtfully both to the historic and contemporary
histories of the Montalvo Art Center and will represent Montalvos ongoing support for
forward-thinking and innovative design.

The project budget is $13,000 (all inclusive).

SITE CONSIDERATIONS
The Italianate Garden sits on a hill raised above two access roads. It is delineated by a
fence that encircles the Garden. The project site is located at the base of the garden and is
accessible via a gravel footpath. The site is not graded or landscaped. The project may
necessitate building on site. The site is approximately 20 feet wide and 25 feet long.







ITALIANATE GARDEN SEATING ELEMENT DESIGN COMPETITION
Lucas Artists Residency Program, Montalvo Arts Center
SALLY & DON LUCAS ARTI STS RESI DENCY PROGRAM
15400 Montalvo Road Saratoga, California 95070

RFP ANNOUNCEMENT 20 May, 2014
SUBMISSION DEADLINE 22 July, 2014
ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNER 20 August, 2014
PROJECT DVELOPMENT AND FABRICATION September, 2014 to March, 2015
SITE INSTALLATION March, 2015

REGISTRATION
Once the Request For Proposals has been announced, Designers and Artists have until
July 24
st
, to submit proposals. Proposals will be submitted through SlideRoom at a
submission cost of $30 per application. To submit, please visit:
https://montalvoarts.slideroom.com/ - /permalink/program/20869.

DESIGN & JUDGING CRITERIA
The successful project will creatively activate a currently under-utilized area of the
Italianate Garden at Montalvo Art Center. We are looking for proposals that are visually
interesting and innovative, and successfully combine forward-thinking design with
functionality. The proposal should respond thoughtfully to the historic and contemporary
histories of the Montalvo Art Center. It should also be feasible given available resources.

The designer/artist should be based in the San Francisco Bay Area, or willing to spend
time in the Sally and Don Lucas Artists Residency during the installation of the work.
Ideally he or she will be able to demonstrate their ability to successfully work at this
scale.

A successful proposal will detail the designer/artists vision for the site and make clear
how the seating installations relates to the existing landscape and architectural elements
of the Montalvo Arts Center.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
LETTER OF INTENT: Describes project vision. We are interested in your creative
process and how your artistic vision will engage the particular site and the larger garden
space. (One page maximum)

PROJECT PROPOSAL Project details will include core concept as well as production
timeline, and specifications on scale, materials, fabrication, and installation. (One page
maximum)

WORK SAMPLE Cite relevant and/or recent experience. Please include a work sample
checklist with Title, Dimensions, Materials, and Year; all samples must be sufficiently
labeled.

CURRICULUM VITAE

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION



ITALIANATE GARDEN SEATING ELEMENT DESIGN COMPETITION
Lucas Artists Residency Program, Montalvo Arts Center
SALLY & DON LUCAS ARTI STS RESI DENCY PROGRAM
15400 Montalvo Road Saratoga, California 95070

SUBMISSION PROCESS
Proposals will be submitted through the Montalvo Arts Center portal of Slideroom
[www.montalvoarts.slideroom.com]. Hardcopies will not be accepted.


JURY
The project jury will consist of three friends of the Lucas Artist Residency Program:

Paul Belotti
Paul Belotti is an interior designer and architect based in Saratoga, California.
He received his MArch from the University of Washington and BArch from the
University of California, Berkeley.
For 25 years Paul has designed homes within the greater San Francisco Bay Area that are
in keeping with the latest trends in aesthetics and prized by clientele for the design's
effortlessness. He approaches each project individually with an eye for detail and an
appreciation for the interaction between his clients and their use of space. Both palette
and materials define work that is simultaneously functional and marked in form.
Paul represents Montalvo Art Centers Buildings & Grounds Committee, on which he has
sat for the previous three years.

David Middlebrook
David Middlebrook is an artist who traces his roots to ceramics and who has evolved to
become a professional sculptor specializing in site-specific work, public and private
commissions, and smaller sculptural elements. He accepted a teaching position at San
Jose State University in 1974, relocated to California, and has maintained a studio in the
hills of Los Gatos ever since. Over the last 20 years, David Middlebrook as evolved as an
artist and has become a master of materials. His work today involves a broad range of
stone marble and bronze and dimensions from 50 lbs. to 50 tons. He has established
himself as a specialist in large-scale site-specific work. These projects have fostered
collaborations with architects, design professionals, developers and contractors. He has
completed approximately 50 public and private works of this nature, many of which were
nationally-awarded competition commissions.

David Hisaya Asari
David Hisaya Asari design experience ranges from information graphics, exhibition
design, environmental design, and wayfinding systems to identity, branding, corporate
communications, editorial design, annual reports, books, catalogs, and packaging. David
has worked with a range of clients, including Design Within Reach, AICAD, San
Francisco Free Clinic, University of Southern California, the Museum of Glass,
University of Michigan Business School, Ansel Adams Center for Photography,
McGeorge School of Law, and the San Jos Institute of Contemporary Art. His projects
have been recognized in major design competitions and publications, including New
York Art Directors Club, AIGA, Critique, Western Art Directors Club, One Club, and
Graphis. David is on the board of AIGA San Francisco. In his role as a director, he serves
as president, and diversity intiative chair.



ITALIANATE GARDEN SEATING ELEMENT DESIGN COMPETITION
Lucas Artists Residency Program, Montalvo Arts Center
SALLY & DON LUCAS ARTI STS RESI DENCY PROGRAM
15400 Montalvo Road Saratoga, California 95070
AWARDS
The winning proposal will receive a $2,000 award from the LAP.


CONTACT
Kelly Sicat
Director of Lucas Artist Residency Program
1.408.961.5812
ksicat@montalvoarts.org