Call for Artists

Pre-existing

Video Artworks

for the Oakland

International Airport

Media Wall

Installation Date: June 2010

Eligibility: Professional artists
living or working in the
San Francisco Bay Area
Application Deadline:
Friday, May 21, 2010 5:00PM PST
(receipt deadline, not postmark deadline)

The Port of Oakland Aviation Division (Port) has partnered with the Oakland Museum
of California (OMCA) to curate a selection of video artworks for the Media Wall in
the Southwest Baggage Claim at Oakland International Airport. This is an exciting
opportunity for Bay Area-based video artists to submit pre-existing works that will
engage millions of viewers each year in a dynamic environment on an array of
eighteen 53” rear projection cubes, measuring approximately 20’ wide by 8’ high.
Please consult the following pages for the project specifications in detail.

This project is managed by the Oakland Museum of California Professional Services Division
 Project Scope
The Port of Oakland Aviation Division, through the Oakland Museum of California, is seeking video artworks
from multiple artists, either individuals or groups, for exhibition on the Airport Media Wall located in the
Southwest Baggage Claim Area. This is a busy public space where the video artworks will be viewed on a grand
scale by hugely diverse audiences.

The Port is interested in creating a positive experience for people who are waiting in the baggage claim area.
The video artworks should be engaging and have a strong visual presence even if the viewer is not watching the
monitors closely.

The ideal candidates are artists who have experience working with multiple screen projections and are capable
of creating an impressive moving visual environment, and whose works meet the required specifications. We
encourage artists at various stages in their careers to apply.

Specifications
• Works must be time-based and may originate on a wide variety of media including film, video and digital
animation. While works may vary in length, shorter works are desirable. Minimum length is 3 minutes,
maximum length is no more than 20 minutes. Final presentation of the selected works will be in MPEG
format and transferred onto DVD.

• Artwork must be a closed system and will be screened without sound, due to the absence of audio
output on the Media Wall. The Port is open to artwork that is abstract, representational, narrative, and/
or augmented reality.

• Excluded are internet-based projects such as web sites and collaborative networks; works utilizing
wireless technology or wearable computing devices; hardware design; architectural and urban design
projects; performative projects; computer games; and sound pieces.

Artworks chosen for exhibition on the Media Wall will be programmed for presentation by media professionals
in consultation with OMCA staff. This includes: establishing the overall duration of each program; the order in
which the works will be shown; and the frequency each work will be exhibited.

Media Wall System

Please refer to the attached Media Wall Content Specifications for more detailed information.

Selected works will be shown on a Media Wall consisting of eighteen 53” CRT rear projection cubes, arranged 3
high by 6 across, which create a total array that is roughly 20’ wide by 8’ high.

The video processors for the Media Wall allow artists to create works that are either diptychs of two side by
side synchronized images consisting of 9 cubes each (3 high x 3 wide), or one large image, encompassing the
entire 18-cube display area.

Artwork Site
Please refer to the attached photographs and elevations of the site for more information.

The Southwest baggage claim, located at the east end of the terminal, will be occupied by 100 – 300 people at
any given time during the day. The average wait for luggage is 15-20 minutes.

Arriving passengers will enter the baggage claim area from the concourses behind security and depart through
the baggage claim lobby to the street level. There are three luggage carousels approximately 25 feet apart, each
with flight displays and an advertising board. The Media Wall is on the east wall of the baggage claim building
and is 11 feet from the nearest baggage carousel.

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 Artist Eligibility
All video artists who live or maintain a studio in the San Francisco Bay Area are eligible to submit works.
Artists may apply individually or as part of a collaborative team.

Artist Selection Process

• A Curatorial Committee, consisting of arts professionals with expertise in media arts, will assist
museum staff in screening submissions received by the deadline date of May 21, 2010.

• The Curatorial Committee will select and recommend video artworks for exhibition based on the
following criteria: (a) artistic excellence, innovation and originality as evidenced by submissions; (b)
fulfillment of the project criteria as listed under Project Scope, above.

• Recommendations by the Curatorial Committee for selected works will be reviewed by Oakland
International Airport’s Exhibition Selection Committee, and by any other advisory panel or committee
designated by the Port for such purposes.

• Approved artists whose work is selected for exhibition will enter into a contract with the Oakland
Museum of California for permission to display selected work.

Calendar Schedule is subject to change.

Call for Artists available for distribution April 30, 2010

Deadline for Submittals May 21, 2010
Curatorial Committee review of submittals / artist selection May 26, 2010
Port of Oakland approval process June 4, 2010
Contracts with approved artists June 15, 2010
Installation of artworks June 30, 2010

Submittal Deadline
All submissions to this Call for Entries are due Friday, May 21, 2010 by 5:00pm PST. THIS IS A RECEIPT
DEADLINE, NOT A POSTMARK DEADLINE. Incomplete or late submittals will not be considered.

Submissions may be mailed to the address below, or hand-delivered after May 3, 2010 to the Security Window
on the second level of the Oakland Museum of California. Deliveries made directly to the Professional Services
office will not be accepted.

Call for Artists: Media Wall Artworks

Oakland Museum of California
Professional Services Division
1000 Oak Street
Oakland, CA 94607

How to Apply
Submitting work in response to this Call for Artists constitutes agreement on the part of the artist that the Port
of Oakland will have the right to publicly show any selected work for up to one year at Oakland International
Airport. All rights to any given work remain with the artist.

Please submit a CD with following required materials in PDF format ONLY, except where noted. We are
not accepting print copies of any materials. Do not submit original or irreplaceable materials under any
circumstances.

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Submission materials will not be returned.

1. A completed Call for Artists Submittal Form.

2. A letter of interest specifically directed toward the requirements of this project, not to exceed one (1) page.

3. A professional resume, not to exceed five (5) pages in length.

4. A synopsis describing the artwork submitted for review, not to exceed two (2) pages in length.

5. Individual applicants, or group applicants, may submit THREE (3) video artworks for consideration, with the
following specifications:

a. Artworks should be not less than 3 minutes nor longer than 20 minutes in duration.
b. Pre-existing works from any time period may be submitted.
c. For collaborative works, one artist must represent the group and will remain the individual with whom
OMCA communicates.
d. All works must be submitted by the artist principally responsible for them.
e. All works submitted to this Call for Artists must be in DVD-Video (NTSC) or standard MPEG files on a
DVD or Macintosh CD-ROM. No other formats will be accepted or considered, including tapes, FTP or
website links.

6. OPTIONAL: Up to three (3) relevant critical reviews may be submitted but are not required. These must be
submitted as PDFs and included on the CD.

DO NOT SUBMIT any materials not requested as part of this application, e.g. proposals, photographs, drawings,
catalogs or other publications. If submitted, these materials will not be reviewed and will not be returned to the
artist.

For More Information

If you have questions, please contact:

Cherie Newell, Project Director

Carin Adams, Associate Curator
Allyson Hollingsworth, Administrative Assistant
(510) 238-6836
ps@museumca.org
www.museumca.org

List of attachments:
Submittal form
Elevations
Site photos

• The Port of Oakland, through the Oakland Museum of California, reserves the right to reject all Call for Artists submittals.
• The information contained in this Call for Artists is subject to change and does not constitute either an expressed or implied
contract.
• Neither the Port of Oakland, nor Oakland International Airport, nor OMCA assumes any liability for work submitted.

Cover photograph by Michael Temperio. Artwork by ©AUSE COLLECTIVE.

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C A L L F O R E N T R I E S S U B M I T TA L F O R M Deadline for Call for Entries Materials
Media Wall, Oakland International Airport 5 p.m. Friday, May 21, 2010
Terminal 2 Baggage Claim Receipt deadline not postmark

Artist’s Name Date

Address

City/State Zip

E-mail Address Telephone

Fax Telephone #2

To ensure that your application is complete, please check off the following items as
enclosed. For detailed information, please refer to “How to Apply” in the Call for Entries.
Incomplete or ____ Completed Call for Entries Submittal Form (PDF)
late submittals ____ Letter of interest (PDF)
____ Professional resume (PDF)
will NOT be
____ Typed synopsis of work samples (PDF)
considered. .. ____ DVD (NTSC) or Macintosh CD-ROM with artwork
____ Up to five relevant critical reviews (optional) (PDF)

Please tell us how you heard about this project:

____ Newspaper ____ Friend ____ E-mail ____ US Mail
____ OMCA Web Site ____ Other Web Site
____ Other (please describe) ______________________________________________________________________

Voluntary information for statistical purposes only:

Gender: ____ Male ____ Female
Ethnicity: ____ African American ____ American Indian ____ Asian/Pacific Islander
____ Caucasian ____ Latino/Chicano ____ Other

Please initial:
______ All materials submitted as part of this Call for Entries are, to the best of my knowledge, accurate and complete.
Interior of Southwest baggage claim, looking southeast.
Interior of Southwest baggage claim, looking east.

Photograph by Michael Temperio. Artwork by ©AUSE COLLECTIVE.