ScrapEden SF: Request for Proposals
Composting Contraption $10,000-$15,000
Timeframe:
Proposal Due to BRAF 3/15/10,
Grant Award Announced 4/1/10
Project Completed by 6/1/10
The
Black Rock Arts Foundation (BRAF), in partnership with the
San Francisco Department of the Environment, is seeking artists to develop another public art project for ScrapEdenSF, an ongoing program pairing artists with community groups to create artworks that are designed to inspire and motivate residents to recycle and compost more effectively. BRAF is currently requesting proposals from San Francisco Bay Area artists for the Composting Contraption.
com⋅post [kɒmpɒst] is a combination of various decaying organic substances that are being decomposed largely through aerobic decomposition into a rich black soil.
con⋅trap⋅tion [kuhn-trap-shuhn] - a mechanical contrivance; gadget; device.
Imagine inventor Rube Goldberg meeting up with biodynamic farming pioneer Rudolf Steiner.
The Composting Contraption will be a human-powered, interactive, kinetic artwork designed to inspire, motivate and educate San Francisco residents to increase the practice of composting at home and to take better advantage of the City’s green bin organics collection programs serving the residential, commercial, and institutional sectors.
This new work of art will travel to local festivals, street fairs, farmers markets and schools to increase awareness of composting (and recycling to some extent) and change the composting behavior of San Francisco artists and residents to divert recoverable resources from being disposed of as solid waste, in keeping with the City’s zero waste goals. The artist is not expected to bring the contraption all around town, but will work with a local community group to train them on its use so they can tour it around in an educational campaign.
Materials used for this new mobile sculpture MUST primarily be made of reclaimed, recycled or reused materials diverted from local landfills.
This artwork must educate the public about the process of composting in a dynamic and whimsical way, while referencing the variety of ways that the public can (and now by SF law MUST) participate in composting, from backyard to curbside pickup.
After selection, artists will be contracted to provide:
A public art piece delivered on time.
A signed commitment to work towards the ScrapEdenSF goals.
A plan for involving the community group in the creation and implementation of the project.
How to Apply
Proposals must be received by BRAF no later than 5:00pm Monday, March 15, 2010.
Please submit a proposal outlining your project and be sure to address the requested information and questions below. Be sure to include any sketches, photos or any other supplemental materials that will best highlight your design concept.
1) Applicant Information
Name
Organization
Mailing Address
Daytime Phone
Email Address
Website
2) Project Information
Project Description. Summarize the proposed project in the space provided. Address the following: What will you create? Does your project have an interactive element as part of the finished product? What materials will you use? (Please remember materials must be predominantly recycled, reused, or salvaged)
3) Project Realization
Summarize integral elements of the project’s realization. Address the following:
i) How will you obtain your materials? Have you worked with these materials?
ii) In what ways will your process be collaborative? Are you part of an artists’ collective or do you have an existing team/crew? How do you plan to integrate and involve community members in the creation of your project?
iii) Do you have a physical space available to work on this project? What resources do you have available? What resources do you require?
4) Project Experience
Summarize your previous experience and role working on large projects. Address the following: i) Have you previously worked collaboratively on a large project? Describe the project, it’s scale, and your experience.
ii) Have you previously acted as a lead on a large project or been part of the key project management team? Elaborate.
5) Accomplishments
What are your accomplishments? List relevant accomplishments/projects and corresponding websites or other resources. Please detail the qualifications and/or accomplishments of key artists participating
6) Project Expenses
A. Salaries & Fees
B. Space Rental
C. Project Expenses
Submission Instructions:
Submit the proposal as an attachment to an email by 5:00pm Monday March 15th, 2010 to: scrapeden_sf@blackrockarts.org
Submit any supplemental materials (also due 5:00pm Monday March 15th, 2010 to:
Black Rock Arts Foundation
Attn: ScrapEden SF Applications
3450 3rd Street, Suite #2A
San Francisco, CA, 94158
If you have questions, please send an email to: scrapeden_sf@blackrockarts.org
Or call the BRAF office at 415.626.1248.
The mission of the
Black Rock Arts Foundation is to support and promote community interactive art and civic participation.
ScrapEden Program
The Black Rock Arts Foundation's ScrapEden Program is the fruit of collaborative efforts between the San Francisco Department of the Environment and BRAF. We pair artists with neighborhood groups in a creative partnership that illustrates the messages and practices of recycling and reuse through community art installations. The community and the artist work together to produce temporary art installations displayed in community parks. Past projects include the installation of public art in Civic Center Plaza, the Panhandle, Hayes Green, the Embarcadero, and Hunters Point.
To learn more about ScrapEdenPrior blog posts About ScrapEden 
The Black Rock Arts Foundation has partnered with the Parent Teachers Organization to create a pilot after school arts program at Yick Wo Elmentary School. Yick Wo has a history of using the arts in the school to enrich the student experience. Black Rock Arts Foundation Board Member's Harley Dubois and Dicky Davies have designed a program model that includes the students collaborating together to create art that can be actioned off at Yick Wo's annual auction. 
