OVERVIEW

The City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division seeks statements of qualification from California-based artists/teams to create permanent public art at the Robinson Park Recreation Center, located in Northwest Pasadena.  While applicants working in any medium may apply, the selected artist/team must be culturally sensitive and eager to engage with community members while developing their artwork concepts. As part of this Call for Qualifications, the artist/team will be selected based on the quality of their past work, their approach to community engagement, and their ability to create art that reflects the history and aspirations of the area.

The public art project for the Robinson Park Recreation Center is intended to enrich community life, engage a wide spectrum of Northwest Pasadena’s residents, and enhance the visual character of the neighborhood. A team of community members and partners have helped develop the scope of this project and will support the artist/team during project development.

BACKGROUND

The predominantly African American Northwest Pasadena neighborhood was severed from downtown Pasadena by 1950s and 60s urban renewal and the construction of the 210 freeway.  Despite its history, Northwest Pasadena’s community is resilient and proud of its residents, past and present. It is home to important landmarks, such as the NAACP, African American sorority and fraternity chapters as well as social organizations, and churches. The community center is named for athletes Jackie and Mack Robinson, who were raised in the neighborhood and whose descendants remain active there.

PROJECT SITE

Robinson Park Recreation Center is a newly renovated state-of-the-art facility located at 1081 N Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena, CA. It includes a large multipurpose room with a retractable partition that divides the room into smaller spaces for events and private reservations; a commercial kitchen; a fitness center with new cardio and strength training equipment, free weights, and mirrored walls; a spacious dance room with wall mounted ballet bars and mirrored walls; a large gymnasium; and a cutting-edge audiovisual system. The Center is a community hub that offers recreational programming to people of all ages, interests, and abilities. Seasonal activities and classes include arts and crafts, dance, fitness, yoga, summer day camp, aquatics, and youth enrichment classes such as guitar, drawing, and much more. The adjacent park features a children’s play area, outdoor basketball courts and a newly resurfaced artificial turf multipurpose field (See Supplemental Background).

The selected artist/team will work with the City’s Cultural Affairs staff during the concept development phase to determine the best location for the artwork.

VISION STATEMENT

Public art at Robinson Park Recreation Center will reflect the community’s history and the legacies of Jackie and Mack Robinson. The artwork will be rooted in the stories of Northwest Pasadena, providing a dynamic narrative that inspires the community to reflect, embrace, and bridge connections across generations.

In addition, the artist/team will consider the concept of sustainability and its impact on the individuals, surrounding community and natural resources of Pasadena. 

ARTIST ELIGIBILITY

The project is open to all artists/teams who live or work in California.

Artists must be available to meet with staff and stakeholders semi-frequently during the development of the project, will be asked to make presentations of their previous work at community meetings, and must present their proposals to the City of Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission.

Artists must be eligible to work in the United States and have a valid U.S. Social Security or Tax Identification Number by the application deadline.

PROJECT BUDGET

The total artwork budget for this project is up to $200,000 including:

Development Phase: Contracted artist/team will have a budget of $40,000 to lead a community engagement process and develop a Concept Art Plan for review and approval by the Arts & Culture Commission. 

Implementation Phase:  Contracted artist/team will have a budget of $160,000 to develop and implement their Final Art Plan for a permanent public art project at the site.

Artist/team will be required to collaborate with City staff from the Cultural Affairs Division, Department of Public Works, and Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services throughout the project to ensure that the proposed artwork meets safety standards and can be easily maintained.