The Office of Arts and Culture is pleased to offer professional development scholarships to artists living within the City of Sacramento. This $100 value scholarship covers attendance for one course, class, or workshop listed on the instructor's page. Artists are awarded on a first come, first serve basis. There will be 450 scholarships available. Applications will open on our Submittable site on August 31, 2026 and will remain open through September 21, 2026 UNLESS we receive 450 applications before September 21st.

Artists of any discipline, living within City of Sacramento limits, are eligible to apply. If you are not sure whether or not you are within City limits, please check here.

CALL TO ARTISTS

Funded through the City of Sacramento’s 2% for public art ordinance, the Sacramento Office of Arts and Culture (OAC) Art in Public Places (APP) program has been tasked with management of a new Public Art Project for the newly renovated Martin Luther King, Jr. Library (MLK Library) located at 7340 24th St. Bypass in Sacramento, CA. The library is an historic library in Sacramento, larger than most others in the city at the time of its opening in 1970 and celebrating the late civil rights leader. It is one of the first buildings in the United States to be named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

The city is soliciting an artist to design and install public art for this library location focusing on the current public entrance to the library, now accessed through the library parking lot.  The ideal envisioned proposal and artwork will be three-dimensional sculptural artwork that can be installed on one or two entrance walls leading into the main doors. While the artwork may be figurative, abstract, or non-objective in design, the artwork should speak to the theme of civil rights and may be realized as sculptural relief panels or a series of constructed panels that can be installed directly on the brick walls leading to the front door entrance.  Painted murals directly on the brick are not an acceptable medium for this commission opportunity. 

Professional artists who specialize in sculpture, sculptural relief panels, site specific design, or environmental installations are encouraged to apply. Additional consideration will be given to artists who have prior experience with or connections to the South Sacramento area and neighborhood. 

ART BUDGET

$151,500 is the total artist budget for the project and will be inclusive of all costs including but not limited to conceptual design, final design, construction drawings, engineering documents, permits, artist’s fee, travel, fabrication, and installation of the sculpture on site. 

This project utilizes a Request for Qualification solicitation approach so that the chosen artist has the time and ability to best understand the location prior to developing their conceptual design. The chosen artist will be selected by the MLK Library Public Art Selection Panel who will review and score all artist applicants and eventually choose the selected artist. The selected artist will then be provided with a conceptual design contract and $1500 design fee to meet with city staff, library staff, and community members to learn more about the location, research the theme, and develop a conceptual design for the proposed artwork. The artist will then present the conceptual design at the library for stakeholders and library staff to provide comments and feedback. This format is meant to give the selected artist time and resources to design a meaningful artwork that aligns with the selected artist’s creative voice, the theme of civil rights, the location, and community input.  Once the city approves the proposed conceptual design, the artist will execute a Purchase of Artwork agreement with the city for $150,000 and begin work on final design, engineering, permitting, and fabrication of the approved artwork. 

APP staff will work with the selected artist in all phases of the project and provide guidance and assistance where appropriate. For installation of the sculpture, should a construction contractor be required for installation, APP staff will coordinate a bidding process with CA licensed General Contractors (unless the artist is a licensed General Contractor), and the artist will be involved in the selection process of the General Contractor for installation. In consultation with the artist, the City will enter into a contract for installation of the artwork with the chosen General Contractor and charge from the artist’s budget any costs associated with the Contractor’s work. Once the city has accepted title to the installed artwork, APP will be responsible for maintenance of the permanent work and will allocate resources in order to accommodate maintenance of this artwork over time.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Sacramento Public Library is the fourth largest library system in California with 28 locations serving 1.4M urban, suburban and rural residents. The Sacramento Public Library Authority is governed by a Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement between the County of Sacramento and the Cities of Citrus Heights, Galt, Isleton, Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, and Sacramento. “Sacramento Public Library supports our diverse communities' aspirations to learn, connect, and grow,” as stated on the Public Library System’s website. In line with these values, the public art at this location should reflect the theme of civil rights while inspiring visitors to enter and explore what the library has to offer. 

DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS AND CONTENT FOR SELECTED ARTIST

While the chosen artist will be selected based on their past work, artist applicants should take some time and consideration in their Statement of Interest and Location Statement, which are part of the application. A provided Information Packet folder provides applying artists with drawings, renderings, and plan views of the library area in general and the specific area where this public artwork is to be installed. Some basic information about the MLK Library is also provided. 

No conceptual designs are expected or considered in the RFQ process and should not be submitted. The applicant should choose examples of their past work that show the ability to respond to the civil rights theme and produce artwork that can be permanently hung on the brick wall entrance area to the library. Artists may apply as a team, but teams are highly encouraged to show evidence of previous work they have created as a team rather than just showing separate individual artwork from each team member. Artists must ultimately consider the project they propose within the budget provided. 

Artists applying for the opportunity should show in their application portfolio evidence of past work in the medium or type of work they might propose for the library. Artists should consider sharing a portfolio of work that best shows their ability to fabricate and install the type of artwork they propose in their Statement of Interest. Artists may, of course, pursue concepts or directions that are new and exciting for their creative growth, but when applying they should give some thought to how the Selection Panel will best understand the artist’s ability to realize their concepts, if selected. Showing past work that demonstrates this aptitude is the best way to inform the Selection Panel of an artist’s ability to create the work they are proposing. 

ELIGIBILITY 

All eligible applicants must be 18 years old or older and be experienced professional artists in their discipline. Artists may apply individually or as a team.  Teams are encouraged to show examples of work previously created by the team. While teams may show work of individual artist on the team, the stronger applications show some evidence that the team has worked together in the past. While a selected artist may not assign the commission to another artist, they may hire other artists to work with them to complete their project.  There are no geographic limitations on who may apply; however, there are no additional funds for travel or lodging and given the opportunities to explore the surroundings at the library, artists located within or who show a cultural, familial, or historic connection to the Sacramento Valley region or North Sacramento specifically will be provided some preference in the selection criteria. 

HOW TO APPLY 

Artists may apply for the MLK Library RFQ by filling out the online application on Submittable.com at the OAC portal https://saccityarts.submittable.com/submit and submitting it with required supporting materials. City staff will review the applications for eligibility and advance eligible applications to a diverse panel of community members, artists, art administrators, and curators who will review all complete submissions and select an artist for the commission opportunity.  The Selection Panel will utilize the published rubric (available for review in the Information Packet folder) to score and vote on each artist applicant to determine their selection. At their discretion, the panel may select finalists to interview prior to the final chosen artist selection. APP staff will facilitate the panel’s review. 

Within the application materials, artists will be required to submit an up to 250-word statement of interest about the conceptual design they might propose for the library site within the defined timeline and available budget. They must also include an up to 150-word Location Statement where they can share any cultural, familial, personal, or historic connections to the Sacramento Valley in general or south Sacramento neighborhoods specifically. Artists will submit up to 10 image files of their past artwork, specifically focusing on artwork that reflects the type of work they plan to propose should they be selected for the commission.  APP staff are available to assist artists with the application process.  

PROJECT GUIDELINES 

Artists must meet all guidelines as detailed below to be considered for the MLK Library Public Art RFQ.   APP staff are available to discuss projects and provide support for applying artists by appointment.  APP will conduct one information session after the launch of the RFQ to assist artists with application questions and provide guidance as to the project goals, who should apply, evaluation rubric, and technical support for applying artists. The information session will be recorded and will be made available online afterwards for the public.   Artists apply through the Submittable.com online platform.  No other submission formats are accepted.  After artists are selected, APP will work with artists to prepare all necessary tax and contract documents before any work begins.  Requirements for project submission through the Submittable.com platform are:

· Online Application submitted through Submittable

· Artist Statement (1-page maximum) 

· 10 files of artist’s original work  

· Resume (2-page maximum) 

· Statement of interest for proposed project (250 word maximum)

· Location Statement (150 word maximum)

· 3 Professional References (name, phone, address, email) 

PANEL REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS

The selection panel will review applications based on a series of criteria that will help them decide which artist will receive the commission. Panelists will evaluate artists based on the criterion shown below (60 Points Total) as evidenced by subcategory questions described in the Scoring Rubric provided to applicants in the included Information Packet folder. 

Panelists are only reviewing past artwork, interest statement, and qualifications from the artist’s application. No proposed designs for this project are to be submitted or reviewed during the RFQ application process. The areas of panel review of artists’ past work samples are: 

· Originality (20 points)

· Technical Skill (20 points)

· Public Art Experience (20 points)

INFORMATION PACKET AND INFORMATION SESSION

The information packet may be downloaded here and includes some basic information about the project and site at the MLK Library as well as the Scoring Rubric that the selection panel will use to score all qualified applicants. It is expected that artists will engage in some of their own research and are not limited to these materials provided. During this RFQ process, the information packet includes the following; although, additional items may be added as they become available:

· Scoring Rubric for Applicants

· PDF of this RFQ for MLK Library

· Some basic research on civil rights in Sacramento and generally

· Information Session Recording (to be added after live session 10/12/26)

An online information session will be held on Monday October 12th from 12 – 1pm. Register here to receive the zoom link: 

This will be an opportunity to ask questions about Library, the application process, the goals for the public art at the library, and hear more about the project from city staff.  The session will be recorded and will be uploaded to the Information packet folder. 

PRELIMINARY PROJECT TIMELINE

August 2026 : Finalize Project Plan and RFQ

September 2026 : Launch RFQ

October 12, 2026 : Launch Information Session via Zoom (Recorded)

October 26, 2026 : Deadline for submission to RFQ

December 2026 : Selection Panel meets to select artist and artist notified

January 2027 : Selected artist presents past work and begins community dialogue at Library

March 2027 : Artist presents conceptual design to Library, city, and community stakeholders 

April 2027 : Artist receives Purchase of Artwork agreement and begins engineering and fabrication of artwork 

November 2027 : Artist installs new artwork at Library

December 2027 : Dedication Event at Library

PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONTACT 

Donald Gensler, APP Manager, dgensler@cityofsacramento.org, 916-955-4564 

Program Overview

Sacramento Film + Media is committed to sustaining and growing film and television production in the City of Sacramento. Sacramento Film + Media Rebate Program supports this goal by subsidizing permit fees, reimbursing the costs of city personnel assigned to a film location, and reimbursing qualified expenses for production companies when these activities occur in the City of Sacramento.

Sacramento Film + Media will reimburse up to $250,000 in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026/27. Once available funds are depleted, funding for the rebate program will no longer be available. Rebate funds that have not been distributed in FY 2026/27 and remain available due to a lack of eligible or qualifying applicants will be rolled over to the next fiscal year. Rebates include:

1. 100% reimbursement of required services and fees by the City of Sacramento, including Sacramento Police Department (limited up to 8 officers per day, each for a maximum of 12 hours per day), Sacramento Fire Department, Sacramento Film + Media permit fees, permit fees from other city departments, and/or Parking Services fees;

after all City of Sacramento required services are paid out, an additional rebate of:

2. 25% reimbursement of qualified expenditures which occur within the City of Sacramento (e.g., hotel nights, rental cars, rental equipment, location fees, catering, local hires, wardrobe purchases, dry cleaning, local security, per diem payments, gasoline, etc.). The full list of qualified expenditures can be found here. Sacramento Qualified Expenditure Chart

Eligibility

• Feature film and television projects with a City of Sacramento budget over $1,000,000.
• Eligible productions include feature films; television films, pilots, series, and unscripted; and documentaries. See a list of ineligible productions below.
• At least five (5) shooting days must occur in the City of Sacramento.
• Evidence of 80% financing for the total budget is required.
• Applications for film and television projects must be submitted prior to the beginning of principal photography in the City of Sacramento to be considered eligible.
• Applicants MUST be scheduled to begin principal photography on the qualified project within 60 days of the Film + Media Office issuing a Certificate Letter of Conditional Eligibility.
• Applications submitted MORE THAN 60 DAYS prior to the start of principal photography will be considered but not be certified. 
• Production companies may only apply for one rebate per calendar year.
• An independent, third-party Agreed Upon Procedures (AUP) Report is required and shall be paid by awardee.

Funding support may be revoked at any time if it is determined that the production does not fit within the criteria of the Film + Media Program Rebate Guidelines, or the applicant provided false or misleading information to the City.

Read the full Guidelines here.

The Office of Arts and Culture utilizes the expertise of review panels to evaluate applications 

submitted for consideration to our funding programs. Review panelists play a critical role in the 

government grantmaking process by providing expert evaluation of grant applications, ensuring 

a fair and transparent assessment based on established criteria, and promoting accountability 

and responsible allocation of public funds.

PANELIST CRITERIA

Panelists must meet the following criteria: 

• Must be at least 18 years of age. 
• Have computer access and a reliable internet connection. 
• Have the ability to carry out all tasks outlined in the Panelist Duties. 
•  Have the ability to maintain the standards outlined in the Panelist Code of Conduct. 
• Selected panelists must register as a supplier though the City's Ebid Portal and may be required to obtain a Business Operations Tax Certificate. BOTC costs must be paid by panelist and may be reimbursed. OAC staff will assist with these processes.

All prospective panelists MUST read the full guidelines before applying. For full guidelines please CLICK HERE or visit our Website.

CONTACT US:

Please contact staff with any questions.  

Email: saccityarts@cityofsacramento.org

ACCOMMODATIONS

Accommodations are available upon request. Please submit requests to OAC staff at saccityarts@cityofsacramento.org.   

The Office of Arts & Culture (OAC) is accepting applications for its Emerging Curators Fellowship program, a funded opportunity for emerging curators to develop and present two exhibitions at the Robert T. Matsui Gallery inside Sacramento City Hall. 

The Emerging Curators Fellowship is a year-long program, where one fellow will produce and mount two exhibitions (each on view for 4 months) with the support of a curatorial mentor. The fellow will receive a stipend and funding for both exhibitions. A mentor will meet with the fellow on a regular basis (minimum of 30 hours) to help fine tune ideas and provide feedback and guidance on the development of both exhibitions. This program is intended to provide an opportunity to those interested in the visual arts curatorial field, but may not have easy access to funding, locations, or other resources.

Be sure to read the full guidelines here. Email oacgallery@cityofsacramento.org with any questions. Please note that emails are not answered on weekends or City holidays. Emails will not be answered after 3pm on the last day to apply. We strongly advise not waiting until the last minute to submit your application.