City of Watsonville seeks proposals from artists for COVID-19 memorial

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION) The City of Watsonville is asking local artists or teams of artists for proposals for a COVID-19 art memorial.

The artist or artists will be asked to design, create and install a temporary or permanent memorial in honor of those who died of COVID-19 in Watsonville. The City hopes it will be a place for people to reflect on this time, but a site has not been chosen yet.

The city says the art selected should be made with materials that are "reasonably durable" against theft, vandalism, weather conditions and high maintenance costs. Artists who submit a proposal should consider requesting to place the memorial on city-owned property, according to officials.

Artists must be at least 18 years old to submit a proposal, and teams will need to choose one person to act as the main point-of-contact for the project. In the application, teams will need to list the delegation of duties and give one source of payment. If a team is chosen, they will need to decide how to divide a commission and fees before it is awarded.

The art memorial cannot block access, overhead lighting or structural and accessibility requirements. The city said artists will have ownership of their ideas until a selection has been made and a contract is signed. Once the contract is signed, ownership of the design and artwork will be transferred to the city.

Proposals are due by 5 p.m. on April 2 and must include a printed copy and an electronic copy emailed to tamara.vides@cityofwatsonville.org.

Artists can find more details about submissions and a sample contract below.