About the Sacramento County Department of Airports Request for Qualifications and Experience (RFQ&E)

Deadline to submit qualifications and experience: May 7, 2024

Artist Services for the Design, Fabrication, and Installation of Public Artworks at Sacramento International Airport (New Terminal B Parking Garage and Pedestrian Walkway Projects)

Project Overview

The Department announced on February 1, 2023, a $1.3 billion expansion program collectively known as “SMForward” that will reshape the Airport to accommodate projected passenger growth over the next seven years. 

SMForward, which includes six major construction projects, represents a historic opportunity to integrate art into the traveler’s experience while reinforcing and contributing to the Sacramento region’s identity. When completed, SMForward will include permanent artworks inside and outside the new buildings, on the facade of the new parking garage facility, within the new pedestrian walkway, at the new Terminal B gates, and at sites in and around the new Ground Transportation Center. These new works will add to the more than two dozen artworks already gracing the Airport’s public spaces. This RFQ&E is a call for the first four artwork opportunities under SMForward’s New Terminal B Parking Garage and New Pedestrian Walkway projects.  

Artwork Sites and Budgets

This RFQ&E includes the following four project sites. Artists may apply for one or more of these projects.  All budgets set forth below are inclusive of all costs associated with delivering the services described in this RFQ&E, including artists’ fees, and costs associated with design, fabrication, and installation of artwork, including transportation.

Terminal B Parking Garage 
Art Budget: $1,750,000 

There are multiple sites called out as potential locations where artwork may be placed in the new parking garage.  
​Larger than the Terminal A parking garage when completed, the new Terminal B parking garage will include approximately 5,500 parking spaces, be six stories high, and be visible to travelers from nearly one-quarter mile away as they approach the Terminal B entrance by car. The south facade of the garage presents an opportunity to create a work of art that can be seen from a distance for a sustained period by car and foot. It is a primary location for art. The east side of the garage is experienced by travelers being picked up, dropped off, or parking in the facility. Artwork that marks entry points into the garage on the south and west sides of the garage are also key sites and can reinforce wayfinding, especially for travelers returning home and trying to find the closest entrance to where their car is parked. North and west sites are secondary sites that could be addressed by an artist if the budget allows.

Pedestrian Walkway 

Approximately 1200 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 121,000 square feet in size, the pedestrian walkway will be the major thoroughfare for travelers arriving or departing from Terminal B to/from Concourse B by foot. This area provides three primary opportunities for art to transform this transitional experience at the north and south entryways and at the center of the walkway.

There are three sites called out in the pedestrian walkway:  

Pedestrian Walkway South Entrance
Art Budget: $500,000

Pedestrian Walkway North Entrance
Art Budget: $500,000

As travelers make their way between Terminal B and Concourse B, the thresholds of the Pedestrian Walkway on either side hold key positions for works of art. As portals to the next stage in a traveler’s journey, these sites can use captivating visuals to draw them forward. Artists working in either 2-D or 3-D should imagine ways to craft grand gateways toward wherever each traveler needs to go, with work that embodies the thrill of adventure leading them on.

Pedestrian Walkway Hub
Project Art Budget: $1,000,000

Travelers using the north or south entrances will approach a moving walkway that runs the length of the building. About halfway through the walkway, they will encounter a distinctive vertical transition. Called “the hub,” this transition area will have vaulted ceilings and an escalator, presenting a dramatic site for art possibilities. Artists working in either 2-D or 3-D should imagine ways that consider the expansive height and ambiance of natural light inherent in the architectural design that can mark this space as a true focal point to the traveler’s experience between buildings. Striking work can create a magnetizing atmosphere that can hold the brief attention of those quickly passing by, captivate those with more time on their hands, and be seen like a beacon down both ends of the thoroughfare.

Project Timeline