Oakville School District - Oakville Elementary School - RFQ

Call for artists Before you start, please read the full guidelines below or click here to view and download as a PDF.

Call to Artists | Request for Qualifications

Submissions Due: Thursday, July 30, 2026, 4 PM (Pacific)

Artwork Budget: $37,600

Overview

Oakville School District and the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) invite individual artists or artist teams to design and create an original, permanent, site-responsive, interior artwork for the new Oakville Elementary School in Oakville, WA.

The Oakville Elementary School construction is complete and the school is occupied. There are opportunities for interior artwork in several hallway locations and the front entrance vestibule.

Budget

$37,600 inclusive of design, fabrication, installation, and tax.

The selected artist will receive a $3,600 design contract that includes travel and stamped, structural engineering. Upon design approval, they will receive a commission contract of $34,000 inclusive of all costs related to fabrication, installation, sales tax ($2,770.52 at Oakville’s 8.9% tax rate), and contingency.

Eligibility

Open to artists residing in Washington and Oregon. Artists with a connection to the Oakville community and/or the Chehalis Tribe are strongly encouraged to apply. Neither ArtsWA nor Oakville School District discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, or gender identity. Those with active or recent ArtsWA projects are ineligible for this call.

Background

The Oakville School District is a shared campus that includes the Primary School, Elementary School, and Middle/High School. The Oakville School District is next to reservation of the Confederated Tribes of Chehalis, and over 35% of students are Native American. The town’s population is 715 as of the 2020 Census and the community is described as resilient, familial, and that people take care of each other in Oakville. There is a strong history of agriculture, fishing, and lumber industry in Oakville, and lumber continues to be a major part of the local economy.

Vision for the Art

The Art Committee seeks artwork that responds to one or more of the following criteria:

• Creates a calm, peaceful, and healing environment
• Utilizes natural colors found in the surrounding ecosystems
• Promotes a sense of belonging and feelings of inclusion
• Reflects Oakville's connection with the Confederated Tribes of Chehalis
• Represents student's cultural identities, including Latinx, Chehalis, Quinault, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, and more
• Tells the story of Oakville's vibrant history of agriculture, fishing, and lumber industry
• Inspires self-determinism, empowerment, and aspiration for students
• Highlights Oakville's strong, resilient community and relationship building

How to submit

All materials are due by 4pm, Thursday, July 30, 2026, through ArtsWA’s Submittable site. If you do not have a Submittable account, sign-up is free. You should receive confirmation of your submission within one business day. 

If you require an alternate format or assistance to access the application, please reach out to AIPP Project Manager Claire Schechtman at the contact information below or ArtsWA Accessibility Coordinator Alexis Sarah at alexis.sarah@arts.wa.gov or 360-228-6359 (please limit to accessibility requests; Alexis will not be able to assist with technical issues on the Submittable platform).

What to submit

Please prepare and enter the following through Submittable:

1. Statement of interest (limit 300 words) outlining your approach to public art and summarizing your interest in this project. Describe any experience with projects of a similar scope and include anything that might help us differentiate you as a candidate.
2. Brief biography or artist statement (limit 300 words) about your life experience, training, education, mentors, teachers, places lived, career milestones, past projects, etc. If there are parts of your identities that inform your experience, please tell us how.
3. Eight (8) images of past works, preferably created within the past 5 years. (Horizontal orientation displays best.)
4. Brief descriptions (1-2 sentences) for each image. Also include title, dimensions, materials, date, location, budget/cost, and commissioning entity (if applicable).

Selection Process

The Art Committee is made up of local stakeholders, including Oakville School District, Oakville Elementary School, and Chehalis Tribe staff, facilitated by ArtsWA. The Art Committee will review submitted materials of all applicants and will select an artist or artist team to create a formal proposal. Upon proposal approval, the artist will receive a commission contract for design, fabrication and installation.

Using the criteria below, the Art Committee will review and consider whether each submission:

• Communicates a unique vision or perspective
• Shows a potential to engage and/or respond to its surroundings
• Demonstrates skill in technique
• Relates to the vision for art detailed above

If selected, you will:

• Design and propose an interior artwork for review and approval by ArtsWA staff, professional conservator, structural engineer, and the Art Committee
• Travel to the project site up to three times during the proposal/design process to meet with the Art Committee and ArtsWA project manager
• Be available to meet with the Art Committee and ArtsWA to coordinate artwork installation
• Work within the fixed budget
• Maintain registration as a Washington State vendor and adhere to applicable state permitting and licensing requirements, including those relating to contracting and the paying of Prevailing Wages
• Enter into contracts with ArtsWA and fulfill those requirements, including paying applicable taxes

Commission and Contracts

The artwork will be commissioned through ArtsWA and will become part of the State Art Collection. Installation will be coordinated through ArtsWA and Oakville School District. Sample proposal and commission contracts can be found on ArtsWA’s website.

Anticipated Art Project Timeline 

• RFQ distributed - June 8, 2026
• RFQ closes, materials are due by 4PM PST - July 30, 2026
• Art Committee review - August 2026
• Notification to selected artist - September 2026
• Design phase - October 2026-February 2027
• Fabrication phase - March 2027-September 2027
• Installation (dates dependent on scope) - September 2027-December 2027

Due Date and Time: Thursday, July 30, 2026, 4PM (Pacific)

Applications through Submittable.

To avoid technical problems, please submit well in advance of the deadline. 

Late submittals will not be accepted.

Questions?

Contact Claire Schechtman, Art in Public Places Project Manager: 360-821-6723; claire.schechtman@arts.wa.gov

ArtsWA Art in Public Places Vision Statement

Art in Public Places is uniquely positioned to advance and support art and artists across Washington. Our goal is to build and care for a State Art Collection that is impactful, accessible, and valued. We seek lasting artworks that reflect Washington’s diverse communities.