Hearts of Danville

The Town of Danville is inviting artists who reside in one of the nine San Francisco Bay Area Counties to create unique artistic concepts and designs to paint/apply onto a 17” x 6” fiberglass heart sculpture that will be displayed in business store fronts in downtown Danville, California from January - March 2027.

This project is intended to instill an understanding and appreciation of public art within the community. The artists chosen for this project will serve as an independent contractor of the Town of Danville. The Town of Danville shall retain ownership of the heart and the design, including, but not limited to, reproduction rights, physical maintenance, and lifespan. In all uses of the heart, the creative product will be credited to the artist. All terms and conditions will be laid out in a contract to be signed by the artist upon selection.

Project Goals

• To commission an artist to design and apply the design onto a fiberglass heart; and

• To enhance the downtown area with an immersive art experience that can be enjoyed by residents and visitors to the Town of Danville.

Project Description

The design should:

• Be original ideas directly from the artist; and

• Each design should cover the entire heart, front, sides, and base.

• The hearts are 17 inches in height, 6 inches wide.

• Each fiberglass heart will come prepared with an acrylic urethane primer suitable for most types of paint (save for latex and specialized paint systems such as car paint). Artists are welcome to apply another primer over the one that is already applied if they so choose. Manufacturers recommendation is a water-based Kilz.
• If an artist chooses to design a mosaic application, they will need to scuff sand the primer off prior to any other application.

• A placard and/or label will be placed near each heart with the artist’s information.

Artist’s Responsibilities

The selected artists shall be responsible for the following:

• Arranging to pick up the heart from and return them to the Village Theatre and Art Gallery, 233 Front Street, Danville, CA.

• The artist must provide their own painting supplies.

• Design changes cannot be proposed after the initial application is received. If the artist wishes to make changes, a new design specification must be submitted and approved.

 Compensation

• The Town of Danville will compensate each selected artist in the amount of $250.00. Compensation will be paid upon completion of the project, following submission of an invoice and a completed W-9 to the Cultural Arts Administrative Assistant. Invoices and W9 forms are required for payment.

 Submission Requirements

1. Proposals must be submitted to the Town of Danville no later than 5:00 p.m. (PST) on August 16, 2026.

2. Submissions must be made through the CaFE Call For Entry Website at https://www.callforentry.org/

3. Submissions must be original designs and must include:

• Each artist may submit up to two (2) unique designs for consideration per application.
• The heart sketches showing three angles: front, back and base (if they are different designs). The images can be downloaded under the site plan. Please note that they will need to be uploaded as jpegs. You will not be able to upload the PDF.

 Project Timeline

• June 30, 2026, 9:00 a.m. - Call For Artists Opens - Call For Entry and Application Management for the Arts | CaFÉ
• August 16, 2026, 5:00 p.m. – Deadline for entry- Designs due, MUST be submitted through CaFE.
• August 18, 2026 - Final designs selected.
• August 21, 2026 - Notification of finalists: Sixteen (16) selected artists will be notified that their design has been selected.
• Week of August 31 – Sept. 4, 2026 - Heart sculptures picked up by artists at the Village Theatre Art Gallery, 233 Front Street, Danville, CA 94526.
• Week of November 2-6, 2026 - Completed heart sculptures MUST be received/dropped off to the Village Theatre Art Gallery, 233 Front Street, Danville, CA 94526
• January 23, 2027- Opening Reception for Hearts of Danville exhibition at the Village Theatre Art Gallery.
• January 25 - March 26, 2027 - Hearts will be displayed in downtown Danville storefronts to coincide with our winter gallery exhibition The Heart of It.
• March 26, 2027 - Closing Reception and Silent Auction results at Village Theatre Art Gallery.

*The Town of Danville reserves the right to change project timeline as necessary.

 Selection Criteria

• Originality of design concept

• Vibrancy of color choices

• Design must reflect imagery that is appropriate for all audiences

Selection Process

An Art Selection Committee comprised members of the Arts Advisory Board, Parks, Recreation & Arts Commission, community members, and Town of Danville Cultural Arts staff, will review all eligible proposals to select sixteen (16) finalists for the hearts. Any artist submitting proposals should be aware that the Town of Danville reserves the right to require changes to the design to ensure appropriateness for all audiences.

Contact for Questions or Additional Information

Beth Fergadoitis, Cultural Arts Administrative Assistant
bfergadiotis@danville.ca.gov or 925-314-3478

Stacey Kenison, Cultural Arts Supervisor 
skension@danville.ca.gov or 925-314-3426

The Town of Danville does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or selection of artists.

Upload a unique artistic design of the heart. The design should have up to three views: front, back and base of the design.

• This project is open to all artists age 18 or older.

• The artist must reside in one of the nine SF Bay Area Counties.

• Experience with public art is preferred.

• The artist must be willing to meet all contractual obligations and adhere to the project timeline.

• The artist must agree to supply their own materials and/or paints for the project.