City of Cambridge Seeking Artists Interested in Creating Cool Spot Shade Structures

The City of Cambridge is seeking qualified artists, designers, and artist-led interdisciplinary teams who are interested in creating Cool Spots - temporary, site-responsive shade structures that provide heat relief, foster community gathering, and spark public imagination regarding climate resilience.

Each selected artist or team will receive a budget of $80,000-$95,000, inclusive of all costs from design through final installation. The deadline to apply and submit qualifications for the project is Thursday, July 2. Artists should visit http://cac.slideroom.com to apply now. Upon submission, applicants will also be considered for future Cambridge Arts public art opportunities.

Following the review of applications, finalists will be selected and invited to develop detailed design proposals in close consultation with City staff and community members. One team will be awarded the contract to design one or more structures in a public setting. Project sites will be determined during the design phase through collaboration with City staff and community input.

Cool Spots aims to address the growing threat of extreme heat - an impact of climate change that is unevenly distributed across neighborhoods. The City seeks site-specific or replicable designs that offer shade, comfort, and engagement, and which may be adapted for use in multiple Cambridge locations or by other municipalities.

To learn more about the project and application process, the City will be hosting an Information Session for interested artists. The Information Session will be held on Wednesday, June 17 at 6 p.m. Please register for the Zoom session.

Cool Spots encourages cross-disciplinary, imaginative solutions that acknowledge both the physics of heat and the social dimensions of resilience. Because community connection increases preparedness during climate events, proposed structures should combine cooling with reasons to gather-such as playful elements, lighting, educational features, misting, data collection, and, importantly, integrated seating.

Cool Spots is a multi-departmental City initiative with this phase of the project led by Cambridge Arts and the Community Development Department. It is funded through the City's Participatory Budgeting (PB) program, which since 2014 has directed over $10.5 million toward more than 80 community-chosen projects. More information about Participatory Budgeting is available at https://www.cambridgema.gov/participatorybudgeting.

Project Timeline

June 2026 Call for Designers announced
Early June 2026 Information session for interested applicants
July 2, 2026 RFQ submissions due
Late July 2026 Review of applications; finalists selected
August 2026 Finalist interviews and contract awards
Summer-Fall 2026 Proposal development with community and City staff
Fall-Winter 2026 Detailed design development, approval process, fabrication
Spring-Summer 2027 Installation of Cool Spots projects

Heat in Cambridge

Cool Spots builds on Cambridge's efforts to address extreme heat, including Shade is Social Justice, green building standards, green roofs, expanded urban forestry, public health programming, and much more. Staying cool and connected - indoors and outdoors - remains a growing City priority for climate resilience. More information is available at https://www.cambridgema.gov/heat.

Questions

Questions about the project can be directed to Drew Kane, Acting Director, Community Planning and Design Division, at [email protected]. For technical support using SlideRoom, please email [email protected]. For other project related questions, please contact Claudia Zarazua, Arts & Cultural Planning Director at [email protected].

More information is available at Artists, Designers: Create Cool Spots to Address a Warming World.