RFQ - San Francisco Opera Demonstrations
Chinatown Night Market Demos + Puppet Workshops
Qualifications Due: Thursday, August 21, 2025 at Noon (EXTENDED DEADLINE)
Illustration by Brian Stauffer
Extended Application Due Date: Thursday, August 21, 2025 at Noon
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San Francisco Opera (SFO) is seeking artists for workshops and programmed demonstrations to help promote the upcoming production of The Monkey King, leading up to the event and during the Chinatown Night Markets.
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The Monkey King:
Based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, The Monkey King makes its much-anticipated world premiere at the War Memorial Opera House. This new, action-packed opera combines high-energy music and text with puppetry, dance, Peking opera, and Buddhist sutras to tell the tale of the Monkey King’s beginnings.
The Monkey King is a beloved figure and has inspired countless interpretations in popular culture. A monkey born from stone, Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) is determined to find immortality for his tribe. Many scoff at his aspirations, but he is set on proving them wrong with his signature cunning and charm. He wins every battle against legendary warriors, but the respect he longs for is always out of reach. What will it take for the gods to recognize him as an equal?
Award-winning director Diane Paulus and puppeteer Basil Twist conjure up a whimsical world of gods, tricksters, superheroes, and rebels. Huang Ruo’s soaringly beautiful, energized score and David Henry Hwang’s incisive libretto blend traditional Chinese and contemporary Western styles into an extraordinary work that gives new voice to this enduring story. Carolyn Kuan makes her Company debut on the podium.Project:
Art Builds Community is working with SF Opera to commission Bay Area artists of diverse disciplines to engage with community members to promote the upcoming production of the Monkey King and participate in Night Markets on Friday, November 28, 2025, and Sunday, November 30, 2025.
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Puppet Workshops
Budget: $300
Description: Seeking different puppet workshop styles such as hands-on puppet making, demonstration or performance, display-only (non interactive puppets), or storytelling or narrative component, etc.
Duration: 25min / 45 mins puppet workshop for a minimum of 30 people. .
Locations & Dates:
November 2, 2025, at Asian Art Museum
Other locations TBD
Chinatown Market Performance/Demonstration Artists
Total Demonstration Budget: $7500 (to be divided up between selected demonstrations)
Description: Seeking artists/practitioners of diverse disciplines for demonstrations during the Chinatown Night Markets.
Demonstrations should be up to 10-15 minutes.
Example applicants: musicians, dance groups, performance groups, martial arts, tattoo, live painting, dragon dancers, etc.
Location & Dates:
War Memorial (outdoors & lobby): November 28, 2025, November 30, 2025
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The deadline to submit your Qualifications by Thursday August 21, 2025 PST at Noon via email to Quynh-Mai Nguyen, at
Quynh-Mai [at] ArtBuildsCommunity [dot] comThis call is open to artists and artist groups who are local to the Bay Area. All interested artists / artist groups should submit their applications as PDFs and electronically via email to be considered for this commission.
Application Submission Requirements:
Letter of Interest for Chinatown Night Market Demonstrations - please provide:
brief bio,
what opportunity you are applying for consideration,
availability for participation on designated Chinatown market dates,
what interests you about this project, and
why you or your group is qualified
Letter of Interestfor Puppet Workshops – please provide:
brief bio of you or your team
description of workshop style (see description of puppet workshops in Demonstration Opportunities)
workshop duration
availabilty for designated date at Asian Art Museum and whether you would be interested in facilitating more puppet workshops at different locations
Resume – professional resume or artist CV from lead artist or group (if applicable)
3-5 Work Samples – showing previous work lease including title, materials, budget, client, and brief description if applicable. If you provide a video, please limit it to 3 minutes. Please identify your role in the project examples.
Please email your application materials to Quynh-Mai Nguyen, at Quynh-Mai [at] ArtBuildsCommunity [dot] com
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Applications will be reviewed with the consideration of the following criteria:
30% Demonstrated evidence of professionalism and consistent art practice
20% Relevance of past projects
20% Experience or ability to work on community projects
30% Collaborative spirit, cultural sensitivity, and experience in working with diverse communities.
If selected, awarded applicants will be required to provide the appropriate certificate of insurance (COI) at the minimum of $1,000,000.
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Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
August 2025 - RFQ Open
Thursday, August 21, 2025 at Noon: Request for Qualifications Due
August 25 - August 27, 2025: Commission Notifications + Contracts
Programming
Saturday, August 23, 2025: Monkey King Campaign Launch at the 2025 Hungry Ghost Festival
November 2, 2025: Puppet Workshops at Asian Art Museum
Open Dates TBD - Additional Puppet Workshops at Participating Locations
Friday, November 28, 2025: Chinatown Night Market
Sunday, November 30, 2025: Chinatown Night Market
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Artists interested in other public art opportunities are encouraged to visit the Art Builds Community website at www.ArtBuildsCommunity.com or follow Art Builds Community on:
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Art Builds Community (ABC) is a woman-led public art planning, consulting, policy, curation, placemaking, and community engagement firm that brings critical thinking and artists’ perspectives to the creative design of cities, buildings, and infrastructure. - https://www.artbuildscommunity.com
San Francisco Opera (SFO) has been thrilling audiences in San Francisco since 1923. San Francisco Opera is known for commissioning numerous world premieres, training some of opera's greatest young artists, and creating innovative programs and events to inspire a new generation of opera goers. - https://www.sfopera.com/