KALA STEIN
STUDIO
FIELD WORK:
Native Wildflowers of Fremont
Prepared for
CENTERVILLE COMMUNITY PARK
V2. June 30, 2026
KALA STEIN
My work incorporates environmental themes that illustrate the fragility, power, and impermanence of the natural world.
Referencing scientific imagery, data, and my personal
experiences, I interpret the forces of nature through ceramic sculpture and wall installations. The medium of ceramics is a way to preserve information through the forming and firing process. I consider firing clay as an act of fossilization, creating a permanent record, an artifact or a memorial, of the
ephemeral world. Through these artifacts, I explore how we experience and relate to our environment and the climate crisis.
By working at the intersection of art, design, craft, history, technology, and environmentalism, I hope that my work reflects the present, is an homage to our past, and expresses optimism for our future.
KALA STEIN
STUDIO
Findings
My recent field research at CCP and Newark Slough showed me the rich bio diversity of Fremont and the Newark Slough- revealing it would be a perfect place for native plant research and to help detine a meaningful and geographically significant color palette for the Pops of Color theme. As Centerville Community Park is a short distance from this significant ecological area that has defined Fremont throughout history, this felt like the perfect place for me to develop a strong concept and narrative around the art installation that links to my personal art practice as an environmentalist.
Concept
I am considering the art for Centerville Community Park (CCP), Fremont, CA as a site responsive installation, activating the grounds through colorful botanical-based art. I will bring in natural uplifting colors and forms that are rooted in the real world, found within the city limits of Fremont.
The palette will be inspired by the colors found in native plant flowers, so not overly saturated or synthetic looking, but instead colors that have an authentic connection to place, the ecology of the area, and can help tell the story of place through what grows there.
Potential for Community Involvement
While visiting the park on a Saturday morning, I saw families and children utilizing the park. They were practicing basketball and tennis, exercising, on the playground, socializing and playing tennis. All courts were full and buzzing with joy, youth, fitness and fun. It occurred to me that the local community may enjoy contributing to the mosaics by texturing clay tiles that I bring to CCP.
The surface would be textured by anyone who wants to participate, then brought back to my studio to be glazed and fired. If this is of interest to the City, Board, and Community, I am happy to include this as an in-kind community outreach activity.
Qualification
Based on my past work I am fully qualified for this project. My experience making large scale installations for institutions, designers, architects, and my husband, who is a CA licensed contractor and in-house technical advisor qualifies me. Although I have not worked with a City or on a municipal park project thus tar in my 26 years of working in clay, l am gratetul to be invited to apply and will over deliver it chosen for this project. I am fully insured for this type of work anc would greatly appreciate the opportunity to expand my portfolio into the municipal realm. If chosen for this project, it could be a career-changing opportunity that brings my work into the public scope, reaching a larger audience and engaging with the community in a meaningful way.
KALA STEIN
STUDIO
Durability & Recycled Content: Tile Mosaic
In my tile work, I use three primary recycled materials: limited batched recycled glaze (glaze collected trom my glazing process waste that would otherwise go down the drain or to the andtill), post-industrial waste tile (impertect tile trom local tile tactories that would otherwise be rushed and used in paving or go to landfill), and reglazed terracotta brick (old red brick that i sliced to the appropriate thickness on a wet saw then glazed and fired in my studio). Recycling the glaze, tile, and brick, reduces my overall carbon footprint and use of virgin material; saves fuel and firing time; and reduces waste.
Tile mosaics are durable, waterproof, and highly resistant to weather elements like rain, sunlight, and temperature changes. Tile is low-maintenance, colorful, long-lasting and does not require maintenance. Cleaning is not necessary unless there is some kind of intentional abuse (like vandalism). If needed, the surface may be washed as the tile in your home would be cleaned.
Avoid cleaning processes that involve pressure washing, heat, and metal abrasives.
Field Work Mosaic Expenses
Description / Type Expense
Overhead: these are fixed expenses above the cost of
producing the mosaic.
City Business license $40 per quarter or $125 per year, plus the $4 ADA fee and $0.10 for every $1,000 of gross receipts $133.00 earned on Fremont-specific projects (based on $36,000)
Insurance / insurance and bonding (required per the RFP) $600.00 Per Diem/Meals: $270 approximate standard rate ($200 $810.00 lodging, $70 M&IE) x 3 days (meetings, delivery, etc)
Legal fees for contract generation and review (Administrative $1,000.00 Expenses)
Photo/video documentation of process, installation, and final $1,200.00 product (Contracted Services)
Total Overhead Expenses (add this to Mosaic Total) $3,743.00 Square
Tile Murals on Wing Walls (Square footage cost of $200 pr.
Mosaic Total Footage Plus
sq.ft.)* Overhead
*Does not include installation, installation oversight, or overhead expenses.
Inclusive of:
Artist Fees - Design, admin, mosaic material procurement, project management, communications Materials- post-industrial tile, brick, handmade tile, firing, glazing, glaze materials, kiln fuel Template and printing for design, layout, packing for delivery, prep for install.
Proposal 1 - 10 walls x 10.25 sf ft/wall (102.5 SF total) $20,500.00 $24,243.00 Proposal 2 - 10 walls full (this is with a 3 inch border (rough Overhead included $62,000.00 $65,743.00
total sf 310SF) $62,000
Proposal 3 - 4 walls (2b, 3a, 4b and 5a - (25 SF each /100 SF $20,000.00 $23,743.00 rough total
3 PRICE POINT PROPOSALS for the FIELD WORK MOSAIC
BASED ON ROUGH SQUARE FOOTAGE NUMBERS PROVIDED
A mosaic is a permanent landmark, a gift to the community. The following proposals utilize recycled materials and the concept of Field Work: Native Wildflowers of Fremont.
I strongly prefer Proposal 1 and 2 in order to fully transform this area of the park with pops of color on 10 walls to activate this concrete-heavy, high traffic zone. #2 is the strongest concept, expressing my full artistic vision for the mosaic feature as a landmark installation, popping with color and flowing, bright elements to transform the area into a vibrant communal, play, and social zone. #1 addresses all walls, dispersing pops of color in rhythmic and architectural patterns inherent to salvaged brick and tile with glazed, stylized imagery of wildlowers on the ceramic surtaces, scattered within the surface of the wall. While activating all walls, more concrete is visually present.
Below are are preliminary concepts, that will be further developed upon approval.
Proposal 1: Floral Matrix Proposal 2: Full Field Work Concept $24,243 $62,000
Roughly 10 SF pr wall x 10 walls Roughly 51 SF pr wall x 10 walls Full expression of reglazed recycled brick. Combinaton of recycled brick, remnant tile, and handmade tile.
See additional renderings on next page.
Proposal 3: Field Work Reduced
$23,743
Roughly 25 SF pr wall × 4 walls
Combinaton of recycled brick, remnant tile,
and handmade tile.
ADDITIONAL FULL WALL CONCEPTS
Shown here to express color and wildlower inspiration.
TW 85.64 TW 65.e TW 65.64
PLAN PLAN
} CHAMFER TYP.
SEE PLAN SEE RAN
SEE PLAN SEE PLAN
MOSAIC SURFACE
FINISH - LL8.7 AND FINISH - LL8.7 AND
STAIR (N FRONT) STAIR (N FRONT)
VERTICAL SCORE JOINT, TYP BE VEKTICAL SCORE JONT TYH
California Poppy
Eschscholzia californica Shooting Star
Primula hendersonii
12-5*
MOSAIC SURFACE
761
[TW 65.64 ANIEK I TW 65.61
TWN656
E PLANTI
PLAN
PLAN
* CHAMFER, TYP
CHAMFER, TYP
L8.6
SEE PLAN SEE PLAN
BLE PAN SEE PLAN
MOSAIC SURFACE
STAIR IN FRONT
VERTICAL SCORE JOINT TYP SECT VERTICAL SCORE JOINT, TYP Coastal Larkspur Baby Blue Eyes
Delphinium decorum Nemophila menziesii
COLOR PALATTE and SHAPES
INSPIRED BY NATIVE WILD FLOWERS
Baby Blue Eyes
Nemophila menziesii
Shooting Star
Primula hendersonii
Coastal Larkspur
Delphinium decorum
California Goldfields
Lasthenia californica
California Poppy
Eschscholzia californica
Valley Popcornflower
Plagiobothrys canescens
INSPIRATION
28TH ST
-28* ST-
Floral Mosaic: Nancy Blum
Abstraction: Swimming pool, Karl-
Liebknecht-Gymnasium, Germany
Texture: Jane Puylagarde
KALA STEIN
STUDIO
C 585-490-1019
X [email protected]
• @kalasteindesign
• www.kalastein.com
• 148 East Napa Street
Sonoma, CA 95476