The University Library at California State University, Northridge, (CSUN) has developed a comprehensive land acknowledgment action plan, in solidarity with the CSUN Office of the President’s land acknowledgment, which was approved by the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians (FTBMI).

As part of this plan, the University Library is seeking an artist to create a mural celebrating the Tataviam.  The mural will be installed on an existing curved wall in a prominent space in the Library for optimal visibility and appreciation.  The size of the mural will be approximately 10 feet high by 25 feet long.

The mural will be aligned with the University Library’s commitment to honor the land upon which it stands.  This land, known as the Sesevenga, is the historic and unceded territory of the Sesevitam.  The descendants of the first inhabitants of this land continue to live in the area as citizens of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians.

The selected artist will be asked to coordinate a series of three public events over the course of one year, in consultation with the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians.  A commemorative plaque will be installed near the mural with a brief description of the art and artist attribution.

 About the Library: The CSUN University Library is a creative, instructional space, providing students and others with not only relevant collections but also transformative information literacy education, innovative physical and virtual spaces, and diverse educational and cultural programming in support of student success, faculty scholarship, staff resource needs, and the greater CSUN community. 

Application Requirements

The artist must use the Call for Entry submission platform. 

The following is required for consideration as a completed proposal:

1. Contact information: Name, address, telephone number, email address.
2. Resume/CV for lead artist.
3. Written artist statement describing the artistic vision and proposal (5,000 character limit).
4. Proposed installation timeline.
5. Estimated budget: Range from $25,000 to $50,000.
6. The artist should envision incorporating community or student engagement in the design and/or installation process, in consultation with the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians. We welcome those ideas and suggestions, as our desire is to use the mural process for public engagement to the fullest extent possible.
7. Examples of past work, either attached as a PDF or with a shared web address to a digital portfolio.
8. References (Minimum of 2).
9. Artist website may be included as part of application.

Following review of artist proposals, selected finalists will be asked to provide compositions to explain the artistic vision, providing 5-7 proposed images.  Images should be to scale, JPG only, 72 DPI, maximum 5MB per file; submitted images files must include the title of the image, size, materials and a brief description.

Eligibility Criteria

This call is open to all artists. The successful candidate must be eligible to work in the United States, and be age 18 or older.