Call Description

The Golden Triangle Creative District (GTCD) invites Colorado based artists and/or artists teams to apply for this year’s “COLORCON Mural Festival 2023”, a live mural painting event.

COLORCON is a musical and artistic mural event that moves throughout the GTCD community. Pushing boundaries, re-imagining spaces/alleyways as iconic destinations, and making art accessible to all. Built by the community and for the community. 

COLORCON seeks to highlight and celebrate public spaces in unconventional ways, re-think art, inspire creative entrepreneurship and beautify the GTCD parking lots and alleyways in downtown Denver.

https://www.instagram.com/coloradocolorcon/?hl=en

2023 Mural Festival Theme 

For this year, our theme is “Celebrating Local Icons Past & Present” (CLIPP). 

The GTCD Selection Committee is calling for artists who are interested in celebrating and highlighting Denver’s  iconic “People of Color”, individuals who have come from Denver and/or lived in Denver, or who made a significant impact in Denver in the past or present time. 

We are interested in working with artists who can create diverse and cohesive representational or figurative images, or a grouping of significant people of color from the past and present. Murals are to be painted on outdoor walls with colorful paint and/or black and white paints that give a good portrait likeness of such represented people(s) who could be memorialized in a mural form for exterior setting. 

Examples and Categories: 

Civil Rights Activists - Caesar Chavez; Adolfo “Corky” Gonzales; Wellington E. Webb, former Mayor of Denver; Edna Mosley, City Council Representative; John Mosley, former Lt. Col Tuskegee Airman; Dolores Huerta; Rachel B. Noel

Musicians - India Arie; Phillip Bailey

Athletes - Chauncy Billups; Carmello Anthony

Film Industry - Douglas Fairbanks; Hattie McDaniel; Don Cheadle; Pam Greer; Golda Mier 

Artists: Jess DuBois, recently deceased 87 year old renowned painter from Five Points neighborhood & Lincoln Hills

The Selection Committee is currently soliciting applications for this year’s mural festival based on some of the suggestions above. We are open to other suggestions of significant people of color from artists/muralist, if selected as a finalist for this year’s COLORCON.

Appropriate & Unique 

The Selection Committee seeks a unique, one-of-a-kind mural for this year’s COLORCON Mural Festival 2023.

Location

The Denver Westword parking lot at 1278 Lincoln St. and the Art Garage wall that faces the Westword Building are being considered.      

*Sites will be confirmed with selected artists 

Budget

A total mural budget of $1,500.00 per artist is available for this opportunity.

All finalists are expected to stay within the budget and to complete work in an approved time frame.

*Material & equipment will be provided to commissioned artists if selected for this mural festival. 

Materials and Media 

The Selection Committee is open to artwork in 2 dimensional that are appropriate to this exterior location(s). Projects should not obstruct the right of way, impede the flow  of vehicular traffic. 

Durability and Maintenance

All public art projects in Colorado are exposed to weather and physical stresses and are subject to vandalism and should be fabricated of highly durable, low-maintenance materials. 

Tentative Timeline 

• June 25, 2023: Deadline Date for Application Entry (via CAFÉ system) 

• June 26th - June 30, 2023: Selection Committee Review of Applications & Selection of Finalists

 • July 1-3, 2023: Artists are notified if selected for this year's COLORCON

• July 2023: Contract Phase, Concept Development & Site Visit(s). 

• August 21st - August 26th, 2023: Mural Installations 

• August 26th – COLORCON 2023 Mural & Music Festival 

Selection Process 

Up to five artists/artist teams will be selected as semi-finalists and will receive $1,500.00 stipend to develop a concept proposal for further consideration. Semi-finalists will receive more specific information regarding the site and have the opportunity to meet with the Selection Committee during a site visit, develop a concept design and install a mural at the designated site(s). 

Questions about the Project: 

Please contact Mary Valdez, Public Art Program Manager if you have any questions and/or concerns at maryv9585@gmail.com 

Application Requirements

Materials to be Submitted 

Please read the following sections carefully. Incomplete applications will NOT be considered without exception. 

The applicant's name must appear on all materials submitted. All materials must be submitted online, via the CaFÉ™ website (www.callforentry.org). There is no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system.

Digital Images (current & past murals): 

To be considered for this project, the applicant must electronically submit up-to eight digital images of previously completed artworks/murals through the CaFə system. Instructions on how to format images to CaFəspecifications can be found at http://www.callforentry.org/imaging_tips.phtml. Assistance in using the CaFəsystem is available during regular business hours by calling 303-629-1166 or 1-888-562-7232, or e-mail cafe@westaf.org.

Statement of Interest: 

Please submit a statement of interest that briefly outlines your interest in the COLORCON 2023 Mural Festival. Include current and past mural project development and experience working on such projects of this kind (2000 character maximum) via CaFÉ™. 

Résumé/CV: 

Submit a one-to two-page current résumé or CV, via CaFÉ™ that highlights your professional accomplishments as an artist, including any prior public art experience. Please name your résumé file accordingly: Last name. First initial (i.e. Smith.J.doc). Résumés over two pages will not be downloaded. If applying as a team, please submit one résumé with one to two pages per team member.

Eligibility Criteria

Local artists/muralist 

*preferably artist that have not obtained a prior COLORCON commission in past mural event.