The City of Arvada’s Arts & Culture Commission is seeking qualifications from visual artists currently living in Colorado to design and paint a mural on a city-owned site.

The Arvada Arts & Culture Commission seeks to expand Arvada’s art footprint throughout the city. The Arvada Arts & Culture Commission is seeking an artist/artist team to design and paint a mural at the Garrison St. underpass at approximately 5890 Garrison St in Arvada. The site is along Ralston Creek Trail, in an underpass along a community trail and footpath with access to Arvada’s parks and trail systems.

The wall has a square footage of 1,527. Please see the attached photos for more information. The selected artist/s will be awarded a contract in the amount of $38,175 for all phases of the project which includes all necessary elements to successfully design and paint the mural. The Arvada Arts and Culture Commission will fund and supply protective graffiti coating to protect the completed mural. 
 

Applicants must be 18 years or older and hold a current Colorado home or studio address to be eligible to apply. 

This mural location began as a proposal from the Flower Street Folks Neighborhood Group to bring public art to this underpass as a way to increase connection and reduce loneliness. They hope the mural builds a stronger sense of neighborhood identity and pride. The residents of the neighborhood would like to participate in the painting of the mural through an artist-led interactive element, such as a community painting day where residents may fill in areas of the mural.

The mural concept should highlight its Ralston Creek location and include educational elements about ecosystem health and conservation. 

The Arvada Arts & Culture Commission will review and select up to four finalists based on their resumes and previous work examples. These finalists will be asked to complete a full proposal for their concept for this mural site. The finalists who are not awarded the commission will be given an honorarium of $250 for their completion of the full proposals for the mural site. The artist/s selected for the commission will be awarded a contract for $38,175 from the City of Arvada to complete the mural project.

This mural project is open to various 2-dimensional concepts including representational and non-representational imagery. The Neighborhood Group requests the mural highlight one or more of the following concepts:

The history of Arvada 

The beauty of Ralston Creek

The natural ecosystem that surrounds the park. 

An interactive element so that residents can participate in the creation of the mural.

Budgets are inclusive of all costs associated with the mural, including, but not limited to, materials, artist design fee, installation labor, travel, per diem expenses, project documentation, equipment rental, unexpected expenses, and any other costs related to the creation of the mural.

To apply: This call is administered through Call for Entry (CaFE). Artists must set up a profile in the online system to complete the application successfully. Eligible artists may submit their artist statement, resume/CV, and three to five examples of relevant projects through CallforEntry.org.

Project Considerations 

- Develop and paint a mural artwork.

- Design a work that fits well into the context of the site and meets the desires of the neighborhood community.

- Use materials that are of the highest quality that are designed for durability and low maintenance .

- Complete project within the set timeline and within budget.

- The artist agrees to participate in any press or media opportunities as they arise, such as print, interviews, discussions, and presentations as deemed necessary by the Arvada Arts & Culture Commission or City of Arvada.

- The artist will not be responsible for the general maintenance of the artwork once completed but agrees to be available after services have been completed for repair consultation if needed.

Timeline

Questions submitted by June 27

Deadline to apply 11:59 PM July 3

Painting to be completed by September 2024

Application Requirements

This call is administered through Call for Entry (CaFE). Artists must set up a profile in the online system to complete the application successfully. Eligible artists may submit their artist statement, resume/CV, and three to five examples of relevant projects through CallforEntry.org.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be 18 years or older and hold a current Colorado home or studio address to be eligible to apply.