Call Description

Background 

The City of Grand Junction is known as the gateway and regional center of Western Colorado because of its location between the Rocky Mountains and the desert. Grand Junction boasts a strong cultural community and is the home of Colorado Mesa University, Museums of Western Colorado, the Art Center of Western Colorado, the Western Colorado Botanical Gardens, the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, and Downtown Grand Junction’s nationally-known Art on the Corner exhibit with over 100 sculptures.  

The region is widely recognized for its many vineyards and orchards, its abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities, the majestic Grand Mesa, the desert vistas and rock formations of the Colorado National Monument and Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area, and the confluence of the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers.   

Through the City’s 1% for the Arts Public Art Program, the City continues to create aesthetic urban environments by facilitating the display and acquisition of high-quality works of art in public spaces.  

The City’s Cultural Strategic Plan calls to build the Grand Junction area as an arts destination for public art, enhancing Grand Junction’s cultural identity and sense of community pride. (Learn more about the area.) 

Learn more about the Community Recreation Center 

Project Description 

The City of Grand Junction and the Grand Junction Commission on Arts and Culture are seeking an artist and/or graphic designer to create an original mural design for the Natatorium at the new Community Recreation Center. The design should include water elements and utilize the color palettes in the site details of this call. The final submission will be a digital design file that will be printed and installed by another vendor.  

Composition 

The design must be original and the context must be socially acceptable. The artwork’s appearance and visual relationships with the surrounding environment shall also be considered. Artwork which conflicts with local values or is determined to not be in the public interest will not be approved. The design should adhere to the highest standards of quality, timelessness, permanence, and general appeal, and should have relevance aesthetically to the community in the present and in future years. 

The artwork(s) should:  

• Provide excitement and interest for visitors and residents of the community
• Utilize and complement the Zone 2: Water and Interior Paint Palettes in the site details (page 2 & 3 of document).
• Have a water feel and/or utilize scaled details of native fish of the Colorado River
• Be an original creation by the artist(s) or graphic designer(s)

Specific dimensions of the walls can be found in the site details on page 1. 

The area for this mural will be in the Natatorium at the entrance to the locker rooms. As shown in the site details on pages 1, 4, 5, & 6, the outer wall will be where the designed vinyl will be installed, and inside the windows will be where the designed tile will be installed. 

There are two approaches the artist and/or graphic designer may take: 

1. Create one full design that will cover the entire wall area and tile area. The tile area will be cut out from the full design to be printed and installed on tile.
2. Create two designs, one for the wall area, and the other for the tile area. These two designs must complement each other and work together to create one cohesive design.

Location 

The Community Recreation Center will be located at Matchett Park, 2836 Recreation Way. 

Eligibility 

The project is open to all artists, age 21 and over, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, military status, sexual orientation, marital status, or physical or mental disability. Preference points may be given to local Colorado artists.  

Artists must be able to show images of original creations similar in size and theme to this project. Selection will be based on past artwork experience, building experience, style, concept, ability to comply with the timeline, and references.  

Budget 

The budget for this project cannot exceed $2,000 for the full area of the wall and tile. If selected, the artists(s) and/or graphic designer(s) are responsible for all costs involved in the digital design and delivery of a vector file (AI, EPS, or SVG) or if submitting a photo, an image of at least 150 to 300 DPI at its final size. 

Deadline 

Submission deadline is May 30, 2025 

Timeline 

• May 30, 2025 – Deadline for applications
• June 6-25, 2025 – Artist Selection Panel will review applications
• June 27, 2025 – Artists notified
• July 16, 2025 – Digital design files delivered to City

The installation timeline is tentative, and adjustable based on construction and artists timeline. 

Selection Process 

The selection panel will consist of representatives from the City of Grand Junction and the Grand Junction Commission on Arts & Culture. 

The committee will review all artist submissions and make their selection from the initial submissions. 

Upon selection, the artist(s) and/or graphic designer(s) will be responsible for delivering the digital design file with the following specifications to the City: 

• A vector file (AI, EPS, or SVG) or
• If you are submitting a photo, it must be at least 150 to 300 DPI at its final size.

Application Requirements

Artists interested in this project must prepare and submit the following. Incomplete applications missing any of the following may be excluded from consideration: 

Letter of Interest - not to exceed one (1) page. A letter explaining interest in the project and including pertinent information about the artist’s/team’s approach and projects of a similar nature.  

Resume - not to exceed two (2) pages listing professional artistic accomplishments, contact information, education or other relevant information, and current contact information for at least two references.  

Proposal – Include a one (1) page description explaining your design. 

Proposed Digital Design Sketch(es) (These do not need to be the fully rendered design files that will be required upon selection). 

Images of Original Representative Work - not to exceed five (5) images. All images must be .JPG or .JPEG files. Images must not be larger than 1024 x 768 pixels and no larger than 1mb. Each image file name must be formatted as follows: number corresponding to the number on the image list (e.g. 01.title.jpg or 01.title.jpeg).  

Unless otherwise noted, all other files must be in .PDF format (e.g. name.letter.pdf, name.resume.pdf, name.proposal.pdf, name.imagelist.pdf, etc.). 

Eligibility Criteria

The project is open to all artists, age 21 and over, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, military status, sexual orientation, marital status, or physical or mental disability. Preference points may be given to local Colorado artists.  

Artists must be able to show images of original creations similar in size and theme to this project. Selection will be based on past artwork experience, building experience, style, concept, ability to comply with the timeline, and references.