Call Description

Project Description

The City of Lee’s Summit Arts and Culture Division seeks to commission a visual artist, or artist team, to design a digital mural that will be printed on 2 large exterior vinyl banners for public view. The mural installation will be visible to traffic on 2nd street and to guests parking in our free City Hall parking garage in Downtown Lee’s Summit. This will be a highly photographic area due to the project’s size and location. The design is meant to welcome and invite the community and its visitors to Lee’s Summit. The selected artist will be responsible for producing all images. The images will be printed on vinyl and displayed side by side on the facade of the City Hall Parking Garage. Each banner is 16 feet wide and 20 feet high. The selected artist will be responsible for preparing high-resolution digital images for print. Final dimensions will be determined upon the final design of the murals’ hanging system. The printing and installation of the digital design will be the responsibility of Lee’s Summit Cultural Arts. Artists may create one digital design to be printed across all panels or create a series of designs to be printed on each panel. This project is expected to be a long-term temporary work with a display period of 3-5 years, the length of the display period will be determined by Lee’s Summit Arts and Culture.

The artists must be residents within 65 miles of Lee's Summit, MO

Project Theme

Lee’s Summit began as an agricultural community with thriving orchards and farms that utilized the railroad as a means to connect produce and livestock to urban communities across the state. Today, Downtown Lee’s Summit is known as one of America’s Great Neighborhoods, known for its local shops, dining and overall welcoming community. This mural will sit directly in front of Green Street which transforms the concept of the town square and will serve as a major gathering center for the community through daily activities and events, markets, restaurants and living spaces. The vision for this mural project is to highlight and pay homage to Lee’s Summit’s community, agricultural history, native landscapes and/or cultural heritage of the community in way that is artistic, vibrant and welcoming.  

The mural must have the following text: Welcome to Lee’s Summit.

Total Artist Stipend - $3,000

The selected artist will receive an all-inclusive commission fee of $3,000 following the submission of final images to the printer. Lee’s Summit Cultural Arts will be responsible for printing and installing the final digital design.

Selection Process

Round 1: Call for Artists and Panel Review

The City of Lee’s Summit Cultural Arts Specialist, in conjunction with the City of Lee’s Summit Cultural Commission, will convene a selection panel to evaluate eligible submissions. Selection panels are comprised of area project stakeholders and community members. The Selection Panel will review proposals and qualifications and will select up to three artist or artist teams as finalists.  

Round 2: Final Design Selection.

The three finalists will meet with the project team and selection panel to discuss the project scope. Artists will present any conceptual renderings of the mural or discuss with the committee how they will work to create a final concept. Artist or artist teams would be pad $300 for their concepts. Panel will meet to deliberate and select the winning proposal. The selected proposal will be presented to the Lee’s Summit Cultural Commission for approval before notifying artist and drafting of a contract. All contracts subject to approval by the City Manager or Lee’s Summit City Council.

Timeline and Benchmark Dates

(All dates are subject to change.)

·        RFQ opens March 1, 2026

·        RFQ closes March 22,2026

·        Finalists Selected: late March

·        Finalists' meetings with Selection Panel: Early April

·        Commissioned artist selected: Early April

·        The design graphics due to KC Custom Signs for printing April 14, 2026

·        Vinyl Banners to be installed by May 31, 2026

Application Requirements

Application Requirements

Round 1: Request for Qualifications Submission Materials

Please upload and submit the following information to Lee’s Summit Cultural Arts via the application portal link no later than April 1, 2026. Submissions received after this deadline will not be considered. Lee’s Summit Cultural Arts reserves the right to conduct on-site or telephone interviews to clarify submission materials as needed. Hard copies or emailed submittals will not be accepted. If you require accessible options for submission please email LSAC@cityofls.net or call 816-969-1028.

Letter of Intent, up to 1 page

• Articulate your interest and/or experience in public art design, fabrication, and/or project collaboration.
• Summarize your experience in developing and/or executing creative projects of this scope in the public realm in the Kansas City metropolitan area (if applicable) and beyond (e.g. site-responsive art pieces or projects, interactive and participatory artworks, multimedia projects, creative placemaking events, festival, etc.)

Professional References, 3 references, up to 1 page

• Listing three professional references of recently completed projects.
• Please include contact information including name, commissioning entity, commissioned piece or project title, phone, email, and address.

Brief Resume or Biographical Information, up to 2 pages

• Artist’s Experience: List your professional experience including any relevant commissions, residencies, exhibitions, collaborations, and projects involving the community and work in the public sector.
• Experience working with organizations, institutions, developers, locally and beyond.

Work Samples (Images, Video, Audio, or Multi-Media)

• Provide samples of relevant body of work that demonstrates mastery in at least one artistic medium relevant to the project. Attach up to 10 images and/or up to 5 video files. Work samples do not need to be solely of digital murals.
• Please include the following information as applicable: title, year made, materials, dimensions, budget, commissioning agency, and location.
• JPEG image or PDF format only, no more than 1200 pixels on the longest side, less than 5MB in size per image.

Evaluation Criteria

The Selection Panel will use the following evaluation criteria to select an artist or artist team:  

• Artistic Excellence: Works of art in the portfolio are original, innovative, of exceptional quality, and enduring value.
• Relevant prior experience: The artist has created projects of a similar scale and budget and has experience coordinating with multiple stakeholders; or is jointly submitting the qualifications of a collaborator that has created such projects and has such experience.
• Clear understanding of the project: Works of art in the portfolio indicate that the artist is likely to be sensitive to the social, economic, cultural, historical, and physical context of the site and the surrounding neighborhood, either existing or planned.
• Ability to meet the project timeline and project budget. The applicant understands the scope of the project and is capable of completing the project within the timeline and budget included in this call.

Eligibility Criteria

This public art opportunity is open to professional visual artists and artist teams residing in the United States and at least 18 years of age. We are seeking experienced public artists and artist teams with backgrounds in a variety of mediums specific to this project site. All applicants submitting a design for consideration should possess an understanding of, or experience with, outdoor installation that considers the climate and ecosystem specific to Missouri (high winds, hail, extreme hot and cold temperatures, humidity, etc.). Applicants should have experience executing ideas from concept to completion and meeting a specified budget and timeline. Previous experience working in the public realm and with a public agency is preferred. Experience involving community members in the visioning and creation of artwork is also preferred. Finalists must be able to attend a virtual interview and presentation of design. Full-time, permanent City of Lee’s Summit, Missouri employees, project consultants, project contractors, and their employees and sub-contractors are ineligible to apply.