CALL TO ARTISTS!
2019 Artist Mural Project - City of Auburn, WA

Eligibility: This is an invitational call to artists residing in the King and Pierce Counties of Washington State.

Deadline: Required materials submitted for consideration by 10:59 p.m. on April 26, 2019.

Project Budget: $10,000 inclusive of materials.

Project Summary
The City of Auburn is seeking an artist or artist team to create a mural on the two surfaces on the underpass of the bridge located on F Street SE between 4th Street SE and 5th Street SE. The location is located between Auburn High School and the Auburn Community Center and Les Gove Park, and we would welcome community engagement and volunteer participation if desired by the artist.

The artwork will transform this large gray concrete walls to a colorful featured artwork and be a graffiti deterrent. The mural will be a visible artwork for the community and downtown visitors for many years to come. Murals activate spaces and are a forceful artistic element that draws attention.  The general visitor to the downtown core, will not know the history of the creation, but rather just see a vibrant and energetic mural adding to the downtown core excitement. 

The selected artist will create the mural design with the input and approval from the Arts Commission and City Staff. The artist will also determine the logistics as well as pre-sketch the design to accommodate volunteer participation if desired by the artist and Arts Staff. If volunteer participation in the mural creation, the artist will do final touch-ups to ensure a quality results. The project completion will move forward pending final City Council budget approval in April 2019.

The final size and configuration of the mural will be determined during a site meeting, but each side will be approximately 85’ in length and 13’ in height. The artist will be responsible to provide all supplies, materials, labor and volunteer management to complete the project. 

Eligibility

• Applicant must live within King or Pierce Counties
• Applicant cannot be a member of the Auburn Arts Commission or a City of Auburn employee

Proposal/Design Guidelines:

• Designs must be appropriate for display in public spaces and viewing by a general audience
• Designs should not aim to blend into the surrounding streetscape, but should stand out artistically to the passers by
• Designs cannot include political or religious content; any breach of intellectual property; trademarks; images of illegal activity; advertisements; logos; signage; promotion of any business, organization, individual, or product; or involve the attachment of objects to the boxes
• All designs will be subject to review and approval by Arts Program staff

Selection Criteria

Artist designs will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Artistic quality of submitted designs and past work samples
• Appropriateness of artwork in scale and imagery to be visually effective
• Ability to relate to multiple types of viewers (pedestrians, motorists, cyclists)

Project Timeline

• Artist applications deadline: 10:50 p.m. on April 26, 2019
• City Council to approve the project budget - April, 2019
• Contract Phase I - Artist(s) selected by City of Auburn staff and Arts Commission
• Contract Phase II - Final designs submitted and approved by May/June, 2019
• Contract Phase III – Artist to paint mural by Summer, 2019 

Application Materials

• A statement/letter of interest
• A resume listing prior experience with murals
• Up to three proposed designs (rough sketches - will be finalized in more detail and discussed after artist selection) saved in JPEG or PDF format.
• Images of past work that indicated ability to successfully complete the mural project (up to 7 images in JPEG or PDF format)
• Website or digital images the showcase your artwork.

Questions?

Contact Allison Hyde, Arts Coordinator, at ahyde@auburnwa.gov or 253-804-5043.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria