Open call for Artists
$3,000 Mural Competition!
Mural will be in the City of Easthampton on a downtown brick wall.
Easthampton City Arts
invites artists and/or arts groups to submit a proposal for a mural to be created at 71-77 Cottage Street on the brick wall facing the public parking lot. Funds for the creation of this mural have been awarded Easthampton City Arts by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Local businesses may also help support this project.
Design and produce a painted mural with a minimum size of 500 square feet on the brick wall facing the public parking lot at
71-77 Cottage Street and appropriately treat and/or seal the mural for outdoor longevity of a minimum of 10 years. The brick wall will be cleaned and primed by Easthampton City Arts prior to the execution of the mural. The wall is approximately 1,000 square feet.
NOTE: The upper windows may not be painted over. The left bottom window (which is boarded up) is not part of the mural; it will remain advertising space for the adjoining business. The other three boarded up windows may be included in the mural. However, it is possible that they may be transformed into actual windows over the next few years; therefore, any artwork needs to be self-contained with the overall mural able to stand alone if these three sections are replaced with windows.
Content/Theme
The mural should be highly colorful and visible to pedestrians and traffic coming down Cottage Street from the mountain side of Route 141. The theme of the mural is open. The artwork should enhance the building and surrounding environment as well as represent the artistic vitality of Easthampton.
Who
Individual artists, muralists, and art groups who live or work in the PioneerValley are encouraged to apply.
Ownership of Image
Easthampton City Arts will jointly own the copyright of the image along with the artist.
Payment
Easthampton City Arts will pay an artist stipend of $3,000, which includes material costs. $500 of the stipend for supplies will be paid upon signed contract; the remainder will be paid upon completion of the mural.
Timeline
All proposals must be received by 3:00 PM on Wednesday, December 12, 2007.
Notification of results of submissions on Wednesday, December 19, 2007.
Mural, including all sealing, is to be completed by Friday, June 20, 2008.
How
Submit in one package to: Easthampton City Arts, c/o Ellen Koteen, 50 Payson Avenue, Easthampton, MA01027. (Faxed or email submissions will not be accepted.)
1. A color drawing to scale of your proposed imagery for the mural including text that details materials and weatherproofing that you willbe using.
2. Resume(s) and contact information (Artist groups: identify one project manager). Provide your name, address, telephone number, email address and website address if you have a website.
3. Examples of previous work: photos,slides or high-qualitycolor printer outputs (no disc file images).
4. Background information about your art work and/or your group not included above.
5. One page proposal statement about your design (describe design elements) that includes research you may have done on the characteristics of the neighborhood or the city and any input you may have received from local groups or individuals.
6. Self-addressed stamped envelope for return of materials (or they will not be returned!).
Selection
Proposals will be reviewed and chosen by a Jury Committee consisting of members of the Easthampton City Arts Coordinating Committee, the owner(s) of the building, and 2 other artists. The Jury Committee will consider each submission without knowing the name of the individual or group who made the submission.
Easthampton City Arts reserves the right to reject any proposal which, in its judgment, fails to meet the requirements of this Call to Artists or which is incomplete, conditional, or obscure; or which contains irregularities; or in which errors occur; or if determined to be in the best interest of Easthampton City Arts to do so. Easthampton City Arts reserves the right to waive minor discrepancies or permit a proposer to clarify such discrepancies and so conduct discussions with all qualified proposers in any manner necessary to serve the best interests of Easthampton City Arts. Easthampton City Arts may wish to discuss with the artist some revision of the proposed mural before design selection occurs and/or before design is executed.
Artists will be required to enter into a contract with the City of Easthampton to ensure that the project is completed on schedule according to budget and according to the chosen proposal.
Please note: There may be a few local qualified artists willing to assist in the painting process if requested by the artist.
For more information about Easthampton City Arts, see its website at www.easthamptoncityarts.com. For questions about this Call to Artists, email Briana Taylor, Community Outreach Coordinator for Easthampton City Arts, at info@easthamptoncityarts.com.
