Artist Opportunities

RFQ: El Bloque de Oro (The Golden Block): Fall 2024 - Spring 2025 

Application deadline: September 29nd, 2024 11:59 p.m.

Timeline: October 2024 – April 2025 Pay: $15,000 Artist fee

Submit your application by 11:59 p.m. EST by September 29nd, 2024 through this link.

If you have any questions, please contact Emily Crane at emily.crane@muralarts.org.

Introduction:

Mural Arts’ Color Me Back (CMB) program is seeking artists to apply for a project to take place over the Fall ‘24 – Spring ‘25 (October 2024 – April 2025).

The goal of this project is to engage the CMB program, HACE and the surrounding community in a series of artistic enhancements for the North 5th Street business corridor between Lehigh and Somerset Avenue. This corridor, known as El Bloque de Oro (the Golden Block) is a vital hub for Philadelphia’s Latino community. Mural Arts will select a lead artist to partner with 6+ businesses (TBD) along the block and design enhancements for their storefronts. The artist may use paint, custom signage, mosaic, and other methods to activate the business storefronts. This project will help El Bloque de Oro shine as a welcoming, safe, and vibrant anchor for the wider community.

As part of the application, artists should write a short statement of no more than 500 words about their interest in this project. While applicants are welcome to use this section to suggest possible projects, it is not required and a proposal will be requested of artists who are selected for Phase II of the application process (see below of details). Applicants are encouraged to discuss why this project is of interest to them, and how it may fit with their work.
The project will take place for 6-7 months and will be based out of the Kensington Storefront Color Me Back Studio with the opportunity to work on site at the businesses as weather permits.

Background (full project description):

Since April of 2019, Mural Arts’ same day work and pay program, Color Me Back (CMB) has completed 13 large mural projects between both our Kensington Storefront and Suburban Station locations. The program is currently seeking artists to apply for this seven-month project with the Color Me Back (CMB) program for the Fall of 2024 through to Spring of 2025.

The goal of this project is to engage the CMB program and HACE in the creation of a new public art project in the North 5th Street business district while also beautifying El Bloque de Oro. The artist’s responsibilities will be to work with HACE, and the North 5th Street Business District to develop and facilitate a series of engagements with business and community members in the area that are geared towards gathering content to inform the concept and design of this series of public art.

The artist will design the project and prepare a presentation for the Mural Arts Design Review team including representatives from the businesses. Details about what to include in the presentation will be provided by the program manager.

Once designs are approved by the business owners, the artist will work with CMB program participants to execute the storefront enhancements. This will provide opportunity and relief to those in the immediate area. It will provide locals dealing with wage insecurity an opportunity to connect with the businesses in the community, learn valuable skills, and contribute to the beautification of the neighborhood through working with the CMB program. The artist will work directly with the CMB program participants and staff to produce and install the project. Interested applicants should be secure about working with participants who are experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, mental health challenges and substance use challenges as well as working with individuals with limited art-making experience. Mural Arts and representatives for the city’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disabilities Services (DBHIDS) will also be on site at the Kensington Storefront to work directly with program participants and support the project.

The project is slated to begin in the Fall of 2024 and be completed by Spring 2025. The artist will be expected to be on-site at the Kensington Storefront Studio a minimum of two days per week during program hours (Monday-Thursday 8:30-12:30pm) or on-site at 5th Street working with the businesses. Additional hours both during and after CMB program hours may be required to complete the project.

Background (El Bloque de Oro):

El Bloque de Oro, located in El Centro de Oro (the Golden Center), is the heart of Philadelphia’s Latino community. It’s home to third- and fourth- generation family businesses and the Feria del Barrio, an annual celebration of Latino art and culture. The corridor was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with several businesses closing, and the surrounding area has been impacted by the opioid epidemic. The resilience of El Bloque de Oro in the face of these challenges is a testament to the self-determination and solidarity of the people who live and work there. Bringing new beauty to its storefronts would help this crucial business corridor thrive.

MAP’s proposal is designed to honor the corridor’s identity by facilitating a collaboration between the arts and businesses. This project will result in updating the look of storefronts, increasing their visibility, and expressing the vibrancy of the neighborhood. This collaboration will present a durable, scalable, and cohesive enhancement to the look and feel of El Bloque de Oro. The project would begin in fall of 2024 and end in spring of 2025. With the guidance of HACE, MAP would connect an artist to small business people. The artist will collaborate with them to reinvigorate their storefronts with small murals, signage, and other decorations. These additions will help the businesses stand out with a fresh look and create a cohesive and vibrant identity for the block. Murals and other public art projects have been shown to discourage graffiti and improve foot traffic, so the benefit of these public art works will extend to the corridor as a whole.

Scope of Work:

The artists’ responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Develop a plan to engage community members and in conjunction with the North 5th Street business district to gather content and feedback about what types of things they might want to see done to reinvigorate the storefronts
• Develop a plan to engage the CMB program participants in art-making experiences geared towards teaching different techniques/skills and use that engagement to help advance production.
• Develop a design that takes into account the following challenges:
  • Creating a series of installations for 6+ businesses that is both cohesive and allows for the businesses’ individuality to shine through
  • Creating enhancements that both beautify and express the vibrancy of the neighborhood and take into consideration pre existing artwork in the neighborhood
  • Creating a design and a production plan that allows for the community members to complete the work while working in the CMB program
• Prepare for the Mural Arts design review process by creating a presentation for the Design Review team and representatives from each of the businesses.
• Working with Mural Manager, Mat Tomezsko to oversee the day-to-day work of producing the project with CMB program participants who are responsible for the majority of the painting/production. This includes teaching participants fabrication techniques required as part of the design and being flexible about working in challenging environments and with individuals with minimum experience.
• Work with CMB to build/produce all elements of this project.

Budget

Artist Fee – $15,000 Payments will be as follows:

• $2,500 for 4 weeks of engagement workshops w/ HACE and business owners
• $2,500 for the design approval
• $2,500 for Submission of a production plan – workshops w/ CMB program (Minimum of 2 days per week)
• $2,500 for 50% completion
• $5,000 for 100% Completion/Dedication by April 2025
• Supply Budget – $9,000 (Managed by Mural Arts)
• Supplies – approximately $1,500 per site for 6 small businesses (this is to cover all paint, sundries, vinyl, etc. and all other materials required to complete this project)

Project Timeline

• Project begins end of October/early November 2024 (Engagements)
  • Attend partner workshops @ HACE on 10/29 & 10/31
• December 2024/January 2025 – Design Review (TBD)
• February-March 2025 – Production begins
• April 2025 – Completion / Dedication event

Selection Process

This selection process will require the completion of two separate phases. The first phase includes submitting the application materials (details listed below). All application materials will be reviewed by:

1. Color Me Back Program Manager, Emily Crane
2. Mural Manager, Mat Tomezsko.

The second phase of the selection process will include short zoom interviews with the top 4-5 candidates and submitting a short proposal with your ideas for enhancements along El Bloque de Oro considering the budget and scope of this project. Proposals will be reviewed by:

1. CMB program staff
2. Community partners, HACE.

Details about the second phase of the application process including compensation for the proposal will be provided during the phone interviews. The final selections will be approved by:

1. Porch Light Program Director, Nadia Malik
2. Mural Arts Founder & Executive Director, Jane Golden
3. Community partners, HACE.

Application/Interview Timeline:

• August 2024: Application released
• September 29nd, 2024: Application deadline
• September 30th-October 2nd: Applications reviewed and top 4-5 selected and contacted for Zoom interviews
• October 2nd-7th: Interviews Conducted and candidates asked to complete proposals (Phase I)
• October 14th: Proposals due (Phase II)
• October 14-18th: Proposals reviewed with partners
• October 21st: Applicants will be notified of decision

Qualifications

We are looking for artists with the following qualifications:

• Availability of a minimum of two days per week, Monday to Thursday, between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., to facilitate workshops and oversee production with the CMB program
• Availability outside of CMB program hours also required
• Experience in designing, planning for the production of, and painting projects in challenging environments
• Experience working in a hands-on way with program participants such as those in Color Me Back
• Spanish speaker preferred but not required

Application:

Applications must include the following to be considered:

• Contact Information:
• Name
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Mailing address
• Artist Interest Statement (no more than 500 words) explaining why you are interested and a good fit for this project
• CV/Resume
• Work Samples, including role/title and description of each sample submitted (Website may be submitted as supplemental material)
• 2-3 Work related references

Submit your application by 11:59 p.m. EST by September 29nd, 2024 through this link. If you have any questions, please contact Emily Crane at emily.crane@muralarts.org.

Sharswood: A Place in Time Webb Plaza Mural Panel Project 

Posting Date: August 23, 2024

Application deadline: October 6, 2024 11:59 p.m.

Artist fee: $8,000 for community engagement, planning and design (see Artist Fee section for further details)
Department: Community Murals

**If you have applied to the general Sharswood RFQ and Sanctuary Farm RFQ, you will be automatically considered for this project and only need to provide a letter of interest.

For questions or concerns, please contact at sahiti.bonam@muralarts.org

Introduction

Mural Arts Philadelphia is seeking an artist for a new project at Webb Plaza, 2077 Ridge Avenue, a public space that is part of a recently-constructed commercial development in the Sharswood neighborhood of North Philadelphia. The plaza is named after the Webb family, who had a prominent music business in the area. This is a signature project in a larger project in partnership with the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency to engage and create multiple public art projects in the Sharswood neighborhood.

The scope of this project will be to create eight small murals that together explore the history and dynamics of Sharswood. The murals will be produced on alumilite panels (a variety of approaches are possible) then installed on identified walls of buildings adjacent to Webb Plaza.

We are seeking an artist interested in storytelling about the cultural history and evolving social conditions in a neighborhood that reflects the last century of Black history in Philadelphia, as well as in helping to ignite a bustling commercial space and corridor, while involving the community in developing the creative vision.

About the Project

Mural Arts Philadelphia is partnering with the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency to invest in a variety of new public art projects in Sharswood over the next two years. These art projects are part of the area’s ongoing transformation occurring through the improvement of distressed public housing and the addition of new residences, shopping, community spaces and other resources.

Mural Arts is working with PHA as part of the Sharswood Blumberg Choice Neighborhoods Transformation Plan. Read more about the entire project here. Mural Arts has also received funding from the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Fund to fulfill its goals of developing and rehabilitating distressed neighborhoods for low- and moderate-income residents.

About Sharswood

Sharswood’s modern history can be traced to Philadelphia’s late nineteenth-century industrial era, when it was transformed from agricultural lands to a neighborhood of row houses for workers, many of them German immigrants, in the breweries that were built in the area to take advantage of water from the Schuylkill River.

About a century ago, the neighborhood was invigorated by the influx of Black Americans moving from the segregated South to seek work in Northern industrial cities, in the early years of what is now called the Great Migration. Ridge Avenue became a significant corridor for Black-American culture, rivaling areas like Harlem in New York and the Hill District in Pittsburgh, and Columbia Avenue (now Cecil B. Moore Avenue) became a bustling corridor of businesses serving Black Philadelphians.

From an artistic and cultural point of view, this time became known as Philadelphia’s Black Renaissance. But conditions in Sharswood were difficult. The neighborhood quickly became segregated and outside of the war years work could be hard to find. By the 1960s, when much of the nation was enjoying the benefits of the postwar economic expansion, Sharswood was experiencing some of the city’s worst housing conditions, highest rates of unemployment, poor educational attainment and a markedly lower average income.

Sharswood became a locus of action for racial and economic justice. In 1964, tensions between Black Philadelphians and the police erupted after officers attempted to intervene in a domestic dispute. Three days of unrest followed, with nearly 800 arrests and the destruction of nearly 200 properties, particularly on Columbia and Ridge Avenues. In 1965, following years of legal actions against Girard College’s whites-only policy, activists launched a months-long protest at the college and the state office building downtown, attracting Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in support and resulting in the integration for the school in 1968. (The “Cecil B. Moore Freedom Fighters” were commemorated in a mural completed in 2021.)

Community revitalization efforts began in this era, as well. In 1966, to improve neighborhood conditions, the Philadelphia Housing Authority built the Norman Blumberg Apartments, three towers surrounded by low-rise buildings on an eight-acre site along 23rd Street just south of Ridge Avenue.

However, as Philadelphia lost industrial jobs and population in the last third of the twentieth century, Sharswood was hard hit. Disinvestment took hold: businesses closed on Ridge Avenue, residents left and schools closed. Many of the families that remained in Sharswood, including those in Blumberg Apartments, were experiencing deep and sustained poverty.

Fifty years later, change is looming in Sharswood. In the last decade or so, Philadelphia has experienced reinvestment and population growth driven largely by its successful service, education, health and research sectors. Real estate investment pressures have reached Sharswood, advancing from Brewerytown to the west, Fairmount / Franklintown to the south, and the Temple University area to the east. Sharswood residents and business owners, whose resiliency sustained them through decades of disinvestment, are now facing pressures of displacement.

At the same time, the area surrounding Blumberg Apartments has been designated as a “Choice Neighborhood” by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) obtained a federal grant to develop a plan for using public and private funding to support locally-driven strategies in a comprehensive approach to neighborhood transformation, including the replacement of the Blumberg apartment towers with low-rise, mixed-income housing (one of the original towers, with housing for seniors, remains). Based on that plan, PHA subsequently received a HUD Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant, which will catalyze more than $300 million worth of “neighborhood, housing, and people” goals and strategies.

Those strategies include the creation of more than 600 units of housing (replacement public housing, low-income and market-rate rental, and workforce and market-rate homeownership units), on site of the former Blumberg Apartments and on property PHA acquired throughout the neighborhood, as well as rehabilitation of existing housing. They include neighborhood-focused items like a fully-realized Peace Park, a new Ridge Avenue Shopping Center and supermarket, and a small business incubator. Community residents will have access to resources for improving education, health, and job preparedness via new and continuing programs based at a workforce center in the former Vaux School.

Goals

The following are the core goals of this project:

• Explore and make visible the neighborhood’s stories – past, present, future – in collaboration with the community and the businesses at Webb Plaza
• Collect narratives and ideas through engagement with the community to develop a mural design
• Embrace the stories, voices and/or talents of community members in the creation and production of work
• Activate the space of Webb Plaza
• Support the efforts of the Philadelphia Housing Authority in implementing the Blumberg–Sharswood Choice Neighborhood Transformation Plan and to promote affordable housing choices in North Philadelphia, and the efforts of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency to revitalize distressed neighborhoods.

Scope of Work, Budget and Schedule

This project involves the creation and installation of mini-murals on brick walls of buildings at Webb Plaza. The production of these murals can involve either of the following two options:

1. Paint or print on parachute cloth, then adhere the parachute cloth to alumilite panels
2. Paint directly onto the alumilite panels

In either case, the alumilite panels will be installed on the selected walls by contracted fabricators; installation will not be the responsibility of the artist.

The walls can accommodate eight to twelve, standard-sized alumilite panels (4 ft. by 8 ft.) The number of panels is dependent on the final artist’s creative direction.

The following are images and a site map of targeted walls. The red marked up boxes approximately address the areas of the panel location, which range from approximately 7 ft. by 9 ft. to 9 ft. by 10 ft. ft of exposed brick.

Building 1

Building 2

Webb Plaza Site Map

Artist Scope of Work

The following are the main responsibilities for the selected artist of the project:

• Conduct research as necessary to understand Webb Plaza and the project, and other considerations as necessary to inform the artistic approach
• Participate in ongoing community and stakeholder engagement activities, organized by the artist and/or Mural Arts
• Create designs for the mural, prepare the digital files necessary for presentation and design review
• Present concept to Mural Arts and to stakeholders
• Collaborate with Mural Arts production team on the best installation / production of the artwork / activation / installation methods that suit the artistic abilities
• Fulfill artist responsibilities within contracted budget and schedule

Mural Arts Scope of Work

The following are the main responsibilities for the Mural Arts project manager/s:

• To oversee and implement the project budget
• Order and manage supplies
• Coordinate community engagement meetings
• Provide any necessary information to the artist for the development of the project
• Contract for and oversee installation
• Problem solve for any project issues

Artist Fee

The artist fee for the planning, research, community engagement and design concept development will be $8,000. The artist fee for finalizing the designs and producing the mural will be negotiated when the artist’s role in the production is confirmed. Mural Arts has additional funds for materials, supplies, equipment, assistants and other costs.

Schedule

The following is the approximate schedule of this project:

• Application open: August 23, 2024
• Application deadline: October 6, 2024 at 11:59PM
• Semifinalist selection: October 11, 2024
• Semifinalist interviews: October 14 – 17
• Finalist selection: October 18, 2024
• Community engagement, research, and design concept development: October – December 2024
• Design stage: TBD
• Installation & production: TBD

Eligibility

This opportunity is open to artists based in the Philadelphia area who have a strong experience with community engagement, design/illustration and/or mural making, with an emphasis on storytelling. Community engagement and storytelling are the most important components of conceptualizing this project.

Artists with ties to Sharswood or nearby neighborhoods in North Philadelphia are especially encouraged to apply. Artists must be citizens of the U.S. or have U.S. work authorization.

**Artists who have already applied to the Sharswood artist roster will automatically be considered for this project. Artists who have not applied to be part of the roster will automatically be added, if they wish.

Selection Process

The following is the selection process of this project:

• RFQ application submission opens on August 23, 2024
• First round of applicant review by artist selection committee to select semi-finalists will be on October 11, 2024
• Interviews with semi-finalists will be conducted between October 14-17
• The final artist will be selected by October 18, 2024

Review of all applications by an artist selection committee that includes the following individuals:

• Philip Asbury, Director of Community Murals
• Sahiti Bonam, Community Murals Project Manager
• Todd Bressi, Mural Arts Curatorial Consultant
• Community stakeholders of Sharswood neighborhood
• Shift Capital, the property manager for Webb Plaza

Qualifications and Review Criteria

Artists will be considered for this project based on the following criteria:

• Strong experience in a narrative/storytelling approach through mural design
• Experience in learning/collecting/interpreting community history in a variety of forms (ie. collecting oral stories, secondary research, observing site/location)
• Their creative inspiration for the project
• Experience, technical skills and capacity in designing murals
• Alignment of interests and practice working within a deep, community-engaged process
• Specific affinity with Sharswood or general understanding / experience of communities with similar histories and circumstances in Philadelphia

Submission Requirements

All interested artists are to gather and submit the following:

• Contact information
  • First Name, Last Name
  • Address
  • Phone Number
  • Email
  • Website (if applicable)
  • Social Media Handles (if applicable)
• An artist statement (1-2 paragraphs), including
  • Description of your artistic practice, and how working on a project with the Sharswood community and Webb Plaza will build on and enhance your practice
  • A letter of your interest and creative inspiration in working on the Webb Plaza murals.
    **Please note, the letter is the only submission requirement for those who are on the general Sharswood RFQ artist roster.
• CV/Resume
• Examples of Artwork/Portfolio
  • Please provide 5-10 images of artwork in JPEG or PDF format of past public art projects, exhibition work, client work or personal work that show your capacity to produce a mural
• Provide a minimum two references who can speak to your creative practice and ability to take on a project like this. At least one reference should speak to your ability to work within a deep, community-engaged process.

Submission Instructions

Provide information about where submissions should be sent. Language below:
Artists interested in applying for this opportunity should collect the required materials above and submit your application using this link.

RFQ: Olney Transportation Center 

Olney Community Collaborative CDC, Septa

Application deadline: October 4th, 2024 11:59 p.m.

Pay: $40,000

Submit your application by 11:59 p.m. EST by October 4, 2024 through this link.

If you have any questions, please contact Ryan Strand Greenberg at ryanstrandgreenberg@gmail.com

1. Introduction

Mural Arts Philadelphia, Olney Community Collaborative CDC, and SEPTA are seeking to commission a mural by a Philadelphia-based artist or artist collective on the 3,348 square foot awning of the Olney Transportation Center, located at 5689 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19141. The ideal candidate will have previous experience working on community-driven public art projects that highlight local residents’ unique perspectives, histories, and goals. The artist will work with residents and youth to conceive the project’s mural design and include neighbors in at least one community paint day. We encourage experienced muralists to apply, especially residents of the surrounding neighborhoods or those who have experience working within Logan, Olney, or Oak Lane communities.

2. Background (full project description)

In partnership with SEPTA and Olney Community Collaborative CDC, the Special Projects Department at Mural Arts is seeking an artist or artist team to lead a nine-month community-building project that uplifts neighborhood voices in a permanent mural at Broad Street and Olney Avenue. Funded through the Philadelphia Department of Commerce, the 3,348 square-foot mural will span across the awning of the Olney Transportation Center, highlighting the neighborhood’s unique histories and aspirations in new, beautiful, and inspiring permanent public artwork. A secondary location on the 600 square-foot wall of The Pretzel Factory, 5600 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19141, will allow the artist to extend their vision and create a visual hub at the Broad and Olney intersection. We seek artists with experience working with organizational partners and community members in both the mural’s design and production phases. We encourage experienced muralists to apply, especially residents of the surrounding neighborhoods or those who have experience working within Logan, Olney, Fern Rock, or Oak Lane communities.

Throughout the fall, the artist(s) will host a series of community engagement sessions with students and residents to develop the key themes and/or narrative of the mural’s design. The artist(s) will create a proposed design for review and feedback from organizational partners and neighborhood stakeholders. In Spring 2025, the approved mural will be painted on parachute cloth by the artist(s), and the artist will host at least one community paint day for stakeholders to participate in the mural’s production. In the Spring/Summer of 2025, the artist will install the projects at the addresses noted above. The artist or artist team would be supported day to day by a Mural Arts project manager who will support the operational components of the project in both the development and production phases.

3. Scope of Work, Budget and Schedule

Scope of Work

The artist will be responsible for the following work:

• Attending project-related meetings and community input sessions
• Conducting independent research and developing a proposed mural design for review
• Incorporating stakeholder feedback into the project’s final design
• Participating in any media associated with the project
• Painting of the approved mural, including at least one community paint day
• Attendance at the mural dedication event and participation in any media related to the project

Mural Arts will be responsible for:

• Operational support for the overall project
• Project management, including contractual agreements, budgets, meeting schedules
• Public interpretation, including communications and public-facing outputs
• Event production support, including paint days and public dedications
• Liaison with partners SEPTA, Olney Community Collaborative CDC, and Commerce
• Archiving of project materials

Artist Fee and Budget

The total production budget is $93,000, inclusive of artist fees. One selected lead artist or artist team will be compensated $40,000 for their full participation in the project. This fee comprises all lead artist services associated with the project, including community engagement,production, and installation phases. The artist or collective will work directly with staff from Mural Arts to allocate the rest of the project funding, which will cover equipment and materials for the project, and assistant artists or third-party vendors to help install the approved artwork. In addition, Mural Arts provides administrative support in critical areas such as project management, communications, events, and photographic documentation.

4. Artist Selection Process

The Mural Arts Special Projects Department seeks artists with strong ties to Philadelphia’s Olney, Oak Lane, and Logan neighborhoods. Septa, Olney Community Collaborative CDC, and the staff of Mural Arts will review applications and prior work samples. A short list of candidates will be invited to an interview, held virtually, with project stakeholders betweenOctober 14-18, 2024. All applicants will be notified of the committee’s final decision by October 23, 2024.

Eligibility

The artistic team members should be based in the Philadelphia area and be available for in-person engagement from Fall 2024 through Summer 2025.

Qualifications and Review Criteria

We are looking for the following:

• Inspiring portfolio of past large-scale mural projects
• Proven track record of uplifting diverse community stories and aspirations through artmaking
• Preferred experience with community engagement, ideally in Oak Lane, Olney, Fern Rock, Logan
• Experience working with organizational partners

5. How to Apply

Preliminary Consultation / Information Meeting

Artists who are interested in submitting their qualifications are encouraged to contact Mural Arts with any questions about the project, its scope and requirements, or how to complete an application. Please contact Ryan Strand Greenberg at ryanstrandgreenberg@gmail.com.

Periodically, questions and answers of general interest will be posted to the Mural Arts website where this RFP is posted: https://www.muralarts.org/for-artists/artist-opportunities/ and https://muralartsinstitute.com/artist-opportunities/

Submission Requirements

• Contact Information:
  • Name
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
• A CV/ resume, & short biography for (up to 2 pages).
• A short written response that addresses your artistic practice, relevant past experience with community-engaged projects and interest in this specific project. The letter should also explain:
  • What motivates you / interests you most about the project?
  • Any connections you have to Olney Transportation or surrounding communities
  • How would you approach your engagement with the stakeholders?
  • Your general availability during the project period, indicating other professional obligations and any other constraints on your availability
• Up to 10 images of past completed work that you consider relevant to this project.
  Digital images must be JPEG files and must be no more than 300dpi and no larger than 1024 x 768 pixel resolution. Each image must be unlocked and downloadable for viewing.
• A list of image titles, including the following information:
  Image name, Artist’s name
  Title of artwork, Location, Date of Completion, Budget
  Medium and Dimensions
  Your role on the project
  • Website and/or social media with images of your work (optional)
• References related to the artist’s creative practice

Submission Instructions
All submissions will be accepted through this link

Background

About Mural Arts Philadelphia

Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation’s largest public art program, dedicated to the belief that art ignites change.

For 30 years, Mural Arts has united artists and communities through a collaborative process, rooted in the traditions of mural-making, to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives. Mural Arts engages communities in nearly 100 public art projects each year, and maintains its growing collection through a restoration initiative. Core Mural Arts programs such as Art Education, Restorative Justice, and Porch Light yield unique, project-based learning opportunities for thousands of youth and adults.

In recent years, Mural Arts has evolved into a multi-disciplinary arts organization exploring the intersection of muralism, public art and contemporary art. In addition, Mural Arts has collaborated with an increasing range of community, civic, cultural and development organizations to realize projects that have expanded the city’s public art portfolio in new and exciting ways. Increasingly, Mural Arts has assisted in private organizations in commissioning artworks that engage the communities where they are working.

For more information: https://www.muralarts.org/

About Septa

SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) is one of the largest transit systems in the country. We support five counties in the Greater Philadelphia area. We also connect to transit systems in Delaware and New Jersey. Our services include regional rail, buses, trolleys, subways, and a high-speed line.

About Olney Community Collaborative Community Development Corporation (CDC)

Olney Community Collaborative CDC is guided by the core values of collaboration, innovation, economic growth, and empowerment. The organization works hand-in-hand with residents, business owners, and neighbor-led and business-led groups to build a stronger, more inclusive + connected community. Formerly known as the N. 5th Street Revitalization Project (N5SRP), our team has a long-standing commitment to the Olney community, with a proven track record of impactful service since 2008. Now, as the Olney Community Collaborative, we’re expanding our reach to connect with even more of our neighbors and expand the small business ecosystem in Olney.