
Downtown Mural Program
The Artesia Arts & Cultural District is proud to present and is currently accepting proposals for a public art mural in our downtown area. This mural will be the first in a continuing series of downtown public art installations, in support of the Arts in Artesia.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The mural’s overall design should be timeless. The location’s setting and existing building elements should be incorporated into the overall design.
In addition, the design should have an interactive component to it (such as a set of butterfly wings that people can pose with) that will engage pedestrians, but nothing that requires mounting, drilling, or any other method of affixing. Subject matter should celebrate one or more of: The City of Artesia/Eddy County/New Mexico; local history/cultures/character/architecture/uniqueness, or the history of the building itself (built ca. 1920s, the site has been used as a grocery, laundry, Evans Hardware & Garage, and Bryan Printers).
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All artworks must be appropriate for all ages.
No: obscenities, nudity, sexual content, profanity, substance abuse, scary imagery, racism, violence, degradation or desecration of individuals/groups/cultural symbols, or gang-related designs.
Artists will retain the ownership of design ideas submitted with this application. The winning design’s ownership will become the property of the Artesia Arts & Cultural District upon completion of the mural, along with all artwork produced for this mural.
SITE INFORMATION
The site for this mural is the west wall of 114-120 West Main St., Artesia NM. (In local terms, it’s the old Bryan Printers bldg.’s side wall on 2nd St. that faces La Fonda) The site measures approximately 70’ x 20’ and has a stucco façade that is in good condition except for some minor cracks (see photos). The corner awning and boarded-up areas will be repaired! Be advised that this wall gets a LOT of direct, year-round sun, especially in the summer—successful proposals will address this issue and final mural durability and future upkeep in the proposed materials to be used.

FUNDING
A stipend of $2,000.00 will be awarded to the selected artist or team of artists. The Artesia Arts & Cultural District & site owner will pay for materials and take care of pressure-washing and site repairs.
APPLICATION PROCESS AND APPLYING
All artists must be over age 18.
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A completed application form
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An artist’s resume + examples of work to demonstrate the artist(s)‘s ability to complete a project of this scale in the timeframe allowed + 2 references.
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2-4 concept sketches, and an Artist’s Statement (400 words maximum) explaining the inspiration behind the design.
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A time-frame schedule for the installation—exact dates to be worked out
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A budget for materials—applicants are responsible for doing their own site surveys.
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Both the Artesia Arts & Cultural and the selected artist(s) agree to release and hold harmless the other in any case of liability related to the preparation and/or installation of the mural. This provision shall remain in effect beyond the expiration of the term.
All submission materials are due by March 20, 2021. All submission materials should be submitted in PDF format for uploading to Dropbox—please use the applicant’s name on each individual file submitted! For a submission link, or any questions, please email: acdmurals@gmail.com