CALL FOR BLACK ARTISTS: Solidarity Mobile Mural Project

Black artists and creatives residing in the Pikes Peak Region are invited to propose their original artwork by Monday, Feb. 8 for inclusion in a rotating mural display in Q1 2021. Artists’ designs will be printed on 4×8’ Nina adhesive paper, which will be displayed outdoors in empty storefronts throughout Downtown, Old Colorado City and Manitou.

Funding:

A $300 honorarium will be paid to selected artists, whose original designs will be scanned at high resolution and printed on a 4×8’ piece of Nina adhesive paper. Printing will be handled by the presenting organizations; artist is responsible for cost of creating the original work. Artist retains copyright for original work.

Proposal Materials:

All materials should be submitted in digital format via email to claire@downtowncs.com.  Because of the tight timeline for the initial phase of this project, artists should only propose works that already exist or that can be completed by the print deadline of Feb. 22, 2021.

All submissions must include:

• Full contact information: Name, mailing address, phone and email
• Between one (1) and three (3) images of original work (JPEG)
• Artist headshot (optional)
• Two-paragraph maximum Artist’s Statement (DOCX or PDF)
• Describe who you are as an artist and community member.
• Tell us about the work you submitted. What are the design(s) about or what do they mean to you? What material(s) did you use?
• Describe why you’re interested in participating in this project.

Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m., MST, on Monday, Feb. 8.

Timeline:

• Application open: Monday, Jan. 18, 2021
• Application deadline: Monday, Feb. 8, 2021
• Jurying process: Feb. 9-11, 2021
• Notification to artists: Feb. 12, 2021
• Print deadline: Feb. 22, 2021
• Installation period: Feb. 15-29

Selection Process:

This call is open to Black artists and creatives age 16 and up who live and work in the Pikes Peak Region (El Paso and Teller Counties). All two-dimensional disciplines will be considered, including painting, printmaking, photography, drawing, mixed media and digital works. Selected artists will be chosen through a jury process in which artistic quality serves as the primary criterion.

Designs will not be censored for content. Following the jury process, selected artists will be contracted with to provide an original work of art. Please see below for more information on design guidelines for selected artists and overall project scope.

Jury/Selection Panel:

The panel of jurors for the Solidarity Mural encompasses artistic achievement and local engagement in community, with emphasis on thoughtful representation of the Pikes Peak Region’s diverse cultural landscape.

Brian Elyo has lived in the region for twenty-plus years and has helped several community arts organizations with a variety of efforts; most recently the Knob Hill Urban Arts Committee, the What-If Festival organizing team and Concrete Couch’s development team. Professionally he helps architects design schools and churches. You may also see him performing experimental music at your local DIY spot, or for an exhibit opening at a gallery; sometimes utilizing slo-motion nature footage he films around his Old Colorado City home.

Lisa Villanueva is a certified teacher, entrepreneur and an Urban Eclectic Artist with a passion for urban youth development. She is the founder and director of Artivism and Lategro, grassroots urban arts and education movements existing to educate and eradicate any fallacies created to disenfranchise young adults’ place in society. When she is not teaching art at Bemis School of Art at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, Villanueva works to empower youth and disenfranchised communities with the tools of community pride and self-sufficiency. She holds a studio at Cottonwood Center for the Arts called EthnicCity.

Design Guidelines:

This information is also useful for the application process, in developing Artist’s Statement (see Proposal Materials above).

• Design must be original work created by the applicant.
• Artist may create new work or propose use of an existing piece of original work. Because of the tight timeline for the initial phase of this project, artists should only propose works that already exist or that can be completed by the print deadline of Feb. 22, 2021.
• Design cannot include brand logos or copyrighted slogans.
• Design should consider best practices for graffiti deterrence, avoiding large, open areas in the design.
• As the sites for this project include parks and community centers, it is recommended that designs be suitable for children. “Child-friendliness” will be defined by the jury.
• Artists are advised that the hosts of the Solidarity Mobile Mural Project are offered a say in which designs appear in their spaces.
• Artists wishing to propose more confrontational designs are assured that the project partners will make a thorough, reasonable effort to find a supportive host for their work.

Project Scope:

Selected artists will be asked for a high-quality, high-resolution digital file of their work prior to printing and installation. In some cases, the presenting organizations may be able to assist an artist with scanning of original artwork in order to ensure proper file size and resolution. Any work that upon delivery, has been altered significantly (from description and/or images in entry submission) as to scale or content without prior approval from the jury, will not be accepted.  Artist fee will be paid upon submission of files for final approved artwork.

Fabrication and installation of the mural panels will be managed and paid for by the presenting organizations. Maintenance and removal of the panels will be handled by the project partners. Works are intended to stay installed as long as they remain in good condition. It is anticipated that the lifespan of each panel will be 3-6 months, but no guarantees are made as to duration of exhibition within a property. Wraps will be installed on public spaces, so the possibility of a panel needing to be moved, repaired or replaced does exist. Replacement or removal of the panel is at the discretion of the project partners.

Legal Agreement:

Late entries will not be accepted. All entrants will be notified of the results of the selection process within a timely manner. Please do not call to inquire about status.

As each mural panel will be a reproduction of an original work, the presenting organizations will not insure the panels.
Submission of entry constitutes agreement by artists to the conditions set forth. A mandatory contract for work will be executed soon after selection notification has been made.

Position Statement:

The Avenue Creative Circuit (Downtown, Old Colorado City and Manitou) represents our region’s highest concentration of historic and creative experiences – museums, galleries, boutiques, businesses, public art and more. We acknowledge humbly that our shared history also reflects systemic racism, cultural appropriation, and economic inequality.

We vow to recognize these past injustices and to work together intentionally to create a new heritage of confronting and correcting those exclusions now and in the future. As a uniquely dense and powerful economic corridor spanning two cities, three districts, and a collection of unique neighborhoods, we commit ourselves to confronting systemic racism and developing more equitable access to opportunity for our communities.