Arts Arlington Depot Mural Call to Artists

The Arlington Commission for Arts and Culture (ArtsArlington), the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, and the Arlington Center for the Arts are collaborating to bring murals to the Town of Arlington, MA. Our current project is the MBTA-owned Bus Depot in Arlington Heights, located at 1389 Massachusetts Avenue (the “Bus Depot”). The MBTA and the Town have entered into a license agreement for the installation of a temporary public mural around the existing structure of the Bus Depot.

The Town seeks three artists (or artist teams) selected by jury to develop design proposals. Each artist or artist team will receive $1,000 for their design proposals. Application materials include: resume/biography, documentation of past work, references, statement of interest, etc. (details below). APPLICATIONS ARE DUE AUGUST 11, 2024.

Photos and dimensions are attached to this Request for Qualifications.

A finalist will be selected by jury to implement (possibly with design revisions to incorporate feedback) their design with a budget for services of $15,000 and a budget for paint of up to $2,500. The final design must be approved by the MBTA. A timeline is below, but work on the mural commission must be accomplished during the month of October. DEADLINE FOR PROJECT COMPLETION IS OCTOBER 31, 2024.

The building will be washed and primed in preparation for the mural commission with separate funds. Artists are responsible for providing their own ladders and any scaffolding or lift rental they find necessary; the exterior walls are only 9’ high.

Arts Arlington’s Curator of Public Art will provide ongoing support to the selected artist during implementation, including organizing any community painting days or other volunteer participation.

July 10 through November 1, 2024. Timeline subject to change if necessary by the organizers

July 16, 2024: Request for Qualifications opens to receive applications
August 8: Deadline for questions
August 11: Applications due
August 15: 3 Finalist selected to create design proposals; candidates notified
September 6: Finalist designs due
September 9: Artists present designs to jury followed by Q&A.
September 11: Final design selected, finalist notified, contracting process initiated.
October 1 to October 31: The mural must be painted within this period, including community paint day TBS
November 2: Ribbon cutting

We are not providing a theme or concept; the design is open for artists to develop from their own practice, imagination, and informal community conversations or research. As stated in the section below (“SITE DESCRIPTION”) our goal for a transformative mural at the Bus Depot is to spark a sense of joy, hope and optimism in a neighborhood that is thriving but economically vulnerable. Its character combines a mix of tradition and innovation; music, poetry, and public art have increased a sense of community connection and neighborhood spirit.

We offer the following design/process priorities for interested artists:

1. Colorful, vibrant, and/or playful patterns preferred

We seek a design that is celebratory, bold, colorful, and can be read from a distance. We aim to transform the current drab and neglected Bus Depot structure into a beacon of hope and positive energy, a welcoming gateway landmark that can be seen as people drive past it on Mass Avenue. The design could incorporate simplified/stylized reference to plants, animals, transportation, etc. but we would also be happy with a design consisting purely of patterns – geometric or organic – designed to complement the scale of the building. The design should take into account our priority to enable community members to participate to painting (see below, #2).

2. Community participation required in implementation process

We seek an artist or artist team that can engage community members in at least one, but ideally several, community painting days; these will be organized (with input from the artists) by Arts Arlington’s Curator of Public Art. Our goal is both to give the community ownership of the project and to provide genuine support to the artists in covering a large amount of wall space. A distinctive part of the character of Arlington is a spirit of volunteerism and community engagement; many initiatives have been fueled by residents who donate time to improve their community, from zero waste and climate mitigation projects to promoting ecodiversity, to crafting human rights policies. We seek artists who enjoy working with volunteers of all ages and can create a design with elements that are simple enough for successful contributions by participants of all levels of experience.

3. Content and imagery must be appropriate for public space and an MBTA facility

When developing a design, keep in mind that a diverse public uses the facility and the design must be “family friendly”. In addition, MBTA guidelines forbid political or promotional content. The selected design must be approved by the MBTA.

Arlington is committed to providing equal opportunities for all. Artists of all gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation/identity, religion/beliefs, education and physical ability are encouraged to apply.

Artists may apply individually or as a team.

Arlington residency is not required, but artists must live within commutable distance or make arrangements for housing nearby.

We seek artists with the following qualifications:

Relevant experience painting large surfaces in public spaces, including utility boxes and/or exterior/interior walls.
Experience working with diverse community members, as a teacher, mentor, project leader, volunteer coordinator, etc.
Knowledge of paint brands and pigment colors that will last without fading or peeling through New England weather cycle a minimum of 10 years.
Available to complete the mural project during the month of October, 2024.
Demonstrated ability to complete projects as proposed and on deadline.
The three finalists must provide a W9 with a federal ID# and the artist selected for the commission must provide a certificate of insurance at the time of contract execution.

The Bus Depot is a free-standing building located on Arlington’s primary roadway, Massachusetts Avenue, in the neighborhood referred to as Arlington Heights, the western end of the town. Please see attachment for photographs and dimensions; we are requested all four walls be painted for this project, as well as the triangle “gable” element in the roof.

The Bus Depot will be a prominent site in 2025 and 2026 due to a major increase in tourism as Arlington, Lexington, and Concord celebrate William Dawes and Paul Revere’s historic ride and the 250 anniversary of the local battles that launched the American Revolution (fought along Mass Avenue). 2026 will bring another wave of tourism due to the 250 anniversary of 1776 and the Declaration of Independence. This information is provided to mandate a theme, as we hope for a timeless design that remains relevant for 10 years; rather, we want artists to know that their work will be seen by local, national, and even international visitors commemorating this landmark anniversary.

The Bus Depot is the “end of the line” for a major bus route. It is surrounded by significant roadway space for buses to turn around and has interior space used by drivers for short breaks. It is located in one of Arlington’s 3 centers of small, independent businesses. Within a short walk you will find cafes and diverse restaurants; a hardware store, lumber yard and frame shop; an old-fashioned grocery store, a spice shop, and a specialty Japanese deli; hair and nail salons, a tattoo parlor, and an optical shop. This commercial area is thriving but vulnerable to economic ups and downs. Arlington Heights residents have been advocating for improvements at the Bus Depot for many years to bring joy, hope and optimism to the neighborhood; they are eager to contribute to revitalization through a public art project. Almost 50 community painters – working in organized shifts — participated in the painting a of a 30’ mural down the street and we expect similar interest for this project.

Interested artists should submit the following materials via email to DepotMural@gmail.com by August 11, 2024. Incomplete applications are unlikely to be selected, so please use this section as a checklist for your submission. If you have questions or find the instructions confusing, please feel free to reach out to Cecily Miller, Arts Arlington Public Art Curator, at cecily.apa@gmail.com.

In the body of your email: Name, address, and phone number for primary applicant who will be the contact person for your application.
In the body of your email: Any relevant links that will help jury understand your work, including a portfolio website and/or Instagram/FB. If relevant, links to press coverage that represents your process and work (optional).
In the body of your email: FOR COLLABORATIVE/TEAM APPLICATIONS please provide name/address/phone for each team member as well as website and/or social media and, if applicable, other links to represent work.
In the body of your email: Two references who can speak to the quality of your work, your ability to complete a project as proposed and your experience working with community participation. Please provide reference name, position, telephone and email, and alert them that it is possible Arts Arlington may contact them for a reference.
In the body of your email: A formal commitment by the artist or artist teams to comply with this RFQ and any MBTA policies and guidelines. Please include the statement: “if selected as one of the 3 finalists, I will complete a design proposal by the deadline of September 6 and, if selected as a finalist, I will be able and available to complete painting my proposed design between October 1 and October 31, 2024.” Optional: if the artist or artist teams determine it will take less than a month, please let us know your preferred timeline within this period. All work must be completed by October 31, 2024.
As an attachment (file name should be LastName_BIO): A resume, CV or biographical statement that includes your education/training, how long you have been painting murals, and a list of prior mural commissions, exhibitions, awards, educational/community projects, etc.
As an attachment (file name should be LastName_Statement): A statement of Interest describing why you are interested in this project, how it relates to previous work, and what you envision (not a formal proposal – just your approach and initial ideas). Please include how you would engage/motivate/inspire volunteer painters on community painting day(s) and whether (and why) you would like to include 1 to 4 student artists on your team. If you are applying as a collaborative team with other adult artists, please explain how your collaboration will work and what each member brings to the project.
As an attachment (file names should be LastName_Image1 No less than 5 and no more than 10 .jpg or .png images that give relevant examples of previous work illuminating how you would approach this project. Try to keep jpg file size to 3 MB max.
As an attachment (file name should be LastName_ImageList): Please create a list referencing the image file numbers with this information for each image:
*LastName_Image1
*Artwork title
*Location
*Approximate dimensions
*Commissioning organization

Note: If you are collaborating, please provide images for each member of the team and, if available, examples of prior projects completed together.

Three finalists will be selected from applicants by a jury consisting of arts professionals and community representatives – residents and local business owners. The Jury will consider applicant’s level of experience with public art and murals, ability/approach to working with community volunteers, the originality and quality of past work, and responsiveness to priorities and site/neighborhood character described in the RFQ.

A final design will be chosen on the basis of quality and originality of the design, its fit with the scale of the building, responsiveness to priorities and site/neighborhood character described in the RFQ, and reports from references regarding ability to work with community volunteers and reliably complete project on time as proposed. The final design is subject to MBTA approval.

RESERVATION OF RIGHTS

The contract for services will be executed with the Town of Arlington and all payments will be made by the Town of Arlington. The Town of Arlington reserves the right to cancel this RFQ at any time until proposals are opened, and further reserves the right to reject all proposals after they opened if the Town determines that doing so is in the best interest of the Town.

SITE CONTROL

The site is owned and operated and under the care, custody and control of the MBTA. Although the MBTA has granted the Town of Arlington a license by agreement for the temporary display of a mural on the site, the MBTA has the authority to cancel the license agreement with thirty days written notice.

COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND MBTA GUIDELINES AND POLICIES

All MBTA requirements must be observed at the worksite, including work procedures and safety guidelines. The final design must be approved by the MBTA before execution and is required to conform to state law, Massachusetts General Laws Part III, Title II, Ch 231, S85S, known as the Visual Artists Law, as well as the current MBTA Temporary Art Policy. Although it is not required, applicants with questions about the MBTA’s Temporary Art Policy can access the link below.

https://old.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Art_Collection/140815_MBTA_TemporaryArtMuralGuidelinesApplication.pdf.pdf

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The Town’s license agreement with the MBTA and the MBTA’s Temporary Art Policy, and any other relevant laws, policies or bylaws, are incorporated herein by reference.

QUESTIONS?

The deadline for questions is August 8, 2024. Email Cecily Miller, Arts Arlington Curator of Public Art, at Cecily.apa@gmail.com; questions and their answers will be added to a FAQ on the publicly available website ArtsArlington.org/depot.

Depot Mural Call to Artists

Summary

Timeline

July 10 through November 1, 2024. Timeline subject to change if necessary by the organizers

MURAL DESIGN CONCEPT

ELIGIBILITY

SITE DESCRIPTION

APPLICATION PROCESS

SELECTION PROCESS