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Managed through the Sacramento Office of Arts + Culture (“OAC”) Art in Public Places (“APP”) program, Community Murals Sacramento is a Council District (“District”) focused temporary public art program where visual artists residing in and around the City of Sacramento have the opportunity to apply for temporary community mural projects in a District of their choice.

Community murals are distinguished from other mural types because they include community collaboration and input in all phases of the project. Community muralists may be creative in their approach to engagement, and there is not one “right way” to work with communities. However, at its best, a community mural project allows an artist to collaborate with a community to achieve a result neither the artist nor the community could have achieved on their own.

During this pilot year, artists will apply to complete their project in a specific District or apply “At Large” if they are interested in working in any District. The focus will be on hiring local artists in the Sacramento region. No funds will be made available for travel or lodging expenses. Through a selection panel process, each District will receive one or two community murals (depending on size and location). Projects are to be completed within one year of the artist receiving their city contract. Each project must include a minimum of 3 community engagement events (most likely via Zoom) and at least one planned community paint day. The engagement events may be community meetings, workshops, artist lectures, or whatever engagement activity the artist designs to include community residents. The engagement events are an opportunity for artists to collaborate and partner with their stakeholder communities to ensure the communities’ voice and identity is part of the mural design process. APP will work with the artist and the engagement manager to help plan their community paint day.

Specific locations for murals may still be determined in collaboration with Districts. A main wall or location will need to be determined for each of the sites. Murals may take place on traditional vertical wall surfaces but may also be designed on horizontal surfaces such as city owned basketball courts. Exact locations will be determined in consultation with each community and Council District. Depending on the site, artists may need to rent a lift or scaffolding. Specifics can be worked out for each chosen location.

How to Apply:
Artists may apply for the Community Murals Sacramento program by filling out the online application on Submittable and submitting it with required supporting materials. You must be a professional artist to apply for this program. While only visual artists may apply for the lead and assistant artist positions, artists of other disciplines will be considered for the Engagement Manager and Supply Manager positions. Previous knowledge and experience with mural projects is a plus for all applicants.

A diverse panel of experts including community members, artists, art administrators, curators, and a representative from each Council District will review applications. APP will work to engage with local communities and artists through workshop events in order to encourage participation from a wide-ranging group of artists and community members. Within the application materials, artists will be required to submit up to 250 words about their interest and experience in mural making and why they wish to apply in a specific District or At Large.  Artists will submit up to 10 image files or video/audio files of their past work. APP staff are available to assist artists with the application process.

Project Guidelines:
Artists must meet all guidelines as detailed below in order to be considered for the Community Murals Sacramento. APP staff are available to discuss projects and provide support for applying artists by appointment. APP will conduct one artist workshop prior to announcement of the opportunity in order to provide guidance as to the project goals, who should apply, and technical support for applying artists. Artist attendance will be mandatory and a part of the artists’ contract. The workshop will be recorded and will be made available online afterwards for the public.

Artists apply through the Submittable online platform. No other submission formats are accepted. APP will hold 2-3 informational sessions to answer questions and assist artists in the application process.

Requirements for project submission are:
-Online Application submitted through Submittable
-10 files of artist’s original work (You must be a professional artist 18 or older to apply)
-Image Description List for 10 files (give the title, medium, and location, if applicable)
-Resume (2-page maximum)
-Proposed District (or At Large submission) and project location(s)
-Artist's Statement
-3 References (name, phone, address, email)

Deadline to apply is April 5.