Cortex Garage Artwork

Cortex is commissioning an artist to create a site-specific exterior mural or graphic treatment for a new parking facility in the Cortex Innovation Community in St. Louis, Missouri. The artwork will be installed on the south façade of the parking garage, which will be highly visible to MetroLink riders, pedestrians on the Chouteau Greenway, and passersby throughout the area. The project budget is up to $250,000.

Phase 1 of the garage will have five levels made up of three bays that together are 179 feet long, with construction scheduled to be completed in May 2019. The artwork should be permanent or semi-permanent with a minimum longevity of ten years. Possible approaches include a painted mural, graphic treatment, or lightweight attachments to the garage face. Electricity can be made available. Finalists will be required to create designs for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the garage construction, with Phase 1 artwork being both independent and complementary to Phase 2 design.

Submissions must include 5-12 images of past work. The Artist Selection Panel will select up to three finalists to develop concept proposals. Finalists will receive a $5,000 stipend to participate in the concept proposal process, which includes touring Cortex, meeting community members, and presenting their proposal in person in St. Louis. Artists living more than 100 miles from Cortex will receive an additional amount up to $2,000 for travel and lodging expenses. Selection criteria include artistic excellence, clear understanding of the project, demonstrated ability to create responsive artwork, availability to meet the project timeline, and experience executing projects of similar scale and budget.