Enlace Academy & IPS School #96 Safe Route to School Crosswalk Mural

Enlace Academy, a public K-8 charter school, and Indianapolis Public Schools Meredith Nicholson School 96, serving grades K-5, are located on the west side of Indianapolis. Both schools seek to be hubs of the community for families and to create meaningful connections with community partners. The schools were awarded a Safe Route to Schools grant to improve the safety of children who walk or bicycle to school and promote active transportation options. One aspect of the grant is the installation of crosswalks and murals within those crosswalks reflective of the schools, neighborhood, and the diverse people both schools serve.

The schools are seeking proposals from talented artists to create two different murals, one for each crosswalk at the schools. These outdoor murals will be placed on the roads within the schools' neighborhood. The total budget is $10,000. The murals should reflect the values of each individual school, neighborhood, and celebrate multiculturalism. Artists must design and submit initial concepts for approval, prepare surfaces by cleaning and priming, execute the mural using high-quality durable materials, and start the mural at a Walk, Roll, Ride event with both schools with student, family, and community participation. Final inspections and touch-ups are required.

Selection criteria include artistic merit and originality, relevance to the theme, feasibility and practicality of the proposal, experience and past performance, willingness to participate in artistic collaboration with two schools and community members, and budget and timeline. Proposals must be submitted by February 28, 2026 to Mark Mosias at [email protected]. The project timeline includes initial review through March 6, panel review and shortlisting March 9-11, interviews and presentations March 11-20, final selection March 20, design approval in April 2026, project kickoff in May 2026 at the Walk, Roll, Ride event, and unveiling in July 2026.