Gateway Mural at 58th Avenue

Adams County Parks, Open Space & Cultural Arts seeks a professional artist or artist team based in Colorado to create an original mural at 58th Avenue between Marion Street and Franklin Street. This gateway mural welcomes people as they enter Adams County from North Denver. The mural will be installed on a retaining wall along the north side of 58th Avenue. The wall is made of freshly poured concrete and is approximately 3,664 square feet, spanning 308 feet wide and ranging in height from 3 feet to 28 feet tall.

The project budget is $80,000, inclusive of all costs associated with design and installation, including artist fees, site visits, design, community engagement, materials, fabrication, site access, insurance, travel, and expenses. Finalists (3-4) will be awarded a $750 honorarium to complete a project-specific proposal. The mural site is located in an urban/industrial area overlooking Riverside Cemetery, the National Western Complex, and railroad tracks. Artists are invited to draw inspiration from the project site and the rich tradition of street art painted on trains and boxcars. Text, stencils, stickers, and paste-up may be integrated into the mural design.

The selected artist or artist team will be responsible for design, community engagement, installation, documentation, and creation of a maintenance guide. Mural design includes both visual design and a written/visual design narrative explaining the artist's process and research. Public art projects must include a community engagement component. Artists will coordinate and execute all aspects of site prep and mural installation, including equipment rentals and site access. The project timeline includes a December 8, 2024 application deadline, January 3, 2025 finalist notification, January 27, 2025 project proposals due, February 11-12 finalist interviews, and June 14, 2025 mural completion deadline. Applicants must submit 5-10 work samples, a statement of interest (no more than 2,000 characters), and a resume highlighting past projects of similar scope via the CaFÉ online application system. There is no application fee.