GJ Community Recreation Center Tile and Vinyl Mural Call for Artists

The City of Grand Junction and the Grand Junction Commission on Arts and Culture are seeking an artist and/or graphic designer to create an original mural design for the Natatorium at the new Community Recreation Center. The design should include water elements and utilize the color palettes specified in the site details. The final submission will be a digital design file that will be printed and installed by another vendor.

The design must be original and socially acceptable, adhering to the highest standards of quality, timelessness, permanence, and general appeal. The artwork should provide excitement and interest for visitors and residents, utilize and complement the Zone 2: Water and Interior Paint Palettes, have a water feel and/or utilize scaled details of native fish of the Colorado River, and be an original creation. The mural will be located in the Natatorium at the entrance to the locker rooms, with specific dimensions provided in the site details. Artists may create one full design covering the entire wall and tile area, or two complementary designs—one for the wall area and one for the tile area.

The project is open to all artists age 21 and over. Preference points may be given to local Colorado artists. The budget for this project cannot exceed $2,000 for the full area of the wall and tile. Artists are responsible for all costs involved in delivering a vector file (AI, EPS, or SVG) or a photo image of at least 150 to 300 DPI at its final size. The submission deadline is May 30, 2025. The artist selection panel will review applications June 6-25, 2025, with artists notified on June 27, 2025. Digital design files are due July 16, 2025. Applications must include a letter of interest (not to exceed one page), resume (not to exceed two pages), one-page design description, proposed digital design sketch(es), and 3-5 images of original representative work in .JPG or .JPEG format (no larger than 1024 x 768 pixels and 1mb each).