Hobe Sound Public Library Mural

The Hobe Sound Public Library, located within the Hobe Sound Community Redevelopment Area, seeks to commission an artist or artist team to create a vibrant mural celebrating the library's recent renovations. The mural should illustrate Florida's scrub environment, incorporating native plants such as Sand Pine, Oaks, Saw Palmetto, and Rosemary, as well as local wildlife including gopher tortoises, snakes, lizards, and various birds. Additional scrub inhabitants like black bears, white-tailed deer, skunks, bobcats, and squirrels may also be included.

Design concepts include an interactive scene with children reading on a bench, tree stump, or the ground surrounded by curious animals such as a gopher tortoise emerging from its burrow, or a library adventure featuring a little free library situated by a nature trail with animals engaging with books. The mural should cover at least 900 to 1,000 square feet of area, using colors that reflect the natural beauty of the plants and animals—greens, browns, blues, and reds—with additional accents of yellow, white, purple, and pink for butterflies and wildflowers. The objective is to create a mural that captures the essence of Florida's scrub ecosystem while revealing new details with each viewing. In conjunction with the mural, the library has purchased two artistic book-shaped benches to be placed in the vicinity.

The project budget is $10,000 and must cover all costs including design and site plan, production, transport, materials, installation, site preparation, travel expenses, and required insurance. Artists must submit a statement of interest (maximum one page), professional resume (maximum two pages per artist), one to three full-color design renderings (JPG or PNG, 300dpi, 5MB max), a detailed budget breakdown, and a disclosure statement regarding any professional or personal relationship with Martin County officials or Public Art Advisory Committee members. The project is open to professional artists in the region. Target completion date is January 30, 2026.