Homewise Orpheum Community Hub Mural

The Albuquerque Arts Board and Homewise are seeking mural proposals for the north-facing wall of The Orpheum building, located at the SE corner of 2nd Street and Coal Avenue (500 2nd Street SW) in Albuquerque, NM. The wall measures 24 feet high by 93 feet long, with approximately 19,850 square feet of wall space available for the mural commission, including windows that should be incorporated into the design.

The selection committee encourages themes exploring the human element of neighborhood, culture, place, landmark, or the idea of 'home' in this location, while remaining open to a range of artistic perspectives. The mural will serve as an anchor and focal point at the main entry/exit gateway to the Barelas Neighborhood. Successful entries will be judged on aesthetic vision, excellence of past projects, and suitability for the site. Full colored imagery that is uplifting, celebratory, and inspires community growth will be favorable.

Eligibility is open to individual artists or artist teams who are current residents of the greater metropolitan area of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, and must be at least 18 years of age. Applicants must submit a letter of intent (not exceeding two pages or 500 words), up to 10 digital images of past artwork demonstrating large-scale/mural experience, an annotated image key describing the pictured sites and media used, and a current resume or CV (three pages maximum). Do not submit a proposed design; this is a Request for Qualifications based on artistic style and approach. Four finalists will be selected and paid a $500 design stipend to develop site-specific designs, from which a commissioned winner will be selected.

Project funds total $28,000: $13,000 from the Albuquerque Public Art Program and $15,000 from Homewise as matching funds. All travel, lodging, equipment rental, supplies, and fabrication costs are the responsibility of the artist. The Albuquerque Public Art Program will maintain the mural surface for 5 years. Deadline: Sunday, April 29th, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. MDT. Applications must be submitted through CaFE. Four finalists will be notified by early May 2018, with finalist proposals due in June 2018. The selected artist will begin work in late June 2018. Questions may be directed to Francesca Searer at (505) 768-3566 or [email protected].