McLean Community Center Public Art Mural Project - Finalist Proposals

You have been selected as one of four finalists for the McLean Community Center's Public Art Mural Project. The permanent mural will be created at the Old Firehouse Center (OFC) at 1440 Chain Bridge Road in McLean, Virginia in August 2025. The selected artist or team will design, fabricate, and install a permanent mural that expresses civic pride, showcases the diversity of the community, and provides place-making for the area. The artist or team will engage with the community to inform the design of the mural, with MCC/OFC staff coordinating community engagement efforts. Finalists will receive an honorarium of $500 and are invited to submit a proposal and attend an in-person interview in late October 2024.

The mural will be installed on the rear wall of OFC facing the alley, measuring approximately 1,280 square feet (80 feet x 16 feet). The wall has two-feet-wide pilasters that protrude from the building, separating the wall into five sections: three sections 14 feet wide and two sections 15 feet wide. The $30,000 artist fee includes design, community engagement, materials, site preparation, fabrication, insurance, travel, installation, and a maintenance plan for the artwork. The design must use durable material requiring minimal maintenance and include graffiti coating.

Finalist submissions must include: a written description of the project (up to 1000 words) with concept overview, materials, fabrication method, community engagement approach, and approximate dimensions; visual illustrations including a rendering in all light conditions; a site plan to scale showing how the artwork will fit into the site; preliminary budgets addressing major costs; and a W-9 Form. Submissions are due by October 18, 2024. In-person interviews will occur in the last two weeks of October 2024, with the artist selection and contract award in early November 2024. Community engagement workshops are scheduled for January–April 2025, final design review in May 2025, and installation in August 2025.