McLean Community Center Public Art Project - Mural

McLean Community Center is accepting qualifications from artists or artist teams for a public art mural project at the Old Firehouse Center (OFC) at 1440 Chain Bridge Road in McLean, Virginia. The permanent mural will be installed in August 2025 on the rear wall of OFC, facing the alley, measuring approximately 1,280 square feet (80 feet x 16 feet). The wall is divided into five sections by two-feet-wide pilasters, with three sections 14 feet wide and two sections 15 feet wide. 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/team will engage with the community to inform the design of the mural, with MCC/OFC staff coordinating community engagement workshops.

The $30,000 artist fee includes design, community engagement, materials, site preparation, fabrication, insurance, travel, installation, and a maintenance plan. The mural must be created from durable material requiring minimal maintenance and include graffiti coating. Artists invited to submit a proposal and interview will receive an honorarium of $500. MCC is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025, and the mural is part of the anniversary plans.

Applications must be submitted by August 16, 2024, and should include a statement of interest (500 words maximum), resume (maximum three pages), at least five and up to ten images of past installed work of similar scope and scale with one optional video, and three professional references. A selection panel will review submissions and select up to four finalists to submit detailed proposals and participate in interviews in late October 2024. Selection criteria include artistic merit, experience with projects of similar scale and scope, appropriateness of medium and style, ability to work within the project timeline and budget, and experience with community-based public art projects. Finalists will submit a written project description (up to 1000 words), visual illustrations including renderings in all light conditions, a site plan to scale, preliminary budget, and W-9 form by October 11, 2024.