Municipality of Anchorage: Dumpster Murals Public Art Commission

The Municipality of Anchorage Public Art Program is inviting qualified artists residing in Alaska to create public artwork proposals for the Solid Waste Services' Central Transfer Station. Fifteen non-permanent public art murals are being commissioned to be painted on mobile dumpsters, with a total commission of $67,500 ($4,500 per mural). The dumpsters will be placed at prominent locations throughout Anchorage and visible to the public for the lifetime of the artwork.

The Art Selection Jury is interested in proposals that utilize the dumpsters to address land stewardship concepts relating to circular material use with an emphasis on sustainability. Artwork should be engaging for both youth and elder generations and reflect the mission to "Do Something" toward a resilient, sustainable future. Successful proposals will consider visibility from a distance, adding color and vibrancy to the surrounding area. Each artist or artist team will be assigned a dumpster to be considered in its entirety with design emphasis on the front-facing surface. More than one design may be submitted. Some signage required for waste services management will be applied as sticker decals, and artists are encouraged to work with the program administrator on ideal placement locations.

Mural painting will be coordinated with two separate live painting events during summer 2024. Applicants must be available for at least one of the painting events to be eligible: Anchorage Museum Seed Lab on June 29th, 2024, or The Nave, Spenard Second Saturday on July 13th, 2024. The Central Transfer Station is located at 1208 E 56th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99507. Artists must submit a color concept sketch addressing the entire dumpster, up to 6 digital portfolio images, resume with 3 professional references, and an artist statement describing interest in and qualifications for the project. Entry deadline: May 20, 2024 at 11:59 PM MST. Contact: Curator of Public Art, (907) 343-6473 or [email protected].