Wilsonville Public Library Children's Section Murals Call for Artists

The City of Wilsonville, Oregon is requesting applications from artists or artist teams with expertise in mural design and implementation for interior murals on four walls in the Children's Section at the Wilsonville Public Library, located at 8200 SW Wilsonville Rd, Wilsonville, OR 97070. Preference may be given to artists experienced in artwork geared towards children and comfortable engaging with the community. The budget for this project is not to exceed $20,000, inclusive of time, labor, materials, equipment, travel expenses, and insurance requirements. Artists should be able to complete installation within a two-week period from start to completion and clean-up. Final projects may be hand painted onsite directly to the walls or onto panels for installation, but must be hand painted and not digitally done.

The library conducted a community feedback project in July 2025 with over 700 responses. Patrons indicated they feel happy, calm, and excited in the children's room, with other common feelings including welcome, peaceful, relaxed, and safe. Popular mural themes requested were animals, nature, books, book characters, and mythical characters. The murals should evoke feelings of inspiration, curiosity, and creativity while incorporating these elements with a sense of whimsy, fun, and freedom.

Wall measurements are: North Wall 34' x 4' (potentially 39' with door frame extension), North East Wall 22' x 4', South East Wall 22' x 4', and South Wall 25' x 4'. Applicants must submit contact information, two essay responses, artist biography (maximum 2 pages), 6-10 images of past mural and larger scale work with project details, and 2 professional references through the Call for Entry portal. Artists must reside in Oregon or Washington. Payment will be distributed as 25% down payment upon contract execution, 25% upon design approval and installation schedule confirmation, and the remaining balance upon mural completion. The artist must provide a Certificate of General Liability Insurance with coverage of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million general aggregate, and a maintenance plan. Proposals are due by September 10, 2025.