Youth Literacy Mural Open Call, Downtown Winchester Virginia

Friends of Old Town, a local nonprofit benefiting downtown Winchester, is seeking artists to design and paint a mural in Old Town Winchester, located in the scenic Northern Shenandoah Valley. The mural will span three storefronts (54 S Loudoun Street to 102 S Loudoun Street) across the second story brick facade of Rhythm Studio & Dance Wear and Thinker Toys, with dimensions of approximately 12 feet high by 62.5 feet wide. The mural will be located across from a public splash pad that sees high volume of young child and family use throughout the summer. The project is a partnership between Friends of Old Town, a local building owner, and the John and Janice Wyatt Foundation.

The mural theme is youth literacy, and the vision is for a mural that feels immersive and tells a story. Submitting artists should have experience designing and painting murals. A concept sketch is not required for submission, but a brief written description of the design is required. The proposed design must reflect the project theme and context of the project site while being respectful of the greater community context. The design must be family-friendly and cannot depict sexual conduct, sexually explicit nudity, or advertise an activity illegal under Virginia or United States law. Selected artists whose proposals best meet the project objectives will receive a $500 stipend to submit a concept design image scaled to the space and digitally shown in the context of the project site. From these concept designs, a single artist will be chosen. The concept design will undergo one round of review by the Stakeholder Committee before finalization with the artist.

The project budget is $12,000 and covers concept designs, the artist fee, paint supplies, equipment rentals, and other expenses incurred by the artist. The artist's stay in Winchester will be paid for separately through a local artist residency, the Peter Bullough Foundation, or local residents. Artists must purchase any necessary personal protection equipment. Application requirements include a resume or CV, 8 examples of previous mural work from the last 5 years (at least two projects), 2 professional references, a statement of interest, and a written description of the proposed mural referencing youth literacy promotion. Artists must be able to complete the mural between August 1 and November 15. Selection will be made by a panel of community jurors with final selections by a core team of patrons, the building owner, and project leaders.