Call for Artists In Menomonee Falls

Press release from the Downtown Menomonee Falls BID: The Downtown Menomonee Falls BID is proud to announce plans for a new mural arts corridor in our downtown area. This year, we plan to install several murals and this invitation is for two of them. We would like to invite local artists from our area to take advantage of this opportunity to share their talents on local wall spaces which have been generously offered by a property owner in the area.

REQUIREMENTS

• Invitation is open to any artist(s) over 18 years old, currently residing or working in
Menomonee Falls.
• All submitting artists or groups must be able to create the mural on-site, during the summer of 2020. Due to COVID-19 safety concerns, each artist will schedule an installation week with the BID, not to coincide with the other mural installations.
• A jurying committee will review the submissions and select an artist (or group) based on artistic merit, originality of concept, relevance to the community, and overall fit with the other chosen mural designs.
• Artists are not required to submit a color rendering of the proposed mural, if they are able to supply a portfolio of representative work, with an adequate and clear description (in words) of the new mural. The jurying committee will select the artists whose representative artwork and described concept is deemed the most inspiring and relevant for our community, and only upon selection will the artist(s) be asked for a rough sketch for approval.
• Artists/groups may submit multiple proposals, as long as they understand they will only be selected for one possible design.
• If more than one artist is submitting as a group, then social distancing rules must be observed during installation, due to safety concerns associated with COVID-19.
• The Downtown Menomonee Falls BID reserves the right to change the wall locations if necessary. Artists will be notified if the wall arrangements change, and will be given an opportunity to adjust their designs accordingly.
• Artists will be allowed up to two weeks to complete the work, which will be created during summer of 2020, with some room for flexibility.
• Because of the COVID-19 crisis, the BID plans to photograph the installations and the artists frequently in order to safely share and promote the murals. Chosen artists must agree to have their likeness and their in-progress mural to be captured in still photos and video footage.

1. Timeline
Deadline for submission is Friday, June 5, 2020.
Selected artist(s) will be announced on Friday, June 19, 2020.
Installation will take place in summer 2020. Artists will have approximately two weeks to complete their murals, which will be installed one at a time, for maximum safety during the COVID-19 crisis. Artists will work with the BID to schedule their installation time slot.

2. Materials Supplied
The BID will supply wall permissions, ladders, paints, painting materials and supplies as needed for artists, up to a maximum stipend of $500 in materials per mural. If Artists require more paint than is provided, they will be responsible for acquiring any additional materials.

3. Safety
The Village and the BID are keenly aware of the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential dangers of the virus on worksites. Artists will be expected to take all precautions to mitigate the spread of the virus by working alone, keeping their ladder/work area clean and sanitized if possible, and not inviting the public to come on-site during installation. The BID will also take all precautions to keep artists safe by limiting the number of people who may visit the site, ensuring safe areas for materials storage and cleanup, and by providing “distance opportunities” for the public to enjoy the mural, such as live online watch events, etc. If more than one artist is working as a group, then social distancing rules must be observed.

4. Submission Process
Please review the two sites on the following pages, and consider the shapes and dimensions when planning for your mural proposal.
A. Your proposal must be clearly stated, to the best of your ability. For example, “I would like to propose a mural of a giant orange goldfish on a yellow floral background.” You may submit a color sketch of the mural, if you choose to. Please note a color sketch is only required if you are unable to supply a representative portfolio of previous and similar projects.
B. Send your submission in an email to info@wallpapered.city containing the following information:
1) Your full name and address
2) Your relationship to Menomonee Falls (Tell us whether you work here, or live here)
3) Your phone number and preferred email address
4) A link to your representative portfolio of work on Instagram or another website, if applicable
5) A clear description of your proposed mural OR a color rendering
Any images must be JPEG format, at least 1500 pixels wide, but not to exceed 8MB in file size.
The subject line of the email: Downtown Menomonee Falls Mural Submission
D. Deadline is June 5, 2020

This press release was produced by Downtown Menomonee Falls BID. The views expressed here are the author's own.