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Call to Mural Artists

caution sign The information on this page may be outdated as it was published 4 years ago.

CALL TO MURAL ARTISTS

The City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, invites mural artists to submit qualifications to be considered for a $9,500 commission to paint a mural on four large cylindrical storage tanks.

Submit your qualifications online to the Cambridge Arts artist registry www.cac.slideroom.com by Oct. 23, 2019, to be considered for this commission.

 View of City brine tanks from parking lot off Sherman Street, Cambridge, September 2019.

View of brine tanks from parking lot off Sherman Street.

Cambridge Arts, the official arts agency for the City, is seeking qualifications from artists interested in painting a design on four new brine tanks located next to the City’s salt shed near St. Peter’s Park in north Cambridge. The tanks are each approximately 12 feet tall and 9 feet in diameter and are made of polyethylene (plastic). The goal of the project is to make the brine tanks more visually appealing.

In 2019, the City began piloting a program to treat icy road surfaces using a brine solution of salt and water instead of more standard icy road treatments. Using the brine offers protection against ice formation but uses only a quarter of the salt that is normally used in treating these areas. The City is continuing the pilot this year, producing a brine solution stored in the tanks. Learn more about the pilot program here: https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/PublicWorks/News/2019/01/brinepilot.aspx

DETAILS:

1. The $9,500 commission must cover all services from design through final installation/implementation, including artist fee, labor, insurance, transportation, and coordination with City staff.
2. The City will provide paints in the form of spray paint suitable for the polyethylene (plastic) surface of the tanks. Multiple colors are available. https://www.krylon.com/products/fusion-allinone/?gclid=CjwKCAjwxOvsBRAjEiwAuY7L8i1C-OzaklSLmDjDe5g6CwUU7liKaPCw9OL4a5F2-5NTX1_M_eQ8aBoCmosQAvD_BwE
3. The City will provide a lift for the artist’s use.
4. The tanks measure approximately 12 feet in height by 9 feet in diameter.
5. From this request for qualifications (RFQ), one artist will be selected and paid $9,500. The artist will develop a proposed design, which must meet City approval before installation.
6. The City aims to have the painting completed before winter, dependent on weather.

 View of City brine tanks and salt shed from St. Peter’s field, Cambridge, September 2019.
View of brine tanks and salt shed from St. Peter’s field.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR QUALIFICATIONS:

Submit images of past work and biographical information to the CAC Public Art Slide Registry at http://cac.slideroom.com.

If you are not in our artist registry, registration is free and easy – upload digital files of work samples and complete the form for artist information. Once you are in our registry you will be considered for the brine tank project as well as for future public art commissions administered by the City of Cambridge.

If you are already in the registry, you must email Hilary Zelson, at hzelson@cambridgema.gov, to express your interest in the project, or you will NOT be considered. We recommend that you update your images and information. If you would like to submit updates, please email Hilary Zelson.

For technical support using Slideroom, please e-mail support@slideroom.com. For other questions, please contact Hilary Zelson, at hzelson@cambridgema.gov or 617-349-4388.

ABOUT CAMBRIDGE ARTS

Cambridge Arts is the River Festival, Open Studios, Gallery 344, Sidewalk Poetry, Summer In The City, Community Supported Art, grants to artists, street performers, more than 280 works of contemporary public art in every neighborhood of the city, and a conservation program to preserve them for the future.

We are the Cambridge Arts Council, a City agency that funds, promotes, and presents high-quality, community based arts programs for the benefit of artists, residents, and visitors in Cambridge. Active since 1974, Cambridge Arts is one of the most dynamic local arts agencies in the country. Cambridge Arts exists to ensure that the arts remain vital for people living, working and visiting Cambridge.

Cambridge Arts embraces a vision that welcomes and supports everyone. Believing that a multiplicity of perspectives is essential to a strong society, we are committed, both in our policies and practices, to building participation in and awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the arts and all cultures. In our ongoing work to address cultural and historical inequities, we strive to be a community anchor that reflects the entire Cambridge community and expands access, opportunities, and inclusion in every form of creative expression. We value diverse voices and people of all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities, abilities, gender identities, sexual orientations, socioeconomic situations, religions, citizenship statuses, and family configurations.

The City of Cambridge does not discriminate on the basis of disability. We will provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternate formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to persons with disabilities upon request.

For information contact Cambridge Arts: cambridgearts@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4380 or TTY: 617-349-4621
Page was posted on 10/7/2019 1:56 PM
Page was last modified on 7/24/2023 8:01 PM
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