Call For Artists: Community Murals Project

The San Antonio Museum of Art, in partnership with the Art Bridges foundation, invites San Antonio muralists to submit an application to develop a location-specific mural. Murals have always been powerful tools to educate and inform community members over a wide variety of topics including honoring local history, commemorating community members, and influencing political activity.

SAMA will help create three original murals inspired by Archibald Motley Jr.’s 1949 Bronzeville at Night painting (on view in SAMA’s Contemporary galleries through August 2021). Motley took inspiration for this artwork from Chicago neighborhood, Bronzeville, and its community. Inspired by Motley, this initiative hopes that mural artists would also take inspiration from a particular neighborhood or community in creating new site-specific murals that showcase neighborhood character, landmarks, and people.
One mural will be at each of the following locations:

• SAMA’s campus
• San Antonio’s East Side community
• San Antonio’s West Side community

The murals can reflect iconic urban landmarks, community histories, and the overall cultural landscape of each neighborhood. We hope these murals will serve as a space for gathering, reflection, and an accessible way to experience local art.

BUDGET
Each artist will receive an honorarium of $3000 and a materials budget of $2000.

SELECTION PROCESS
An initial selection committee of composed staff from SAMA, San Anto Cultural Arts, and the San Antonio African-American Community Archive and Museum (SAAACAM) will review submissions and select three artists. We will take the following into consideration when selecting artists:

•    Artist connection to the proposed mural area
•    Artistic innovation and originality in past mural works

Once chosen, the selected artists, along with SAMA staff (Public Programs Manager) will attend community conversations to learn what community members would like to see in their mural. Based on the community conversations, artists will then develop and submit two to three mural proposals. After SAMA and committee members approve selected designs, community members will decide on the final mural.
 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS
Artists will need to have previous mural experience.
Similar to Archibald Motley’s Bronzeville at Night, artists must use their designated community as inspiration along with using community feedback from the community conversations.
•    Artists are responsible for the entire mural execution including the hiring and paying of assistants, if the artist so chooses.

To be considered, applicants must include the following:

• Small portfolio (2-5 images) of past mural works.
• Artist statement: To include biography, website, and/or social media
• Submit preliminary budget and materials list.

PROJECT TIMELINE

• Friday, April 6, 2021: Application Opens
• Friday, April 23, 2021 at 11:59 P.M. (CST): Application Closes
• Tuesday, April 27 – Tuesday, May 4, 2021: Committee Review
• Friday, May 7, 2021: Artists Selection and Notification
• Monday, May 10 – Friday, June 11, 2021: Community Conversations
• Friday, June 18, 2021: Mural Proposal Submission (2-3 proposals)
• Monday, June 21 – Friday, June 25, 2021: Committee Review
• Saturday, June 26 – Saturday, July 10, 2021: Community Voting
• Monday, July 12 – Saturday, August 14, 2021: Fabrication & Delivery
• Sunday, August 15, 2021: Mural Reveal
• Sunday, August 15, 2021: Mural Artist and Committee Panel Conversation

INQUIRIES
For more information on procedures and application submission, please email Yohanna Tesfai at Yohanna.tesfai@samuseum.org.

TERMS, CONDITIONS, RESERVATION OF RIGHTS

Understand the murals will be treated like a street mural, where there is no upkeep, allowing it to erode with time. The San Antonio Museum of Art will be under no institutional or ethical obligation to keep murals looking new, repair any damages, or clean off graffiti.

Understand if selected, you will allow SAMA to document your mural production process via photography and video. You will also need to agree to participating in video interviews.

Understand that SAMA holds the rights of all images, photographs, and videos produced.

Understand that the mural produced is not considered to be part of SAMA’s permanent
collection.

Understand that each mural location may have unique parameters to work within including size, materials, installation, etc. We ask artists to be innovative and flexible.