Promote The Vote – Mural Projects
The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) will commission up to ten temporary murals in traditionally marginalized/hard to count communities throughout Montgomery County, MD, to encourage these residents to vote in the 2020 election.
Concept
- Artists/designers will be commissioned and paid by AHCMC to design, create, and install temporary murals
- Artists may work in any media they can temporarily install outdoors without causing damage to the mounted structure/wall
- Murals may only include one word, VOTE
- VOTE may be translated into any language representative of the community, and may appear multiple times, but no other text is allowable
- No partisanship messaging or imagery allowed
- Selected artists will publicize their installation on social media with guidance from AHCMC staff
- AHCMC will publicize selected installations on its website and social media platforms
- Safe community involvement encouraged for concepts and installation
- AHCMC will provide recommendations for mural site selection; however, applicants may also recommend potential mural sites within hard to count communities based on this map
- Projects must be completed by October 20, 2020
- Temporary murals must be:
- Installed at approximately 100 square feet (10′ x 10′)
- In a highly public place
- At eye level
- Able to be removed or painted over after the November 2020 Election without damaging the original structure/wall
Artist Eligibility
All professional visual artists over the age of 18 and based in Montgomery County, MD are eligible
- Montgomery County-based artists currently admitted to the AHCMC Wall Artist Roster may submit up to (3) Let’s Promote The Vote designs
- Artists based in Montgomery County that are not currently admitted to the AHCMC Wall Artist Roster are asked to submit their resume and (3) previous work samples in addition to a maximum of (3) Let’s Promote The Vote designs in order to be considered for both this call and admittance to the AHCMC Wall Artist Roster
- The first 100 artists/designers submitting concept proposals will be paid a flat $50 stipend for any/all design concepts
- AHCMC will choose designs from the submissions to display on our website
- AHCMC reserves the right to post design submissions publicly
- Previous experience with murals or public art not required
- Personal liability insurance for applicants strongly encouraged, but is not required or provided by AHCMC
- Artists capable of producing imagery that can be translated to a temporary mural may apply – painting, graphic design, drawing and illustration, and similar media are welcome
- Artists/designers are required to install their own work or have their work professionally installed
- AHCMC will not provide installation or fabrication assistance, but may be consulted
Commission
Selected artists will be paid a commission of $1,500 to include the artist fee, materials, supplies, transportation, fabrication, and one installation.
- The first 100 artists/designers submitting concept proposals will be paid a flat $50 stipend for any/all design concepts
Schedule
- September 11 – Call to Artists issued
- September 25, 11:59PM – Submissions due
- Week of September 28 – Submissions reviewed
- Week of October 5 – Begin installations
- October 20 – Completion of projects
Application
Applications should include all of the following:
- 1-3 proposed design(s)/renderings(s)/sketch(es)
- Narrative/description for each concept (150 word limit each)
- List of needed materials and installation plan/overview for each concept
- Artist availability for installation between October 5th and October 20th
- Brief plan to safely involve the community in the design and/or installation (150 word limit each)
- Virtual/online engagement accepted
- Installation site preference, up to 3 locations based on this map
- Reminder – Applicants not currently admitted to the AHCMC Wall Artist Roster must also submit a resume and up to three work samples in addition to the application materials.
- ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, Native American) artists highly encouraged to apply
Apply
Submit all clearly labeled materials via Drop Box using this link – Upload Applications Here
- Please clearly label all files with the artist’s full name for all application materials
- Example – Jane Martinez Proposal 1.pdf
- Example – Jerome Smith Resume and Work Samples.pdf
- When possible, please consolidate all files into one pdf containing the design, narrative, availability and community involvement plan for each proposal clearly labeled with the artist’s full name.
- PDF, JPEG, MP4 and PNG files preferred
Please send all questions and inquiries to publicart@creativemoco.com