by Arthur Mortimer
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by Arthur Mortimer
Muralist Art Mortimer with his latest mural project, "South Park Mural", located in Billings, Montana.
(Published originally in the MCLA Newsletter, v. 7, n. 4 & v. 8, n. 1)
A mural project can be a very daunting prospect to a community: Where do we start? How do we raise the money? How do we find artists? How do we select an artist? How much should we pay for a mural? What are appropriate themes for the mural(s)? These questions, and many others, can seem overwhelming to people in communities with little or no experience.
Let me take some of these questions one at a time and try to answer them from an artist's perspective.
WHERE DO WE START?
My experience with communities has been that the best place to start is: In the community. Start with local people who are involved in the arts. Look for people experienced in fund-raising. Look for people, perhaps in local government, who have had experience in awarding commissions or contracts for community projects. Maybe there are artists in the community who have had experience with public art projects and competitions--maybe even an artist or two who has had experience painting murals. Find people with experience that is in some way relevant to the process you want to undertake and get their input--and hopefully even their participation.
Most community mural projects I have been involved in have been organized and brought to fruition by a committee of citizen volunteers who have taken it upon themselves to make a mural project a reality for their community. They have had meetings, asked questions, gone to City Hall for support and even money, looked at artists' slides, done fund-raising in the community, organized community forums, etc. In some cases there has been a local Arts Council or other such organization that has provided the focus for a mural project.
HOW DO WE RAISE THE MONEY?
I have encountered several different ways of raising money for mural projects. Sometimes a grant or series of grants from government and foundation sources can be obtained to fund a project (although this is less likely in an era of downsizing and government deficits). Corporate sponsors are often a good source of support, particularly local corporations whose success involves goodwill in the community and who have a history of sponsoring community events.
Several communities I have been involved with recently have been raising money by producing and selling limited edition prints of the artist's renderings of their mural designs, numbered and signed by the artist, to local collectors and supporters as a way of funding each mural.
Private donors and community boosters will also make donations (especially if they can get a write-off on their taxes). One community even made it possible for citizens to add an extra dollar or so to their monthly utility bill, and that money went to the mural project. Most projects use a combination of the sources mentioned above plus a few original twists thrown in for good measure. Be creative!
HOW DO WE FIND ARTISTS?
Depending on the experience level and competence you are looking for in an artist, and the amount of funding you have, different routes are available. For low-budget local projects, local artists are a great resource. Most have little or no experience with murals, but are eager for the opportunity, and often produce remarkable results under the right circumstances. Larger projects, with larger budgets and more ambitious quality goals, probably indicate finding more experienced and recognized mural artists. There are many of these in most parts of the county. The West Coast and large eastern cities are home to many accomplished and experienced mural artists. Surprisingly, some small towns and cities also are home to very accomplished artists. Communities that have already produced murals or started mural projects will probably be happy to share their resources with you, as well as their own experiences.
Several books have been published in the last decade or so about murals in particular cities and regions of the country. These are a good resource for artists and for becoming familiar with different styles of murals. Also, the California Arts Council used to keep a list of artists who have done murals that was available to communities. Authors of books on murals are a good source of artists' names and addresses. In particular, MCLA's own Robin Dunitz, author of Street Gallery--Guide To 1,000 Los Angeles Murals and a soon-to-be-published book on the murals of California, is a great resource for experienced and talented mural artists of all types and styles. MCLA is a valuable resource for information on many mural artists and their work; mural techniques, maintenance and preservation; referrals to experienced artists and other mural organizations.
MCLA also maintains a Web site on the Internet (http://artscenecal.com/MCLA.html) which contains information on many murals in the Los Angeles area, articles on mural preservation and restorations, educational materials, and bio-graphies of many mural artists, along with photos of their work.
HOW DO WE SELECT AN ARTIST?
Most communities organize some sort of competition to select an artist based on his or her submissions. The most common way is to first advertise (either by contacting artists directly or by advertising in art publications such as Artweek [west coast] or Art Calendar [east coast]) for artists to send in their qualifications for a preliminary selection process. This is called a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and usually asks for a certain number of slides, a current résumé, possibly a letter of interest and other supplemental information.
Frequently, communities will select an artist based solely on qualifications and then work with that artist to develop a concept and design for the particular project. A possible second step is to select a half-dozen or so finalists from the responding artists and ask them to submit proposals. This is a Request for Proposals (RFP) and usually invites the finalists to submit some sort of proposal within certain guidelines by a certain date. An honorarium is usually paid to finalists. Serious muralists usually will not respond to an RFP unless the amount of the commission is substantial. Most experienced muralists are happy to participate in a lower-paying project if they don't have to make a proposal in order to be selected. Proposals are a lot of work and require a big commitment of time and energy in order to do a good job.
HOW MUCH SHOULD WE PAY FOR A MURAL?
This varies greatly depending on the circumstances. As an artist, I certainly encourage you to pay as much as you can possibly afford. Murals require a tremendous amount of time for research and design, planning, and finally painting. Artists have to pay bills and eat just like everyone else. Small projects by local artists should be do-able for a few thousand dollars. A large, important project by a nationally known artist for a large city or major corporation could run into six figures easily. Most projects fall somewhere into the lower range of the middle, in my experience. My rule of thumb is: Can I make enough on this project to pay my bills, live for the duration of the project and get me through to the next project with something left over? Different artists work at different speeds: some paint faster than others. But speed or slowness are no guarantee of either quality or efficiency. A general range for me would be something on the order or $10.00-$20.00 per square foot, plus travel, lodging and equipment expenses if it is necessary to travel to and live in your community while painting the mural. Larger murals can be done for less per square foot provided the overall amount is substantial. A $7,000-$15,000 commission will secure the services of many experienced mural artists if the project is of moderate size, provides them with a good opportunity to express themselves and is not too far from their home.
WHAT ARE APPROPRIATE THEMES FOR MURALS?
This is mostly up to the community. Each community has its own particular history, citizens, and view of itself. Anything that is of importance to the community can probably be a good theme for a mural in the right artist's hands. Historical themes are the most popular and accessible, and different artists have different ways of approaching such themes. The committee can select which approach or approaches they like best, and then work with the artist to develop it. A mural project provides an opportunity for a community to see itself through the eyes of artists who can depict for people their community in a new light and in a fresh way. It is important to give artists input into the process once they are selected and not tie their hands by being too specific about subject matter and content. Select an artist you feel comfortable with, let the artist make a proposal based on general guidelines and community input, and then work with the artist to improve or refine the proposal if necessary. It is the artist's job to be creative, to come up with new ideas and ways of doing things.
There are, I am sure, plenty of other questions that people might have about starting and seeing through a mural project. As an artist, I have probably had experience with most of those issues. Please feel free to contact me via the Mural Conservancy with questions or problems if you think I can be be able to help with answers.