Main Street Demopolis officials hope to transform a blank downtown wall on Washington Street into a work of art that will be beautiful and help foster economic and community development.

On March 1, Main Street Demopolis issued a Request for Proposals seeking an artist to paint a mural for downtown Demopolis.

The deadline for artists to submit applications is March 15.

Officials hope to select an artist by March 29 and have the mural painted by the first of June.

A commission of $15,000.00 will be paid to the selected artist to realize their proposed concept. An initial payment of $10,000.00 will be made following approval of the concept and execution of a contract with the artist, and the remaining $5,000.00 will be paid within fourteen (14) days of successful completion of the work. The award should cover the design and production of the artwork as well as all supplies, materials, insurance, and transportation to and from the worksite. Awarded artists will be required to carry $1M liability insurance for the project’s duration.

The proposed mural will be on the east side of the building at 107 East Washington Street.

The application, due by midnight on March 15, will include an artist statement, sketches of the proposed mural showing scale and dimensions, samples of previous work and a draft budget.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria, according to the Mains Street Demopolis RFP:

• Demonstrated experience with outdoor murals and/or public artwork.
• Creative approaches to exploring a visual representation of the history of Demopolis and Main Street Demopolis’s commitment to bringing economic vitality to our historic commercial district.

In the RFP, officials request that artists avoid “ultra bright colors” and “abstract representations that require lengthy interpretation.”

Click here for a full copy of the Main Street Demopolis RFP.