Call to Artists: Mural Art

Mural-Site Image

This call is now closed.

Submissions Deadline was February 08, 2022  5:00 PM PST

The Kirkland Cultural Arts Commission (KCAC) seeks proposals for an outdoor mural project to be located within the City of Kirkland. The project should embody the principles of the City’s Resolution 5240 and Resolution 5434, which express the City’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The selected artist should plan to install the mural from April – May 2022.

City of Kirkland
Kirkland, a city of approximately 90,000 in East King County, is known for its Lake Washington waterfront, vibrant downtown, parks, and public art collection.

The Kirkland City Council has taken action to ensure that the City is safe and welcoming for residents and visitors. With this project, the City seeks public art that addresses those aspirations and reflects the City’s diversity, including racial and ethnic diversity, diversity of sexual identity and orientation, gender diversity, and diversity of age and ability. This mural project has been funded by the city council to further these goals.


Project Eligibility
This call is open to any artist. The KCAC strongly encourages submissions from artists residing in Washington State.

The City of Kirkland Supports Equitable Opportunities
The KCAC, in alignment with the City Council, seeks to dismantle structural racism and inequities in Kirkland. The KCAC affirms that all people, their cultures, and their art contribute to the meaning and understanding of our shared humanity and should be honored and celebrated. The KCAC strives to proactively solicit and curate art that reflects the diversity of the Kirkland community, encourages a sense of belonging for all people, and supports the expression of historically marginalized communities. The art created by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color performs a unique role in our community and helps provide inspiration to resolve societal inequity and injustice. This important work of bringing equity to art is pivotal to the KCAC’s efforts to confront injustices of the past and reveal inequities of the present in order to build a more diverse, inclusive collection of public art, now and in the future. 

This project is funded by the City of Kirkland.

A Mural Art Committee comprised of members of the Kirkland Cultural Arts Commission (KCAC), advised by city staff and other relevant stakeholders when appropriate, will make the selection for this call. The selection will be based on the evaluation of written submissions. The Mural Art Committee may also conduct an interview process; however, it reserves the right to select an artist based only on the evaluation of written proposals. All proposals and interviews will be evaluated based on the Scoring Rubric Criteria (below). The Mural Art Committee will present its recommendation to the KCAC for its approval, with final approval provided by the Kirkland City Council.

The Mural Art Committee reserves the right not to select any submissions received from this call for artists. Submitting artist(s) should be prepared and available to present their submissions virtually during an interview process if so selected. Submitting artists must be able to meet the project timeline.

Mural-Art-Project-Location Map.png The KCAC proposes that artists consider the NE 68th Street underpass crossing under the Cross Kirkland Corridor between 104th Avenue NE and 106th Avenue NE as the mural installation site. Artists are welcome to suggest alternative locations, subject to approval by the City and other stakeholders.

Required Application Materials

  • Statement of interest (no longer than one page) describing why you should be considered for this opportunity, an explanation of the proposed concept and how the concept, vision, and proposed work address this specific call.
  • Two (2) to five (5) digital images of work samples that demonstrate the artists’ capabilities, approach and style. New renderings or concept sketches specific to this art call are not required, but may be submitted if desired.
  • Brief artist’s biography, resume or curriculum vitae (CV).

Additional Requirements

  • Low maintenance; primer coat; anti-graffiti coating; weather, vandal and graffiti resistant
  • Suitable for public viewing by all ages.
  • Minimum of 800 sf of painted surface across one or both support columns/walls if at the 68th Street underpass

The project budget is $9,000. This amount will be paid to the artist or artist team and is inclusive of  artist’s fees, materials, fabrication, on-site installation, travel and WA State sales/use tax (10.2%). Funding will be paid after a City of Kirkland Service Agreement with outlined scope of work is signed by both the artist and the City. The City of Kirkland is required to have the below-listed documents from a vendor in order to enter into a contractual agreement. Required documentation includes:

  • IRS Form W-9
  • Certificate of Insurance for the duration of the project showing 1) Commercial General Liability for $1,000,000 each occurrence with the City named as an additional insured
  • If artist(s) plans to drive their vehicle onto the work site (City property), the City will require proof of automobile liability insurance with minimum coverage of $1 million during the project.
  • State of Washington Business License with City of Kirkland endorsement

The Kirkland Cultural Arts Commission (KCAC) uses a scoring rubric—based on City of Kirkland Public Art Policy Guidelines and funders’ intent—in its selection process.  The KCAC recommends selections to the Kirkland City Council for final approval based on the total points scored in these following categories:

  1. Responsiveness to the Project Call: Theme and Other Project Specifics—50 points.

    How well does the proposed work respond to the specifics of the call, in terms of theme, location (if applicable), and medium (if applicable)?

    Scale: not competitive (1-9); fair (10-19); good (20-29); great (30-39); excellent (40-45); exceptional (46-50).

  2. Overall Alignment with City of Kirkland Public Art Policy Guidelines – 20 points

    Does the proposed work reflect Kirkland’s Public Art Vision to maintain a diverse public art collection that values and honors artistic endeavor and the creative process, recognizes the role of public art in a welcoming and inclusive community, invites interaction, fosters civic identity and community pride, inspires a sense of discovery, stimulates cultural awareness, and encourages economic development?

    Scale: not competitive (1-2); fair (3-6); good (7-10); great (11-15); excellent (15-19); exceptional (20).

  3. Artistic Merit – 20 points

    How well does the proposed work show artistic value, including formal qualities, technical ability, relevance to the current historical context, and the creative expression of content?

    Scale: not competitive (1-2); fair (3-6); good (7-10); great (11-15); excellent (15-19); exceptional (20).

  4. Artist’s Capabilities – 10 points
    Does the proposal, including the artist’s statement and submitted work samples, demonstrate the artist’s ability to meet the project requirements and fully realize the project.

    Scale: not competitive (1); fair (2-3); good (4-5); great (6-7); excellent (8-9); exceptional (10).