Call for Artists: Traveling City Mural

Call for Artists: Germantown’s Traveling City Mural

The City of Germantown seeks artists or teams to design a movable mural that celebrates the city’s history, culture, and community spirit. Inspired by vintage city postcards, the mural will travel to various high-traffic locations and events, becoming a vibrant landmark for residents and visitors.

Details:

• Mural Size: 86” x 240” (five 4’x8’ panels)
• Compensation:  (3) Finalists receive $1,000; the selected artist/team receives $12,000.
• Eligibility: Open to artists (18+) within 75 miles of Germantown, TN. Large format painting experience encouraged.

Submit your qualifications for a chance to design this exciting public artwork!

For more information, visit germantownpublicart.org

Request for Qualifications

Project: Germantown's Traveling City Mural

The city of Germantown invites artists to submit qualifications to the Germantown Public Art Program for consideration to create an original artwork for the Traveling City Mural project. Up to three Artists will be selected to propose a mural design. One Artist or Team will be chosen to create the mural.  

Background

The Germantown Public Art Commission seeks to commission one mural that will serve as a movable landmark that celebrates the city’s history, charm, and community spirit while enhancing its identity and fostering local pride. This vibrant artwork will serve as a dynamic symbol of Germantown’s creativity, culture, and hospitality at key destinations and events. 

The completed mural will measure 86” x 240” and will be composed of (5) five painted 4’x8’ MDO plywood panels. These panels will be temporarily installed on key city buildings and at community events. Plywood panels will be supplied to the selected artist or team. 

Scope of Work

One artist or team will be selected from a pool of applicants to design and create a mural inspired by the provided design guidelines, which include required text and historical and cultural references specific to the City of Germantown. The selected Artist/Team will be responsible for delivering the completed panels, providing the necessary paint materials, and safely storing the artwork during production. The Artist/Team will also be responsible for applying a UV sealant and anti-graffiti coating to the mural panels. The City of Germantown will install the mural panels upon delivery. 

Budget: 

Up to three finalists will be selected to develop design concepts for this project. Finalists will be paid a $1,000 fee for producing an original mural design by the established deadline. The selected Artist or Team will be paid $12,000 for artist fees, final artwork design, materials, and the delivery of completed panels. 

Timeline:

• Release Call to Artists: 4/16/25
• Call to Artist Deadline: 5/7/25
• Semi-finalists Notified by Email: 5/21/25
• Proposed Mural Designs Due: 6/4/25
• Community Voting: 6/8 - 6/14
• Winner Announced: 6/20/25
• Artist Deliver Completed Mural: 8/14/25
• Mural Installed by the City: w/o 8/18/25

Applicants submitting materials for Germantown's Traveling City Mural Call for Artist project must fill out all of the sections and include all of the information, materials, and attachments through the CaFE™ artist application system by 10:59 p.m. CST on May 7th, 2025. 

Submission requirements:

• Artist Resume / CV and Bio
• 10 artwork samples, including detail shots, completed within the past 8 years.
• All of the information in the drop-down menus with details for your work of art samples

Note: Art teams must submit their qualifications either under a group name or the lead artist's name. They are required to submit a minimum of 10 images of their work but may submit up to 10 images for each team member if preferred.

This call is open to both emerging and established professional artists residing 75 miles from Germantown, TN who are a minimum of 18 years old working in two-dimensional media. Previous public art experience is not required.

Evaluation/ Selection Process:

Applications submitted for this Call for Artists will be reviewed by the City’s Public Art Manager. The Manager will then forward all complete and eligible applications received by the deadline to the Artist Selection Committee. This committee will consist of members from the City of Germantown’s Public Art Commission, as well as staff from the Parks and Recreation Department and City Communications.

The Artist Selection Committee will assess the qualifications of the applicants and select up to three semi-finalists to create a mural design by the specified deadline.

The Public Art Division will conduct a week-long community vote, allowing residents to choose their favorite design. Voting will be available online and at local community hubs, such as the Community Library, the Germantown Athletic Center, and the Germantown Performing Arts Center. The results of the community vote will be reported to the Selection Committee. While the community vote will help inform the decision, the final choice of the winning design will be made by the Public Art Commission.

Selection Criteria:           

• Complete qualifications submitted prior to the application deadline
• Artistic excellence as demonstrated in the 10 digital images of the artist(s) previous work
• Evidence of working in the mural field or experience creating large format paintings
• Compliance with the design guidelines
• Creativity and Originality
   

About Germantown Public Art

The Germantown Public Art Program is a city division that supports the work of the Public Art Commission. Under the guidance of the Germantown Mayor and the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, the Public Art Commission was formed in 2018. The Germantown Public Art Program is dedicated to celebrating the people, history, and spirit of Germantown through its investment in high-quality public artwork to enhance the city’s environment and public spaces by strategically placing public art throughout the community.

Questions and Point of Contact

Cat Peña, Public Art Manager 

City of Germantown

• Phone: 901.751.7664
• Email: cpena@germantown-tn.gov