Open Call for Muralists / Denver Arts & Venues

Introduction  

Denver Arts & Venues seeks to commission an artist or artist team to create new interior and exterior murals in various public locations around Denver such as libraries, parks, recreation centers, and a police station. The murals will be painted across the city between June and September 2027. Specific anticipated locations for the future murals are called out below, but more locations and more murals may be added in the future. Applicants will be considered for all 7+ locations listed, with a unique artist or artist team awarded for each location. 

Several selection panels made up of community representatives, arts and culture professionals and civic leaders have been assembled to select and recommend an artist or artist team for these projects. Each project location has its own selection panel. The panel is seeking artists who work in the mural medium and are interested in painting a mural at the sites listed below. 

About This Call 

Denver is adding new murals to libraries, parks, recreation centers and a police station in neighborhoods across the city, and we are looking for muralists to paint them!  

These are walls people see every day – at libraries, recreation centers, parks, and in other public spaces around the city. Your work would become part of those everyday routines, seen by kids, neighbors and people passing through.  

We have kept the process simple on purpose. You apply once, and you’ll be considered for 7+ mural opportunities.  We are looking for artists who can complete the murals between June and September 2027. 

We want these walls to reflect the people who live around them. We especially welcome emerging muralists, artists who are new to public work and artists whose perspective is underrepresented in Denver’s public art collection. If that sounds like you, please apply.  

The murals are funded through Denver’s Public Art Program, which sets aside 1% of eligible capital project budgets. For the full PDF copy of this open call, please visit this link.

Goals, Site, Media & Materials 

Each project has its own selection panel, which will set the goals and vision for each individual project. Artists will then work with Denver Arts & Venues to create a site-specific concept that reflects those goals, with the hope of creating unique, seamlessly integrated artwork for the people who visit these sites. 

Locations: Murals will be focused on the following locations. Additional locations may be added.

• Police District 6 Station Expansion and Renovation, 1566 Washington St. Denver, CO, District 10
• Eugene Field Library, 810 S. University Blvd., University Park and Bonnie Brae, District 6
• Hampden Library, 9755 E. Girard Ave., Hampden South, District 4
• Stanford and Balsam Park (shown on Google Maps as “Marston Park”), Marston, District 2
• Harvey Park Recreation Center, Harvey Park, District 2
• Sloan’s Lake, Sloan’s Lake neighborhood, District 1
• Washington Park, Washington Park neighborhood, District 6
• To be determined locations in the following areas:
  • Congress Park and Cherry Creek, District 5
  • Westwood Neighborhood, District 3
  • Berkeley Neighborhood, District 1
• Additional potential citywide locations

Materials & Media 
We are looking for murals painted directly on the wall. Brush, roller and spray or aerosol paint are the best fit, and mixed media is welcome if it is applied directly to the wall. Murals of different forms (i.e., mosaics, tile) will be considered but must meet the completion date of June to September 2027. Murals must use durable materials, an anti-graffiti coating and proper wall preparation to ensure longevity. 

Maintenance, Durability & Accessibility 

This artwork will become a permanent addition to the Denver Public Art collection. All applicants must consider the issues of long-term conservation and maintenance of public art, along with time and budget. These projects are in the public realm and will be exposed to physical stresses as well as being subject to vandalism. Murals should be painted with highly durable, low-maintenance materials. Finalists are encouraged to consult with a professional conservator prior to the submission of a final proposal. Awarded contracts will be reviewed by the City of Denver's Public Art Committee to ensure conformity with city standards of maintenance and durability, as well as Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. All finalists are expected to stay on budget and to complete work in an approved timeframe.  

Budget 

The budget for each mural commission is minimum $25,000.00 USD per location, which will be allocated to the artist/team selected. This contract amount is inclusive of all costs associated with the art project including,​ but not limited to:  

• the artist’s design fee
• other consultation fees such as structural engineering consultation, (if applicable)
• insurance (including Colorado Workers Compensation)
• tools
• materials
• wall preparation
• anti-graffiti UV coating
• transportation
• installation
• any building or site modification required
• travel to and from the site
• per diem expenses
• project documentation
• contingency to cover unexpected expenses
• any other associated costs

For all work done on city property, prevailing wage requirements will be applied.  

What to Expect If You Are Selected 

Scale: Walls vary in size, and finalists will design a mural that fits the budget for that wall. Depending on the square footage, covering the entire wall may not be possible. We want a balance between the budget and a realistic scale for each artist and location. 

Artwork plaque: Denver Arts & Venues project managers fabricate and install the plaque for each mural from a separate budget. It does not come out of your commission. 

Site and permits: Denver Arts & Venues will help coordinate site access and permits. 

Timeline 

Except for the online application deadline, the timeline below is subject to adjustments. The September 30, 2027, completion date will not change. Projects are matched on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply early. 

• November 11, 2026  Call opens (via CaFÉ™ system)
• November 30, 2026  First review date (rolling review begins)
• January 29, 2027, 11:59 P.M. MST  Deadline for entry (via CaFÉ™ system)
• December 2026 to February 2027  Finalist Selection
• By end of February 2027  Artist Selection and Notification
• March to May 2027 Approvals and purchase orders
• June to September 2027  Murals are painted
• September 30, 2027  All work complete

Project Selection Process 

According to Denver's Public Art policy, the project selection panel plays an active role in the acquisition of public art for the City and County of Denver. The selection panel for each project is comprised of a minimum of eight voting members. The selection panel is responsible for reviewing applications and selecting finalists based on a rubric and goals set forth by the panelists. 

How the call works: Applicants apply once. Each application goes into one shared pool and can be considered for any project listed above. The final recommendation of the selection panel will be presented to the Public Art Committee, the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs and the Executive Director of Denver Arts & Venues for final approval.  

All decisions of the City and County of Denver are final. 

Who May Apply 

This project is open to artists residing in the United States. Denver Arts & Venues is committed to building a public art collection that represents a broad diversity of artists and encourages applicants from historically marginalized and underrepresented communities, including artists who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latino/x, People of Color (BILPOC), people with disabilities and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersexual, asexual and Two-Spirit+ (LGBTQIA2S+) communities. Denver Arts & Venues also encourages applicants at various stages in their careers and applicants that practice a variety of artistic disciplines. You do not need a prior public commission or a long list of mural experience to apply.  

Artist Teams: Applicants may apply as a single artist or multi-person collaborative group. If applying as a team, please submit one application for the team. 

Applying for these Opportunities 

In response to this RFQ, applicants will be asked to submit the following items via www.CallForEntry.org (CaFÉ™).  

• Up to six digital images of past work
• Statement of interest (no longer than 1,000 characters)
• Answers to a short set of application questions about your availability, typical price per square foot, mural sizes and primary mural approach (see Materials to be Submitted)

Materials to be Submitted 

Please read this section carefully. Incomplete applications will NOT be considered and will be disqualified. The applicant's name must appear on all materials submitted.   

All materials must be submitted online, via the CaFÉ™ website (www.CallForEntry.org). There is no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system. 

Digital Images – To be considered for this project, the applicant must electronically submit six digital images of previously completed artworks through the online CaFÉ™ system. For each image, give the title, year, medium, size and location.  

IMPORTANT: If submitting audio or video files, do not use them as your very first image. They must be submitted last in your image sequence.  

Instructions on how to format images to CaFÉ™ specifications can be found at https://www.callforentry.org/uploading-images-audio-and-video-files/. Assistance in using the CaFÉ™ system is available here: https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/.   

If an artist does not have access to a computer, s/he/they may call (720) 515-5768 to make arrangements to use a computer at Denver Arts & Venues. 

To request this RFQ in an alternate format (such as Braille, large print or accessible electronic format) please contact DisabilityAccess@denvergov.org. 

Statement of Interest – Please submit a statement (1,000 characters maximum) outlining the following: 

• Why painting murals in Denver neighborhoods is of particular interest to you.
• Your design approach and experience working on public art projects (prior public art experience is not required).
• Information on your experience working with diverse communities and stakeholders. One short paragraph is plenty.

Application Questions – In addition to the items above, the CaFÉ™ application will ask the following. Your answers help us match you to the right wall. 

• Contact information: name, email, phone, city and state and website or social media (optional).
• Primary mural approach (choose one): brush or roller painted; spray or aerosol; mixed media applied directly to the wall; other, painted or applied directly to the wall.
• Availability: Can you complete a mural within 2 to 3 months of your agreement (yes or no)? Can you fully complete your work by September 30, 2027 (yes or no)? Are you available to paint between June and September 2027 (select all that apply: June, July, August, September)?
• Price per square foot: What is your typical price per square foot for an exterior mural, including materials, labor and equipment?
• Mural sizes: Which sizes are you comfortable taking on? (select all that apply: under 200 sq ft; 200 to 500; 500 to 1,000; 1,000 to 2,500 and/or over 2,500)
• Neighborhood connections (optional): Do you have close ties to any of the neighborhoods listed above? Note all that apply, then tell us about your connection in a sentence or two. This helps us match artists to the places they know.
• Largest mural you have completed (optional): size in square feet, if you have completed one.

Denver Arts & Venues complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, gender or language. It is your right to request oral or written language assistance services in your primary language, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART or disability-related accommodations if needed. Please contact Denver Arts & Venues at DAVLanguageAccess@denvergov.org and these services will be provided to you free of charge. 

See above.