PEABODY — The city’s Community Development and Planning Department is looking for artists to paint a mural to jumpstart its Outside the Box Mural project.
Director Curt Bellavance said the mural will showcase city landmarks in the form of a Greetings from Peabody vintage postcard, with the possibility of showing the image on a larger scale somewhere in the downtown area.
“We’ve done projects in the past, like the piano and some utility boxes, but that was about five years ago and we want to bring it back again,” Bellavance said. “The office mural is really just a test case that will tie in with the larger, ongoing program to bring color and art into the city. We’ve already identified some underpasses and different buildings that would be ideal, so now we are just trying to reach out and see if there is any interest in the artist community in getting involved. We want to do more murals.”
Under the terms of the project, artists will receive a $1,000 stipend that includes all artist fees, supplies, and materials. 30 percent of the stipend will be paid upon execution of the artist agreement, with the balance paid when the artwork is completed.
The project is open to all artists who abide by project guidelines. Artists must execute an artist agreement form to participate. Submissions will be reviewed by Bellavance. The deadline to file an application is May 10 at 3:30 p.m. Submissions should be sent to Michelle Kazlowski, Peabody City Hall, 24 Lowell St., Peabody MA 01960.
Submitted proposals will become the property of the city. Artists will own the copyright, and may only use the art for portfolio purposes and not for commercial purposes for a period of two years from the completion date.
The Greetings from Peabody postcard mural must be completed and approved by Bellavance by July 7.
Future plans for a full ongoing mural program include seeking grant funding. Bellavance said there are a couple of “grant avenues” the city will likely pursue depending on the cost.
“This isn’t a one and done,” Bellavance said. “We want to get the right type of art that will establish and support a program that will be ongoing in the future.”
For more information about the Greetings from Peabody postcard mural project and to fill out the application form, go to the city’s website, https://www.peabody-ma.gov/comm_dev.
