The Village of Oswego is seeking artists to submit proposals for a new mural in downtown Oswego.
The mural is a project of Oswego’s Cultural Arts Commission in its mission to build a vibrant permanent public art collection in Oswego. It’s planned for the building at 59 Main Street, home to Oswego Cyclery and the Oswego Brewing Company and future site of the Fox Valley Winery’s new tasting room.
Interested artists must submit a concept design and images of previous murals. As the first mural commissioned by the Cultural Arts Commission, this call is limited to artists with previous experience. A full list of requirements and instructions for submitting proposals is included in the Request for Proposals.
The prompt for the mural project, included in the formal Request for Proposals, identifies themes and ideas from the downtown that might inspire an artist, but it is designed to be wide-reaching. The Commission is seeking concepts that might be described as playful and organic and evoke curiosity, for example.
“The Cultural Arts Commission is really seeking to establish the aesthetic for what public art looks like in downtown Oswego,” community engagement coordinator Jenette Sturges said. “Every community has their own distinct feel and sense of place that is demonstrated in part through its public art, and so rather than dictate a specific subject for this mural, the Commission is asking artists to propose concepts that speak to and help us establish that feeling and sense of place.”
The mural is the second commissioned art installation in downtown Oswego in recent years for the Cultural Arts Commission. In 2019, the Village commissioned manhole covers featuring ‘Fox and Muskie,’ an artwork by local graphic designer Elisabeth Teitge, imprinted into the iron.
Complete guidelines on the project and how to submit concepts are available at oswegoil.org/government/departments/administration/purchasing.
To submit concepts for consideration, review the official Request for Proposal and additional documents at www.oswegoil.org/government/departments/administration/purchasing according to the instructions in the Request for Proposal, by 3 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13.
For more information call 630-551-2392 or send to jsturges@oswegoil.org.
— Village of Oswego