About NBPT Murals

NBPT Murals aims to connect and engage residents and visitors with Newburyport and the theme “We Share One Sky”, through large-scale, exterior mural paintings strategically placed across the City. Newburyport Art is partnering with the City of Newburyport, Blochaus Art Gallery, Tannery Marketplace, and area muralists to design, create, install, and promote this series of murals.

Mural proposals can explore any design, subject, or narrative, but the partners are particularly interested in concepts that come under the "We Share One Sky" theme of the project and express lesser-known perspectives of Newburyport and/or focus on non-traditional imagery. While all area muralists are invited to apply, the partners also wish to encourage and elevate the voices of those that have been historically overlooked and under-resourced, including but not limited to BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and artists with disabilities.

Two sites with various opportunities for murals have been identified and are detailed below. The partners are seeking to engage as many artists as possible and intend to curate mural proposals within the two sites in order to create an overall, harmonious presentation of artworks.

NBPT Murals is a project that will run across two years with painting schedules staggered to accommodate both artists schedules and the partners' timelines. Once artists are selected, individual agreements will be developed between the Muralist and the partners and individual timelines will be determined together. 

Site detail - Tannery Marketplace (Newburyport, MA) - Mill No. 3 and No. 5

This call for artists and proposals specifically sets out to identify 10 or more muralists to contribute their designs and artistry to two sites that are part Newburyport's Tannery Marketplace -- a hub of indoor and outdoor activity featuring independently owned shops, restaurants, and business services. Mill No. 3 is located directly across from Newburyport Art and Mill No. 5 is located on a section of the Rail Trail, adjacent to Newburyport Art.

Site at Mill No. 3

Mill No. 3 features a series of brick-framed, cinder block walls/panels. The location is just off of Water Street, at 1-6 Independent Street. The partners anticipate selecting a different individual muralist to paint each panel. Some of the walls/panels have unique characteristics, and each are approximately 53 square feet (64" wide x 120" high). A photo below shows an example of one allocated wall/panel highlighted in red.

 

 

Site at Mill No. 5

Mill No. 5 will provide opportunities for select windows to be wrapped with digitally printed designs on vinyl, enabling artists to work across a variety of media to attract the attention of the countless Rail Trail users. Windows vary in size and are approximately 63 square feet each (100" wide x 90" high). A photo below, taken from the heavily-trafficked Rail Trail, shows an example of one allocated window is highlighted in red.

Artist Eligibility and Proposal Themes

Artists must be 18 years of age or older, and can be members or non-members of Newburyport Art. Artist teams are eligible to apply, so long as all team members are listed on the application below (with bios, portfolio, etc. also provided).

Newburyport has a history rich in maritime and coastal stories -- both of which have been well-explored throughout the City in numerous public formats. While proposals can explore any design, subject, theme, or narrative, the partners are particularly interested in expressing lesser-known perspectives of Newburyport and/or focus on non-traditional imagery. While all area muralists are invited to apply, the partners also wish to encourage and elevate the voices of those that have been historically overlooked and under-resourced, including but not limited to BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and artists with disabilities.

Artwork must be appropriate for general public viewing across all ages and demographics. Artists must refrain from any subject matter overtly containing commercial, political, sexual, or religious content.

Project Timeline:

• Submission deadline: June 30, 2023 (by 11:59pm)
• Notification of selected artists: before July 31st, 2023
• Communication & design of mural panels: Fall/Winter 2023-2024
• Start & completion of mural work staggered: Fall 2023- Summer 2024
• Potential artist talks and educational programming opportunities may be available following on from the completion of each individual mural project

Budget/Award

• Amount of award: Artist fees will vary with each mural location but be between $750-$1500.
• A disbursement schedule will be confirmed as part of each artist's individual agreement.
• Materials, tools, and equipment will be provided. The partners will make every effort to accommodate specialty requests, but these will be considered on a case by case basis.

Selection committee and criteria

The partners will make artist and proposal selections based on the portfolio and experience of the applicant, and will place a priority on projects that adhere to the theme and focus of NBPT Murals. The selection committee is comprised of all partner leads:

• Markus Sebastiano, Founder & Owner, Blochaus Art Gallery
• Geordie Vining, Senior Project Manager, Office of Planning & Development, City of Newburyport
• David D. Hall, Tannery Marketplace Owner

Support and thanks

"We Share One Sky" has been made possible through the generous support of the Essex County Community Foundation's (ECCF's) Creative County Initiative (CCI).

The following, final questions are entirely optional. The review committee does not expect or require respsonses, but wants to allow room for any artists to share any thoughts and/or visions that immediately come to mind.