2022 Keith County Mural Project
Keith County Area Development is excited to announce the development of a project to bring artists and local businesses together to create a more vibrant community. Art in public places plays an important role in preserving our culture, conveying the history of our community, and beautifying our community. The goal of the Mural Project is to support the creation of murals throughout Keith County to promote the creative expression of the artist and to provide an enriching visual experience for residents and visitors as a quality of place enhancement.
This project stems from the priorities identified during the 2020 Keith County Community Vision Planning process, through which three top community priorities were identified: Housing Development, Early Childhood Development, and First Impressions (or “Curb Appeal”). Within the First Impressions category, efforts are underway across Keith County to improve green spaces, wayfinding signage, and add murals. The 2022 Mural Project will be the first mural directly resulting from these efforts. It is being pursued thanks to generous funding raised during the 2021 Keith County Big Give and a grant from the Keith County Foundation Fund.
Project information is available below. The Guidelines & Process section contains the full, downloadable information packet.
Please apply by June 6, 2022, and/or share this information with potential artists!
This project stems from the priorities identified during the 2020 Keith County Community Vision Planning process, through which three top community priorities were identified: Housing Development, Early Childhood Development, and First Impressions (or “Curb Appeal”). Within the First Impressions category, efforts are underway across Keith County to improve green spaces, wayfinding signage, and add murals. The 2022 Mural Project will be the first mural directly resulting from these efforts. It is being pursued thanks to generous funding raised during the 2021 Keith County Big Give and a grant from the Keith County Foundation Fund.
Project information is available below. The Guidelines & Process section contains the full, downloadable information packet.
Please apply by June 6, 2022, and/or share this information with potential artists!
Project Informationwho is involved
Keith County Area Development (KCAD) is administering the Mural Project, with support from the First Impressions Committee. The Committee includes community members and interested volunteers. KCAD is governed by a Board of Directors. Property Owners provide the wall for mural installation. Artists provide the original work installed on the provided walls. Timeline
Property Info
The mural will be located in downtown Ogallala in the alleyway between Cal’s Boot & Shoe Service and Sketch and Stitch on the north side of 109 North Spruce Street. This alleyway connects North Spruce Street, our main downtown retail corridor, to Rendezvous Square, which is an open-air venue that hosts musical and community events. The alleyway has been closed to vehicular traffic and is approximately 14 feet wide. The side of the building is 106 feet long and approximately 16 feet tall. The artist may choose to apply a mural to a portion of or to the entirety of the north-facing wall, with consideration to existing features and fixtures, such as a doorway and utilities. A related First Impressions “Green Spaces” project will add benches, planter boxes, lighting, and waste receptacles to create an inviting pocket park in this alleyway. The mural should complement the planned pocket park. See Guidelines and Process for more details and photos of the site. ARtist Info
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ProcessCreative Brief
Mural Wanted: Not Your Ordinary Town First Impression Mural Project survey results supported the word ‘community’ as the top-rated value of respondents. Other values that rose to the top of the survey as being very important to respondents were creativity, fun, nature, beauty, diversity, and vibrancy. Some of the comments given were:
Drawing from these values, the 2022 mural inspiration is “Mural Wanted: Not Your Ordinary Town”. This theme should be incorporated into the design of the mural, but the artist has creative freedom on how they interpret the theme. See Guidelines & Process for more information, including factual information about Ogallala and Keith County for context. Selection Criteria
The approval process for executing/installing Murals on public or private property within Keith County is administered by Keith County Area Development’s First Impressions Committee (the Committee), and the Property Owner. The Mural should be a professionally designed, original work of exceptional quality with consideration of the following criteria:
Application Process
Artists Applicants (Artist) shall:
Budget
Because the size/scope of the mural within the identified wall is variable, we understand that the project budget may vary widely. A total of $16,000 has been identified for the purposes of this project. Travel costs, materials (including scaffolding/lifts), and personal liability insurance should be included in the budget. The Committee may collaborate with the artist to request needed in-kind contributions from local partners, within reason. Each finalist will be paid a $250 stipend upon completion of his/her finalized design proposal. |
ApplicationApplication Requirements
Artist Applicants must submit the following items to KCAD by June 6 to be considered for this project: ** Artist Application (Available online or in the guidelines packet) ** Artist Portfolio ** Primitive draft of the concept for the Mural ** Written narrative ** Project budget ** Drafted Artist Agreement Please see Guidelines & Process below for full details on these requirements. Guidelines & Process
Full details on all the project information included on this website may be downloaded here:
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The selected artist, property owner and KCAD representative must sign the Mural Installation & Maintenance Agreement prior to project implementation. It is included here for your reference.
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Submission Instructions
The Artist Application is available online or in the guidelines packet (see Guidelines & Process above). You may email your Application and supporting materials to: info@kcad.org ATTN: First Impressions Committee or send by mail to: Keith County Area Development ATTN: First Impressions Committee PO Box 418 Ogallala, NE 69153 Deadline for applications is June 6, 2022. Questions?
If you have questions, please contact Keith County Area Development at (308) 284-6623 or info@kcad.org. |