The City of Moscow and the Moscow Arts Commission announce the opening of the artist submission period for a mural to be installed at the corner of Jackson & A Streets, with applications accepted until 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

At this time, individual artists and artist teams are invited to submit qualifications and examples of past work. These materials will be evaluated by the Selection Panel, which will then recommend three finalists to create site-specific proposals. Each of the finalists will create a site-specific design and will receive a $1000 honorarium which is anticipated to be used towards travel expenses, food, design fees, lodging, and any and all expenses related to the creation of artist’s proposal and presentation. Following the finalist presentations, the selected artist honorarium for the mural installation is not to exceed $25,000. Included in this budget are the artist’s fee, insurance, travel, fabrication, engineering, materials, installation, documentation, and all other costs accrued by the artist specific to this project.

Artists eighteen (18) years-of-age and older from the United States are eligible for this project. Preference may be given to artists who live in Latah County, Nez Perce County, or those who are Nez Perce or Coeur d’Alene tribal members and/or have a significant Idaho economic presence, with secondary preference given to those artists who live in Asotin County or Whitman County. Artists are eligible regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital or familial status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, and gender expression or identity. Artist teams are eligible to apply, including teams of artists from multiple disciplines.

The project theme was developed by the Moscow Arts Commission and approved by Moscow City Council:
The community of Moscow rises up from the fertile ground of the Palouse, where water, seeds, and soil create a playful dance of transformation. Joining in this growth are the intertwining stories of students and life-long residents. Rooted in Moscow, these stories are a celebration of potential, of opening and stretching toward the sunlight. The mural at the building at Jackson & A will reflect the spirit of play, celebration, and transformation at the core of the Moscow community. 
Artist materials will be accepted only via Submittable, the City of Moscow Arts Department’s submission management system. No emailed or paper submissions will be reviewed. The submission form is available online: https://moscowarts.submittable.com/submit
###The Moscow Arts Commission and the City of Moscow Arts Department share a mission is to enrich the community by celebrating and cultivating the expressions of all forms of art and culture. It has fostered artistic excellence and public access to the arts in the city for many years. The program’s focus areas are fourfold: curation of community exhibition space at the Third Street Gallery inside City Hall, arts events and programming, arts and culture education, and a comprehensive public art program. 

Guided by a Public Art Master Plan adopted in 2015, the public art collection is ever-expanding, with artistic direction crafted in collaboration between city staff and the Moscow Arts Commission, a passionate group of volunteer arts advocates. The collection is comprised of both temporary and permanent features, each of which are pictured on the City of Moscow website. Temporary artworks include vinyl-wrapped utility boxes and bus shelters as well as a sculpture garden featuring artworks on loan to the City. Artworks in the permanent collection range from mosaic murals and sculptures-in-the-round to framed pieces in the Portable Collection. Each new piece in the permanent collection joins others by celebrated regional artists including Harold Balazs, David Govedare, Miles Pepper, Robert Horner, Melissa Cole, J. Casey Doyle, Jennifer Corio and Dave Frei. Moscow is a community rich with diversity of thought, inhabited by minds open to possibility and creative interpretation. As such, the public art program not only celebrates the artist as a professional and valued business partner, but also welcomes a broad range of appearances, media, and art-making processes into its collection. Story Contact: Megan Cherry, Arts Manager
Phone: 208-883-7036
Email: mcherry@ci.moscow.id.us
City of Moscow 206 E Third Street
Moscow, ID 83843
Contact: Bill Belknap, City Supervisor
Phone – 208.883.7011
Email – bbelknap@ci.moscow.id.us
Website – www.ci.moscow.id.us