Pausing Before You Apply: Is Public Art Right For You?

You are walking around your city, and you spot massive murals spanning the side of an entire building. As a mural painter or artist, you may ask yourself, how did an artist get this commission? Who pays for the project? How can I get into projects like this?

Many large murals that you see come from PUBLIC ART projects. These are different from commercial mural work. Instead of issuing a quote, most public art projects have a stated budget and terms, and applicants then apply for the project if they feel like it is a good fit. There is a selection process, and if an artist is fortunate, they land the work. 

So, before you rush to apply for public art projects, stop and ask yourself if public art is right for you? 

Are You a Good Candidate? 

For our purposes public art is different from just any art that appears in the public. Art is everywhere, after all, and it takes on many forms. Public art projects are ones sponsored by the government or an arts organization often with grant funding, generally with the purpose of improving an area through the arts. With this in mind, an arts committee is focused on finding art that speaks to, or speaks for, the community. 

Painting a pair of angel wings made out of ice cream cones for the local snack shop benefits the business commissioning the work. It is a valuable piece of business marketing, but it is different from creating a piece of art for the benefit of the public. 

Common themes in public art are representation for the people of an area, callbacks to local history, highlighting the natural environment of the area and so on. These themes put the spotlight on the area and the common values of the people within it. Not all public art projects carry a theme. Some are more abstract, but what they don’t do is promote a business. Using public art funds to promote a business would be unethical. You may even see specific instruction in an art call, directing the design away from the nature of the business that the wall is on. Public art can be done on city owned structures, or local business partners, so long as the purpose of the art (for the community and not specifically the business) is understood.

So ask yourself, do you make the kind of art that a public art selection committee is looking for?

Sure, you have experience painting murals, but is your portfolio a mix of art advertisements and painted signs? Public art committees are typically looking for people that have an art practice and a portfolio of artwork. This work is expressing your voice and creativity, and not the desires of a business. You’ll give yourself a big advantage if you have a recognizable style and your work looks cohesive. 

Many muralists get their start by doing commissions for small businesses, and it can be a lucrative business model. If you are wanting to transition to creating work with more creative expression and less advertisement, as well as wanting to grow to larger walls, you will have to highlight the work in your portfolio that is most similar to your goal.  

If you don’t have this type of work, it is time to start making it. Seek out opportunities that allow you creative expression (small public art projects like electrical boxes are a great entry to this). It won’t happen overnight, but eventually you will have a body of creative work that may get the interest of a public art selection committee. 

Do You Have the Right Mindset? 

Are you ultra sensitive to rejection? Do you often find yourself getting your hopes up, and take a long time to recover when disappointed? If so, applying for public art calls is probably not for you. 

Think about the call realistically and take your pride out of the equation. There might be 100 applicants or more. Only one artist will get selected. That’s 99 disappointed artists. You may think to yourself, why apply then if my chances are so low? Because eventually, you may land one, and it’ll be the start of moving your career to work you may find more fulfilling and creatively empowering. Once you have that project in your portfolio, you are that much more appealing when applying next time. It gets easier, your chances of selection increase with your experience. 

Public art calls can range in value, but it is not uncommon to see mural calls for projects that have $30,000 and up budgets. Is it worth your time to throw your hat in the ring? I think so, but that’s just my opinion. If you have a solid portfolio, read your applications fully, and submit complete applications giving the committee exactly what they are asking for, you stand a chance. 

It is undeniably hard to get your hopes up for a project that feels like the perfect fit, only to not get selected. Many times you will not even get a rejection letter and will just see the project moving forward with someone else. It stings…but that’s show biz, baby. Dust yourself off and move on. 

It can be helpful to apply frequently. If you have 9 applications out at any given moment, you don’t have the time or the energy to focus on any single project results. Submit the materials, log it on a spreadsheet so you don’t forget, and move on to the next one. Cast a wide net and see what you can pull in. Eventually, you may get 8 rejection letters back, but all you need is one win to keep the lights on… so 8 rejections and one acceptance letter is still a huge win. 

If you let a rejection prevent you from applying again, you are limiting yourself with insecurity. Don’t take it personal. Almost everyone that applied got rejected. You may have been in the top two! Who knows? Apply and move on, continue to update and refine your portfolio, maybe you’ll get pleasantly surprised.