The Pittsfield Let It Shine! Public Art Partnership is seeking artists to paint 4 murals in Pittsfield by Saturday, September 9 – the day of our community celebration: “Let It Shine! A Celebration of Public Art”. These murals are intended to beautify downtown and the West Side of Pittsfield by reflecting and celebrating the communities, history, environment, or future of Pittsfield.

The Let It Shine! Public Art Partnership is a group of Pittsfield-based community members who have formed to organize public art and revitalization on North Street, empowered by organizing efforts through MassDevelopment’s TDI. MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) is a program for Gateway Cities designed to accelerate economic growth within focused districts.

Through MassDevelopment’s TDI, the group has been granted additional funding for a mural consultant, Common Wealth Murals, who will help guide them through an equitable process of soliciting art/artists and community involvement, and who comes with appropriate liability insurance to insure the installation of the murals.

Pittsfield déjalo brillar! Public Art Partnership está buscando artistas para pintar 4 murales en Pittsfield antes del sábado 9 de septiembre, el día de su celebración comunitaria: “¡Déjalo brillar! Una celebración del arte público”.

Para postularse, los artistas deben visitar los sitios web abajo para ver los criterios completos y enviar su solicitud.

Let It Shine! Mural chico: https://forms.gle/bc3DVzJpd9nEPnLB9

Let It Shine! Mural mediano: https://forms.gle/Hx4AS3irvmKVcPSS9

Let It Shine! Mural grande:  https://forms.gle/rtN2Z6p565ixhHvx9

Mural de Westside Legends: https://forms.gle/hStGMRstNPAprp5KA

• Tuesday, July 11: Artist call opens

• Wednesday, July 26 at 5 pm: Artist call closes

• Monday, July 31: Muralists Selected

• Tuesday, August 15: Initial design sketches due

• Monday, August 21: Designs finalized

• Wednesday, August 23: All mural painting can begin any time after this date

• Wednesday, September 6: Panel murals finished and ready for installation

• Saturday, September 9: Carr Hardware building and 348 North Street murals finished

• Saturday, September 9: Artists to attend a community meet and greet event: “Let It Shine! A Celebration of Public Art”

• Let It Shine! Large Mural: A 50-foot by 18-foot mural on Carr Hardware at 547 North Street. The budget for this mural is $9,000. Lifts will be provided. Artist must supply their own paint and other materials (discounted by Carr Hardware). This mural will be painted on brick.
• Let It Shine! Medium Mural: A 30-foot by-15 foot panel mural on the Wright Building on North Street. Panels will be provided and can be painted off-site. (This mural is designed to be movable and will be relocated at the time of construction on the Wright Building.) The budget for this mural is $4,000. Artist must supply their own paint and other materials (discounted by Carr Hardware). This mural will be painted on plywood panels.
• Let It Shine! Small Mural: A 17-foot by 11-foot mural commissioned by property owner Paul Aronofsky for a primed and prepped surface on 348 North Street (alleyway facing St. Joseph’s Church). Designs featuring an agricultural animal with a preference for a pig or rooster will be favored. The budget for this mural is $1,000. Paint will be supplied; artist must provide their own materials. This mural will be painted on plywood panels.
• Westside Legends Mural: A 5-foot by 5-foot panel mural commissioned by the Westside Legends for a location TBD in the West Side neighborhood of Pittsfield. The budget for this mural is $1,000. Artist must supply their own paint and other materials (discounted by Carr Hardware). Paint or vinyl transfers are welcome. This mural will be on a plywood panel.

Based on submitted photos of past work and answers to the questions in the application, artists will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Quality of artistic composition and execution.
• Creativity and originality of the depicted subject.
• Overall impression of the art. (What is the effect of the artwork in general and as a whole? Overall, does the artwork stand on its own as a complete and outstanding work of art?)
• Commitment to creating public art that reflects the neighborhood where the art is located.
• Contribution to diversity of the artists with public art in Pittsfield in the following areas: age, artistic style, race, ethnicity, language, gender, and sexual orientation.
• Preference given to artists with a meaningful connection to Pittsfield.

• Communicate consistently with Project Manager (Common Wealth Murals) throughout the project
• Create a preliminary concept sketch for review by the Mural Selection Committee
• Respond, in a timely manner, to feedback from the Mural Committee with adjustments to the design as needed
• Purchase all paint and supplies needed to complete the project
• Paint and seal the mural by September 6, 2023 (Wright Building and Westside Legends Panels) or September 9, 2023 (Carr Hardware)

Fill out the form corresponding to the mural you wish to apply for and upload 3-5 work samples of representative work. Work samples should reflect the compositional style you would use for this project. If you have painted large-scale work, please include photos of these works. Your application will not be considered without submitting photos of completed work.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: Wednesday, July 26 at 5 pm.

The Let It Shine! Public Art Project is sponsored by MassDevelopment’s TDI Creative Catalyst Grant program, Teton Management, Mill Town Foundation, and Carr Hardware. It is presented in partnership with MassDevelopment’s TDI, Downtown Pittsfield, Inc., Downtown Pittsfield Cultural Association, Artscape, City of Pittsfield’s Office of Cultural Development, Huck Elling, Jesse Tobin McCauley, Common Wealth Murals, Westside Legends, Allegrone Companies, and Paul Aronofsky.

For more information on the Let It Shine! Public Art Project and other initiatives, call Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. at 413-443-6501. To learn more about MassDevelopment’s TDI district on North Street, contact Julie Copoulos at 781-299-0555. Sponsorship information for future arts and culture initiatives is available upon request.