CALLING ALL LOWCOUNTRY GRAPHIC ARTISTS! North Charleston seeking designer for ODFJELL tank mural

ODFJELL liquid storage tank at 1003 East Montague Avenue

Clarification: The ODFJELL tank mural design must be digitally rendered. It‘ll be printed on vinyl, then mounted. It will NOT be hand painted.

The City of North Charleston seeks to commission a graphic artist to design a large outdoor mural for a privately owned storage tank located at 1003 East Montague Avenue near the Olde Village area of North Charleston. Professional graphic artists residing in the Tri-County area (Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties) are invited to submit their qualifications for the public art project. A Mural Committee comprised of city officials, business leaders, and community leaders will select one artist to create the mural design. The total budget for this project has been set at $5000 and involves all costs associated with the project including, but not limited to: artist's design fees, materials, production costs, travel, documentation, and any permits, license, or insurance. The mural will measure 140’w x 40’h and will be fabricated on cast white vinyl and professionally mounted to the carbon steel tank. Interested artists should contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843-740-5854 or culturalarts@northcharleston.org for the complete commission prospectus. Application materials must be hand delivered by 5:00pm on Friday, June 28, or postmarked by Sunday, June 30, 2013. Artists will be notified of the commission award by July 10, 2013.

The mural design must be created using Adobe Illustrator or equivalent graphic design software and incorporate the logo of the tank owner, ODFJELL. The final design must be completed by August 31, 2013, to allow the mural fabricator adequate time to manufacture and install the mural in September. The ideal design would create excitement and interest for the community, honor the history of the community, compliment the redevelopment initiatives of the community, and be appropriate to the location. Graphic artists applying for the commission must demonstrate the skill and ability needed to produce this type of commissioned design work. The selected artist must be willing to learn about the community and is expected to collaborate with city staff and the Mural Committee through a series of meetings to develop concepts for the mural and the final design. Communication and coordination with city staff, the Mural Committee, and the mural fabricator throughout the design and installation process is necessary to ensure quality and compatibility.

In order to be considered for the commission, graphic artists interested in this project must prepare and submit the following materials:

1. Letter of Interest describing specific interest in the project, potential approach, and any relevant past experience (1 page limit)
2. Current resume/CV
3. A minimum of ten slides, quality photographs, or digital images of artist’s work that accurately represent the artist’s aesthetics and style. All images must be accompanied by a brief description of the artwork, title, location, size, and completion date.
4. A list of three professional client references. The list must include complete address and telephone number for each reference.
5. A self-addressed stamped envelope should be included if materials are to be returned.
6. Optional application materials - the artist's web site may be listed and/or up to three additional materials may be submitted such as reviews, news articles, awards, or other related information.

The City of North Charleston reserves the right to reject all applications and/or adjust the project time line. Application materials should be submitted by the deadline to the City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Director, Ms. Marty Besancon. Hand-deliver to the Cultural Arts Department office on the second floor of North Charleston City Hall, located at 2500 City Hall Lane, or mail to City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, PO Box 190016, North Charleston, SC 29419-9016.

For more information about the ODFJELL tank mural commission, contact Marty Besancon at 843-740-5850 or mbesancon@northcharleston.org. To learn more about other programs and artist opportunities offered by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, visit http://bit.ly/culturalarts.