Mural Artist RFP Description:
HYPERMUR and the City of Paris are seeking a Los Angeles mural artist (and collaborating translator/videographer) who will be matched with a French mural artist to jointly design and paint a celebratory mural overlooking an important transit plaza in the Quartier Porte de Clignancourt neighborhood in suburban Paris. The LA mural-artist applicant should self-identify in their RFQ whether they wish to articulate the figurative parts (subject elements) of the mural, or the pattern sensations (background elements) of the mural.
The community that lives and works in the neighborhood is Pan-African, and the site’s adjacent transit plaza (Place des Tirailleurs sénégalais) is designated as a memorial to the African soldiers who fought for France in World Wars I and II (the plaza features a distinct heart sculpture that was created by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos). The multiple themes desired for this mural include sports, multiculturalism, and French-American shared iconography. This will be the last FAMA mural that will be premiered before the Paris 2024 Olympics. This opportunity is one part of a series of murals called FAMA and aims to promote French-American shared values of inclusion and equity in the public space.
The art-team selected to carry out this full imminent opportunity will consist of an: LA-based mural artist, a videographer (who ideally can also serve as a French-English translator), and a collaborating LA nonprofit organization sponsor/project promoter. The team will partner with a French-based mural artist and HYPERMUR. The LA-based team will film/document the production of the mural, so that a documentary video would then be published online to present to Los Angeles audiences in Summer 2024. This diplomatic opportunity is coordinated by HYPERMUR and co-sponsored by the US Embassy & Consulate in France, the City of Paris, and the City of Los Angeles.
Artist Eligibility:
A mural-artist who lives and works in the Los Angeles region, and has 5 or more years of public exhibitions on their resume, and fulfills the special conditions related to this mural opportunity. Ideally, the applicant is a US national, possessing a US passport not expiring before October 2024.
Host Organization:
HYPERMUR, Paris, France
Date(s) of Live Public Presentations:
Community conversations (hybrid, online and in-person) at La REcyclerie: Mid-February 2024
Mural production: May-June 2024 (21 days)
Mural inauguration: 6/8/2024
Press interviews: 6/9/2024
Documentary video posted for LA audiences: 7/9/2024
Address of Public Presentation:
East-facing exterior wall at 37 boulevard Ney 75018 Paris, France (interactive Google Street View)
Phase 1A:
- Individual Los Angeles-based muralists/visual artists respond to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) by November 4, 2023 (click here to access the RFQ) to submit sample past work and CV/resumes.
- HYPERMUR conducts a webinar to introduce RFQ artists to the building site, its history, the community context and answer questions about parameters, limitations, and desired results.
- The list of LA artists will be ranked to identify approximately 5 pre-qualified artists; separately, HYPERMUR develops a list of 3 to 4 French muralists who will be proposed as project collaborators.
- DCA provides each selected pre-qualified artist $300 and three weeks to produce a conceptual drawing for the building and the community style Phase 1B:
- Pre-qualified artists will be encouraged to continue in Phase 1B at which time they must have a LA City-headquartered 501c3 nonprofit arts promotional partner (with an annual operating budget between $200,000 and $5 million in their recently completed fiscal year), videographer, and budget agreement for two people and 21 days of production fees, inclusive of travel necessities
- RFP applications are submitted, reviewed, and ranked; the top-ranking proposal is scheduled for DCA Cultural Affairs Commission presentation for final funding recommendation
- DCA connects selected LA-based art-team with HYPERMUR to commence planning and production with French partners.
- LA art-team (promotional partner and traveling workers) will be legally contracted through the business incubator Community Partners Ideal Art-team Desired for this Opportunity: Mural artists responding to the Phase 1A RFQ should submit 12 images of 8 or more prior artworks from the last 5-10 years with special attention to any past works that address the themes of inclusion and sports. Concepts can be figurative or abstract. The ideal artist from LA will have past work that demonstrate their ability to research, understand, and reflect a complex cultural community. The ideal applicant will have produced at least one vertical mural on a building more than 3 stories tall. Until the lead mural artist is qualified, there is no reason to address the steps of Phase 1B unless the applicant-artist would like to include a letter of recommendation from an LA-headquartered nonprofit arts organization that will be their home agency or promotional partner, and host the documentary video of the creation of the mural on their website.
Special Considerations:
- Ability to work collaboratively with a foreign host agency and their art specialists
- Ability to diplomatically represent Los Angeles in a foreign host city
- Ability to safely and securely travel and produce artwork successfully according to the description provided above (including a current US passport that does not expire before October 2024)