CALL SUMMARY

Open Call to Submit Qualifications for the EL MERO MURO: MURALS IN SCHOOL Artists and/or Educators.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE – Sunday, August 11th

This is an online application process only. Applications will NOT be accepted by postal mail or email.

Job Type: Contract, Temporary

Openings: 2-5

Salary: $60.00 - $78.00 per hour

Benefits: Flexible schedule

Schedule: Weekdays - Day shift (Between 8 AM - 5 PM)

Project Description- El Mero Muro: Murals in School

On behalf of the Mexic-Arte Museum, we are happy to request qualifications for artists, educators, or teams of two who live and work in the Austin area to create outdoor and indoor permanent artworks for schools within Travis County. El Mero Muro: Murals in School is an extension of Mexic-Arte Museum’s seven-year-old mural program, El Mero Muro, located on the building’s exterior on 5th Street. Expanding El Mero Muro to public schools in the Austin area, the Museum will connect students with talented muralist teaching artists who will mentor Austin’s youth. These artists will guide participants through the design and execution of a mural inside the school premises; participants will conceptualize the murals, along with visual imagery about the identities, stories, and lived experiences of the students from the particular school. In El Mero Muro: Murals in School, participants will learn the historical significance of muralism through art history while developing valuable skills through the project’s diverse stages.

About Mexic-Arte Museum Mural Projects

The original El Mero Muro is a mural program located on the exterior wall of the Mexic-Arte Museum building on 5th St. and Congress Avenue. Conveying powerful messages of relevant social issues, the outdoor murals of the Museum are in a unique and highly visible area of downtown Austin. Hundreds of vehicles and pedestrians pass by this busy corner daily. The Museum commissions artists to create impactful murals using striking images and bilingual messaging. The murals “speak” in words and visual imagery to provoke ideas, address contemporary issues, generate community interest, and welcome the public to visit the Museum. Unfortunately, all these benefits that the original El Mero Muro murals create have become less and less accessible to BIPOC youth and their communities as they get pushed further and further away from downtown Austin each year. El Mero Muro: Murals in School aims to address this underlying issue by bringing murals to them designed to foster community and wellness.

Project Location Description:

The artwork sites for El Mero Muro: Murals in School will be located on schools and education sites and could be either indoor or outdoor, depending on the participating partners’ preference. The Museum will provide all materials needed for the completion of the project.

Project Guidelines:

• You as a guest artist are expected to guide the students through the various processes involved in muralism, taking their ideas and inspirations and collaborating to find a unique blend of your art style and their motifs. This will be emphasized in the design process, aligning their sketches with your ability to compose a cohesive piece that emphasizes the values shared by the students/school.
• The teaching artist(s) will need to complete project programming within 4-6 weeks (depending on grade level, school schedule, artist availability, etc.).
• The Artwork must adhere to the specified parameters provided by Mexic-Arte Museum standardized lesson plans.
• The Artwork should translate artistic concepts into materials that are appropriate for public space, taking into consideration maintenance, safety, and longevity.
• Student safety must be prioritized at all times.
• The teaching artist(s) will need to be comfortable working as a guest within established school curriculums and faculty classrooms/settings, cooperating with teachers and faculty regularly during project sessions.
• Artwork should be sensitive and connected to local social, environmental, historical, and other relevant contexts relevant to its hyperlocal community.
• Any plans for exterior lighting are conceived during the design development phase with the Mexic-Arte Museum Education staff, and, if approved, receive input from the participating youth and school staff.

Eligibility for Application:

• Solo/Team Mural experience REQUIRED
• Individual or team artists and educators
• Bachelor's degree in an art-related field preferred
• Live and work in Travis County
• Able to oversee the design, fabrication, and installation of public murals
• Has a history of working with youth and education programs and/or a demonstrated ability to manage a team
• Valid Driver's License and personal vehicle to commute to sites
• Ability to pass a Background Check required

Application Requirements:

• Resume: 2 page(s) maximum

Please email the following materials to richardg@mexic-artemuseum.org following your application on LinkedIn:

• 5–10 work samples*
• 2 professional/work references

*Portfolio/Artist Website link acceptable, with guidance to/emphasis on mural experience encouraged

Desired Qualifications:

• Strong artistic ability, displayed in portfolio
• Ability to synthesize multiple sources of creative input to create a collaborative artistic experience.
• Bilingual (Spanish preferred, additional/other languages welcome & encouraged)
• Proven ability to execute projects successfully within provided timelines and budgets
• Demonstrated connection between the applicant’s past work and the current art opportunity
• Demonstrated commitment to public engagement and community connectivity in the applicant's work

Cultural Equity:

• Consideration of cultural and racial equity throughout the selection process
• Applicant’s demographics and perspectives represented in the artwork and experiences of the Artist or Artist Team are taken into account
• Consideration of access accommodations – multisensory and multimodal practices that allow all visitors with widely ranging ages, abilities, levels of interest and sophistication, learning styles, and cultural identities access to the artwork

Other Review Criteria:

• Strong conceptual skills with innovative and effective approaches demonstrated in other creative projects
• Ability to design artwork that is sensitive to social, environmental, economic, historical, and/or other culturally relevant contexts
• Ability to translate artistic concepts into compositions that are appropriate for public space, taking into consideration maintenance, safety, and longevity
• Potential for work to enrich and diversify the community in which it is created and completed
• Artistic merit of body of work

About Mexic-Arte Museum:

Mexic-Arte Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to the presentation and interpretation of Mexican, Mexican-American, and Latinx art and culture. Through the exhibition of traditional and contemporary artwork, the museum offers visitors an opportunity to engage with and learn about the history and artistic production of these multifaceted cultures. In addition to the museum visitor, a broader audience is impacted through the museum's outreach classes, tours, lectures, and other educational programming.

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