How to Hire a Mural Artist for Your City or Business Public Art Project

Are you looking for how to hire a mural artist for your home?  If so, read this post instead.

There are a lot of great mural artists in this world.  If you’d like to hire an experienced mural artist for your next public art project here are points to consider:

1. Artists may already be booked far in advance.  If you want a mural completed for your city or business, make sure to send out the request months in advance and have the completion deadline at least 5 months ahead of when you notify the artists of acceptance.
2.  If you are a city and wanting to post a public notice for proposals, write an RFQ (Request for Qualifications), not an RFP (Request for Proposals).  When asking for qualifications as opposed to a proposal, you can see that the artist is skilled, see examples of murals they’ve completed, and even talk to their clients.  When you ask for a proposal, the artist has to take time to design an artwork that may or may not get chosen for the project.  If the artist doesn’t have the time to complete a design before the application deadline, they may not even apply.  Plus, this can make the artist feel like they are working for free.
   1. 1. If you want to pick from a design before hiring a mural painter for your public art project or for your company, please pay them for their time. Here is what I recommend:
         • Send out an RFQ. 
         • Pick 3-5 artists whose style you like to create a design.
         • Pay them at least a few hundred dollars for their time.  (If you’d like to buy the copyright to the design, that’s another blog post and can be tens of thousands of dollars.)

Where Do I Find a Mural Painter for my Public Art Project?

Once you have the RFQ written, emailing it directly to an artist’s email shows them you are really interested in their work and encourages them to apply.  Send the RFQ to local arts organizations and ask that they send out the request in their newsletters and post on social media.  You can also send a press release to your local newspapers or magazines.  Plus, many arts organizations have databases where you can post the mural job for free on their website.  Of course, you can also search for artists on social media.  I know many mural artists and can connect you with the perfect fit for your project.  Contact me for a free mural consultation.

What Information Do Mural Painters Need to Know?

Some mural painters charge by the square foot and some charge by the amount of wall coverage or design.  A realistic, detailed mural of people will take longer than a simple, abstract design.  The pay per square foot is anywhere from $20 to $70 so it’s important to pay an experienced artist well.  Here are more things to know:

• Dimensions:  Make sure to take accurate measurement of the height and width of the wall.  Don’t be offended if the artist needs to measure again.  (I can’t tell you how many times clients have given me the wrong dimensions.)
• Photos:  Take a photo of the wall surface so that the artist knows if it is smooth or rough.  A rough wall may prompt a different design than a smooth wall.
• Prep:  Will the artist do the prep or will you hire someone?  Many artists like to do the prep themselves to make sure of good paint adherence.  Walls with peeling paint may need to be scraped or power washed, plus need drying time.
• Timeframe to Complete:  How long will the artist have to work on the mural?
• Supplies Budget:  Will you cover supplies or will the artist include them in their proposal?
• Grade:  If the wall is high, artists may need to rent a lift.  A lift won’t work unless it’s on a somewhat flat surface.
• Design Decisions:  Who needs to approve the final mural design?  It can be really frustrating to complete a design, but then it’s sent to the boss and needs to be redone.  Make sure all parties who need to approve the design are communicated with along the way.
• Do you have an idea about what you’d like the design to be – colors, theme, etc…?  Let the mural artist know.  Please note that many artists won’t paint copyrighted designs in public spaces without the design/character being licensed.  For example, artists can get sued by Disney for painting one of their characters in a public space.

Mural artists will also need a contract and a down payment a few weeks prior to the start date to order supplies and paint colors.  Some artists start your mural in their studio by mixing and prepping all the paint colors so they are ready to go once they arrive at your location.

Ready to hire a mural artist?  I know amazing mural artists in the Chicagoland area and many who are willing to travel.  Contact me to find a mural artist here.

Are you a mural artist?  What do you wish people knew before they hire you?