Call for Artist: Malden Center Portable Light Installation

The City of Malden Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development is issuing a Call for Artists to design and produce a portable light installation celebrating Malden's cultural diversity. The installation will be displayed in a vacant storefront window at 20 Commercial Street measuring approximately 21 feet wide by 7 feet high, and must be freestanding or mounted to be visible from the window bays with ideally only one outlet connection required. Eligible applicants must be artists aged 18 years or older with demonstrated experience creating light installations of similar dimensions, working with community input, and managing projects within set budgets and schedules. Key deliverables include an approved final design, completed installation and inspection, and completion of an unveiling event organized by the City in partnership with the selected artist(s). A virtual information session is scheduled for April 8, 2026 at 4:00 p.m., with a question submission deadline of April 13, 2026, and applications due on April 23, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. via email to OSPCDInfo@cityofmalden.org. The selection committee will consist of up to five individuals, including at least one OSPCD staff member, one Mayor's office representative, and representatives from Creative Malden, Malden Creates, and Malden Arts. The selected artist(s) will be announced on or before May 7, 2026, with installation to be completed between May and June 2026.

Preference will be given to applicants with a connection to Malden, though no explicit set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises are mentioned in the procurement documents. The City of Malden will award a total of $15,000 to cover supplies, artist fees, liability insurance, and all project costs through a grant agreement with the selected artist(s). The payment is structured across four deliverables: $3,000 upon signed grant agreement and kick-off meeting, $2,000 upon approved final design, $5,500 upon installation and inspection, and $4,500 upon completion of the unveiling event. The funding is made possible through a state earmark. The City retains a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable right to reproduce and use the artwork with attribution, while the grantee retains ownership and copyright of ancillary materials.