Call for Artist: Malden Pleasant Street Mural

The City of Malden Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development is seeking an artist or team of artists to design and produce a public mural located on the wall beneath the Orange Line overpass on the south side of Pleasant Street in Malden, Massachusetts. The mural will measure approximately 68 feet wide by 9 feet high and must celebrate Malden's cultural diversity while aligning with the city's new public art strategy. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and demonstrate experience with large-scale outdoor murals, community engagement, and project management, with the ability to deliver the completed work by June 19, 2026. The selection process includes a virtual information session on April 9, 2026, a question submission deadline of April 13, 2026 (with responses posted by April 16, 2026), and a final application deadline of April 23, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. via email to OSPCDInfo@cityofmalden.org, with the award announcement scheduled for on or before May 7, 2026. Deliverables include an original artwork design, final design approval, completed mural painting, and completion of an unveiling event, with the artist responsible for purchasing materials, securing necessary permits, providing equipment such as ladders and scaffolds, obtaining liability insurance naming the City as additional insured, and treating the mural with anti-graffiti coating. The selected artist retains copyright ownership while the City receives a royalty-free, nonexclusive, irrevocable right to reproduce and use the artwork with attribution.

The procurement includes a preference for applicants with a connection to Malden, though no formal set-asides or disadvantaged enterprise restrictions are specified. The total award is $20,000, provided through state earmark funding and structured in four milestone payments: $3,000 upon signed grant agreement and initial design submission, $5,000 upon approved final design, $5,000 upon painting and inspection, and $7,000 upon unveiling event completion. The award covers all supplies, artist fees, liability insurance, and project costs within the specified budget. No incumbent vendors or existing infrastructure requiring integration are identified for this procurement. The City reserves the right not to make an award and retains control over site alterations or removal of the mural should circumstances warrant such action.