Artist Call

 The following post can be found in PDF format here: UNC Research RFP.final.

Arts Everywhere and UNC Research are seeking design proposals for a new mural in the office of UNC Research, located at Carolina Square. The mural will engage with students, faculty, staff, and the public, and should follow the themes and guidelines listed below. The project budget should exceed no more than $2,000, to cover artist/design fees, installation, and supplies.

Arts Everywhere is a comprehensive initiative at UNC-CH to make the arts a fundamental part of University culture and daily campus life. Collaborating with diverse departments, units, and organizations, they strive to embed creative expression, live arts experiences, and arts learning into students’ Carolina education.

Application Deadline: April 30, 2021

About the Project

The objective of this project is to create a piece of art that celebrates the many facets and advancements of UNC Research. The mural should reflect the life-changing work researchers do at UNC under the strategic priorities of the research enterprise, its global and local impact, and/or connections back to main campus.

The strategic priorities are research conducted to solve grand challenges in the following areas: brain, cancer, data science, environment, infectious diseases, equity, culture, and precision health. Not all priority areas need to be represented, but some would be great.

Artists submitting proposals should consider how they might engage with staff who work in the space, either in the installation process or in related programming. The selected artist will also have the opportunity to interview a small number of staff to inform their final piece.

How to Apply

Please submit the following as one .pdf file attachment in an email to artseverywhere@unc.edu.

• Artistic resume
• One page proposal describing the design concept with a brief explanation of how it relates to any themes related to UNC Research
• 3-5 examples of previous work of a similar style

Eligibility

This call is only open to artists who are local to Chapel Hill or the triangle region. Candidates must be professional artists, designers, or fabricators or partnered with professional artists, designers, or fabricators, eligible to work in the United States, and age 18 and older. UNC-Chapel Hill alumni are encouraged to apply. The artist must be available to oversee the installation of the mural.

Selection Process

The following two weeks after the April 30 deadline will be dedicated to narrowing down top candidates to meet with the selection committee (likely via Zoom) to discuss design concepts and how student involvement will be factored into the process. The final candidate will be notified by June 18.

Approximate Timeline

• April 30 – Submission Deadline
• June 1-15 – The selection committee meets with top candidates
• June 18 – The selected artist is notified
• June – July – Design is finalized
• August – Mural installation

This timeline is approximate and is subject to change.

Mural Location

The proposed location for this mural is on the 6^th floor of Carolina Square. It will be installed in the lobby area of newly renovated office space for multiple units with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.

The specific location of the mural will be at the discretion of the artist. There are four possible walls to work with and the artist can choose to work with more than one. One item to note is that the monitor that is secured to one of the walls will run video and images, which may enhance or diminish an installation on that wall. See photos below.

Questions?

Please send any questions via email to the Arts Everywhere team at artseverywhere@unc.edu.